| The Spirit of CALL -
A New Chapter Begins |
CALL members gathered at St. Malo's |
The annual meeting of CALL members was held July 23 - 25 at the beautiful Rocky Mountain facility of the St. Malo Catholic Retreat and Conference Center. The meeting was convened by Chairman Mario Paredes, who welcomed the 30 members in attendance. He began by reading a letter from CALL member Archbishop Charles Chaput who was unable to attend the gathering.
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"In my 22 years as a bishop, being part of CALL has been - and still is - one of the important and enjoyable tasks I've had," Archbishop Chaput stated. "CALL is now poised to play an even more effective role in mobilizing Latino Catholic leaders and renewing American society with the values of family, faith, hard work and moral character," he continued.
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Chairman Paredes then announced that he was concluding the three-year term of his office as chairman to which he had been elected. As CALL's first chairman he spoke of the efforts of the founding board to establish and brand CALL within the Church and how the organization must now begin its work in evangelization and establishing its voice in the public sqaure and beyond. This, he said, would require taking CALL "to the next level."
New Chairman Ruben Escobedo |
Chairman Paredes announced that, in the board of directors meeting held on July 23, the new chairman elected for the coming three-year term was Ruben Escobedo of San Antonio. He asked the gathered members to welcome Mr. Escobedo to his new leadership position.
Ruben Escobedo briefly addressed the gathering stating that a long journey begins with a single step and that Chairman Paredes, along with the founding board members, had done an excellent job in branding CALL and establishing the organization within the Church. He stated that he looked forward to working with Paredes, the other directors and CALL members to expand the organization's voice and identity into broader areas for the common good of our Church, community and country.
CALL's Episcopal Moderator, Archbishop José H. Gomez, then announced that founding Chairman Paredes had been appointed by the board of directors to the post of Chairman Emeritus in recognition of his dedication and leadership in establishing the organization in 2007. Mr. Paredes will continue to serve on the board of directors.
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On behalf of the members of CALL, I wish to thank Chairman Paredes for his hard work, dedication and many achievements in his role as chairman of the board of directors from 2007 - 2010.
Robert B. Aguirre
President/CEO |
A note from...
Mario J. Paredes, Chairman Emeritus |
Chairman Emeritus Paredes |
CALL has always been about growing in faith through prayer, education and service. As our organization expands and develops, change must be a natural part of our progression. The results of our 2010 members meeting were most positive and will create a renewed enthusiasm for the need to strengthen this organization that is Catholic and Hispanic-American.
As I finish my tenure as Chairman of the Board, I look back with a sense of accomplishment and gratitude because we have gone through a unique period in Church history, which we can only understand with the eyes of faith. The first reality that comes to mind looking at our universal Church in the United States is that we are one in spite of our differences and diversity of expression of our faith.
Another element of this unique moment is that we have shared a very rich period in the history of our Church. This reality takes place in a world full of problems and challenges such as the unjust distribution of goods and resources, poverty and hunger, the problems of violence and maintaining peace. Legislatively, the past two years has seen another problem emerge: the difficulty in fully understanding the limits of civil law in relation to moral law.
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These problems are very real. And we, Hispanic-American Catholics, need to use our presence and strength to define these questions in today's society. This is where the voice of CALL must be heard. The time is now.
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I wish to thank the members of the founding board of directors for their support and for their service and commitment to CALL. I look forward to continuing my work with you in the years ahead.
May God Bless our CALL members!
Mario J. Paredes
Chairman Emeritus |
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2010 Members Meeting remarks by...
Archbishop José H. Gomez |
Archbishop Gomez | Greetings, my friends! It is great to be with you this morning!
You know, since Easter it has been a whirlwind for me. I am very grateful for all of your prayers and support during my transition. It meant a lot to me that many of you were able to join me for my welcoming Mass in Los Angeles.
........... To have you there was a joy and a comfort to me.
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I am happy to report that they are making me feel very welcome in my new home. The hospitality has been great. The people are beautiful and warm and they have been very patient with their new Coadjutor Archbishop.
Los Angeles is a long way from San Antonio and Denver! In more ways than one. You really do see the face of the global Church there--nearly 9,000 miles of territory, some 72 different ethinic groups and nationalities are there; and we celebrate the Holy Mass in more than 30 different languages. It is really amazing. I wake up every day thinking that I have so much to learn. And I go to bed every night thinking the same thing! I still need a lot of prayers from you.
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Founding Board of Directors | |
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Archbishop Gomez |
Mario J. Paredes | |
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Chris Alvarez |
Sergio Gutierrez |
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Robert Aguirre |
Christine Johnson |
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Tom Espinoza |
Carlos de Quesada |
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Jose Ambrozic |
Jean-Marie Diederichs |
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Misael Guerra
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Manny Garcia Tuñon | |
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