Opinion: Barrio Logan residents are validated and empowered by Our Lady of Guadalupe [Opinion]
Dec. 12 is a special day to thousands of faithful who honor the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe and a humble peasant named Juan Diego who was later canonized into sainthood by the Catholic church.In my experience as a Jesuit priest and having worked with Mexican and Latin American Catholics, both in Los Angeles and now here in San Diego, this history is proof-positive that God is on their side, that he takes up their cause, that he has chosen one of their own.
Society often also chooses the least. Only not always for great things. Instead, societies often choose the least — the poor, the downtrodden, people of color — to take care of unsightly things in the name of progress. The Parish of Our Lady of Guadalupe is all too familiar with this, as are the residents of Barrio Logan and Logan Heights. In the 1960s, the construction of Interstate 5 divided these neighborhoods, and it necessitated that our own parish school be destroyed and a new one rebuilt.
The problem, however, is who bears the cost of progress. Often, the costs are borne disproportionately by the poor and people of color. Thanks to the construction of that freeway, and thanks also to the proximity of the Port of San Diego, Barrio Logan and Logan Heights residents must breathe some of the worst air in the state of California as measured by asthma and lung cancer rates. Mitsubishi Cement Corp.
This Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, we plan to put our faith into action. Validated and empowered by our Lady of Guadalupe, who chose Juan Diego 500 years ago, and who I believe chooses us today, we will depart after our 5 p.m. Mass tonight on the evening of Dec. 12 and go to the parking lot of the offices of the Port of San Diego.
Once again, God chooses the least — us! And society, I hope this time around, does not. May Our Lady of Guadalupe help us all feel validated, empowered, and that we all — yes, all of us, even those in Barrio Logan and Logan Heights — belong and are full members of this great city of San Diego.
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