August 3, 2025
Dear Most Holy Trinity Family:
Speak, Your Servant Is Listening
God gave us the gift of communication, and we use different modes to communicate. Some of these are verbal, while others are non-verbal. The ability to communicate is a gift from God, and God, the Master of Communication, also communicates with us by using modes that are relatable to us. Communication presupposes communion and community. An example of this union is the Contemplation on the Incarnation in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. In this contemplation, as the Trinity looks down from heaven, they enter into conversation to discuss the work of redemption, and from this dialogue, Jesus, the Son of God, takes human flesh and becomes Emmanuel, God with us. In the Ignatian tradition, this is a sign of communal discernment – of listening, conversation, and consultation. This is also known as synodality.
This is the model that we, the Jesuits serving at Most Holy Trinity, want to imitate. This is also the model that we are encouraging all the different ministries and communities of MHT to imitate. Fathers Marty, Manh, Vincent, and I will work together to serve the different needs of the parish community. Although I may be the final decision maker, I will not make decisions without consulting and valuing the advice of my Jesuit brothers as well as others within the parish community. I am not delegating the leadership responsibility of the Vietnamese community to Fr. Manh, or to Fr. Vincent. In the same way, I am not delegating the leadership responsibility of the Filipino community to Fr. Marty, nor of the Hispanic community to myself.
No, I will not be using this model. Instead, the four of us will work together, and for cultural and communication affairs for the Filipino, and the Vietnamese communities, I will rely on them, and on you, and together, we will serve the needs of the MHT community.
I will be using the same consultative model with the Parish and Financial Councils, as well as with the staff of the parish and the school. These entities are important consultative bodies that advise me. Those of us involved in any ministerial and leadership capacity must make use of these consultative bodies as a way of working together.
And speaking of teamwork, I want to recognize Sal Rojas, Music Director, for his work and dedication to the MHT community. After three decades of dedicated service to the parish community, he will step down from this position. Fortunately, he will continue his service as the coordinator of the Spanish choir. As a result, the position of Music Director is now open. If you look at the priorities and objectives of the pastoral plan of the Diocese, liturgical music is among them. Thus, it is important to have a staff person coordinating and supporting this vital ministry for all the choirs at MHT. After all, God also speaks to us through music and song.
Fr. Elias Puentes, SJ
Pastor
