South Texas Catholic (Corpus Christi, Tex.), Vol. 19, No. 18, Ed. 1 Friday, October 28, 1983 Page: 6 of 16
sixteen pages : ill. ; page 19 x 14 in.View a full description of this newspaper.
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Brother, Sister act aids Laredo’s parishes
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By Salo Otero
STC staff writer
LAREDO—The two smiling faces on
this page belong to Mercy Sister Maria
Guadalupe Herrera and Marist Brother
Joseph Herrera.
They are brother and sist r, born to
Cecilio M. Herrera and the late Maria
Rebeca Ferrara.
Both native Laredoans are now work-
ing for the Diocese of Corpus Christi at
the Laredo Catholic Center.
Sister Herrera, a nun since 1961, has
been with the diocese since September of
1981 as coordinator of religious educa-
tion for the Laredo Deanery.
This September, Brother Herrera
joined his sister at the LCC as a
facilitator in youth ministry for the
Laredo Deanery.
Sister Herrera graduated from
Laredo’s Ursuline Academy. She joined
the St. Louis Province of the Sisters of
Mercy. She has a master’s in theology
from St. Mary’s with a minor in
religious education.
Her background is wide-ranging.
From 1966-75, she taught high school
English and Spanish in Mississippi,
Missouri, Arkansas and Mission,
Texas.
Through all these years, she was in-
volved in parish and mission religious
education.
From 1975-78, she worked in adult
education in Amarillo. For the next two
years, before returning to her native
Laredo, Sister Herrera was at St. Ed-
ward’s Medical Center in Fort Smith,
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Sister Guadalupe the sister and her brother Brother Joe
Ark., as a pastoral associate working
with Cuban patients.
As coordinator of religi us education
in the Laredo Deanery, she is trying to
“bring our people into a greater con-
sciousness of Vatican II—it’s theology
and language.
“Jesus is the same yesterday, today
and tomorrow. We want to put eternal
truths into today's world,” she said.
Sister Herrera is happy to be back in
her native city. “God didn’t work it out
until now,” she smiles. “My experience
has enriched me, but I never lost touch
with Laredo, the families and politics.
This has been a fulfillment of my call.”
Sister has many goals for her job.
“Aside from building community, we
want to build up a sense of diocese.”
She works with religious ed coor-
dinators from ail the parishes and prais-
ed the “local coordinators for building
community and support groups.
There’s an openness on their part to
learri more and be exposed to other
ideas.
“The missions in Hebbronviile and
Zapata are truly building up at a
phenomenal rate. The rural parishes are
on the move, thanks to the leadership of
the priests. I’m grateful for all the
pastors’ cooperation.
“Working with volunteers, it is edify-
ing to see the utter goodwill and
generosity of our Catholic people. We
don’t save anybody We are just in-
struments.”
Sister Herrera has worked with her
brother, Joe, before, with the St.
Mary’s continuing education program-
“He complements my style,” she said.
“He is supportive and a good listener.”
Brother Herrera studied at Laredo St.
Joseph’s Academy, but graduated from
Marist Prep in New York. He went on
to New York Marist College to study
chemistry.
He taught chemistry in Laredo’s St.
Joseph’s from 1969 until the school clos-
ed in 1973. For the last 10 years, he has
been on the J.W. Nixon High School
faculty.
He has a master’s in theology from
St. Mary’s of San Antonio.
Brother Herrera has been involved in
Laredo youth work since 1973. He
started the Blessed Sacrament youth
choir which he still directs. For two
years, he taught free guitar lessons.
From thzzz guitar lessons, blossomed
musicians for other parish choirs,
among them the St. Patrick’s choir,
which has been active for six years.
In 1974, Brother Herrera was asked
to help with the teenage Search pro-
gram, which was a forerunner of the
now very active Choice and Youth Cur-
sillo. He was also involved with the
Charismatic Renewal from 1974-81,
and has helped Youth Cursillo spiritual
director Father Hugh Clarke for the last
two years.
Brother Herrera is looking for “youth
to share their wealth, their ideas,”
“We need to help youth realize their
role in the church...get them involved in
parish ministries as eucharistic
ministers, lectors and ushers.”
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Bishop Gracida echoes
Cooke in pro-life pastoral
In a pastoral letter recognizing October as
Respect Life Month, Bishop Rene Gracida
recalled the pro-life efforts of the late Cardinal
Terence Cooke of New York.
Cardinal Cooke served 10 years as chairman
of the U S. bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Ac-
tivities. Shortly before his death, Cardinal Cooke
directed that a pastoral letter on the sanctity of
human life be read in all parishes of his ar-
chdiocese.
In his pastoral, read in South Texas parishes
the weekend of Oct. 21-22, Bishop Gracida said
that Cardinal Cooke’s final message was “so
poignant and appropriate that I have chosen to
make his letter part of...my own...’’
“It is at times when life is threatened,” wrote
the gravely ill cardinal, “that the Lord gives us a
special grace to appreciate the gift of life more
deeply as an irreplaceable blessing which only
God can give and which God must guide at every
step. From the beginning of human life, from
conception until death and at every moment bet-
ween, it is the Lord our God who gives us life,
and we, who are His creatures, should cry out
with joy and thanksgiving for this precious gift.”
Cardinal Cooke said that it was “tragic” that
abortion, euthanasia, and infanticide are falsely
presented as useful and respectable solutions to
social problems.
The cardinal added that the gift of life “is no
'ess beautiful when it is accompanied by illness or
weakness, hunger or poverty, mental or physical
handicaps, loneliness or old age. Indeed, at these
times, human life gains special splendor as it re-
quires our special care, concern and reverence. It
is in and through the weakest of human vessels
that the Lord continues to reveal the power of his
love.
Bishop Gracida called on Catholics in the
diocese to “rededicate your efforts for the sancti-
ty of all human life and to work to counteract the
contemporary threats to life. I urge you to in-
crease and to strengthen programs in our
parishes and communities for the poor, the elder-
ly, the handicapped, the rejected, the homeless,
the suffering, the unwanted, the unborn.”
Cardinal Cooke’s message was
’so poignant and appropriate that
I have chosen to make his letter
part of...my own...’
—Bishop Gracida
The bishop concluded the letter by reminding
Catholics of the U.S. bishops’ PasHseahPlan for
Pro-Life Activities and its three elements, name-
ly, education, pastoral care, and public policy.
Bishop Gracida’s pastoral on Respect Life
Month was his second pastoral as bishop of Cor-
pus Christi. Earlier in October Bishop Gracida
released a pastoral letter on the role of the perma-
nent deacon in the Church.
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Feist, Joe Michael. South Texas Catholic (Corpus Christi, Tex.), Vol. 19, No. 18, Ed. 1 Friday, October 28, 1983, newspaper, October 28, 1983; Corpus Christi, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth840331/m1/6/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; .