In his first “church job” as a case manager for Catholic
Charities in the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, Joel de Loera would sometimes
pray with families as he helped them address housing or employment issues.
The mostly Hispanic families he worked with seemed to appreciate
the prayers, but “one of my colleagues said to me once, ‘If you want to talk
about Jesus, you need to go work for a parish.’ ” After praying about it and
talking with his spiritual director, de Loera said, “I realized my calling was
working in a parish setting — I felt like my passion was sharing the good news
of Jesus” in a more direct way.
He worked in youth and family ministry for parishes in Oklahoma
and Texas, then served as director of Family Life and Spirituality for the
Diocese of San Jose in Northern California. He studied after hours to earn
bachelor’s and master’s degrees in theology and pastoral theology, while he and
his wife began raising their growing family.
All of that has paved the way for de Loera to step into his new position
this month as director of the Spanish Apostolate for the Arlington diocese —
the first layperson to serve in that role. The previous director, Father José
Eugenio Hoyos, served in the office for 15 years.
“We are very excited,” said de Loera, a bilingual 34-year-old
with an easy laugh and a calm, can-do demeanor. “It’s an awesome opportunity to
do ministry and witness to Christ and to family life.” He said his family has
always been involved in his ministry; they are featured prominently in his social
media feeds. He also plays guitar and sings. His wife, Nora, and six children,
ages 8 months to 11 years old, are still in California but will join him as
soon as he can find a suitable home.
Bishop Michael F. Burbidge said he has tremendous confidence that
de Loera is the right person for the job.
“As Bishop of Arlington, one of my key priorities has been to
help integrate the Hispanic community into the larger Catholic family here in
our diocese,” he said. “The Hispanic community is well known for vibrancy of
faith and deep family bonds. Joel, as a loyal husband and devoted father, is a
model of Catholic family life and has served the church in various types of
ministry. As the first lay director of the Spanish Apostolate, I have absolute
confidence that Joel will help me more effectively reach out to our Hispanic
brothers and sisters and assist our pastors in their own outreach. I ask all in
the diocese to pray for Joel and his family, as they begin this transition and
as he embarks on a new journey here in the Diocese of Arlington.”
Father Kevin Walsh, pastor of Precious Blood Church in Culpeper,
said the Hispanic Advisory Committee was impressed by de Loera’s “joyful
witness,” as well as his many talents.
“He has worked with youth, religious education, family ministry
and prayer groups. His strong presence on social media is just one of the ways
that he evangelizes,” Father Walsh said. “As a happily married man and father
of six children, he sets a wonderful example of living out the call to holiness
in the sacrament of matrimony while being open to the gift of life.”
The cost of living in the Washington area doesn’t faze de Loera,
and neither does the challenge of finding a home and moving his family
cross-country during an ongoing pandemic.
He noted that he’s coming from Silicon Valley, “the most
expensive place on earth,” and pointed out that California’s Santa Clara County
has one of the most restrictive coronavirus protocols in the nation. Churches
there mostly have been closed since last March, and when he got to Virginia,
“it was such a relief being able to go to Mass inside a church,” he said.
His first priority in his new job will be “to reach out to all
the clergy, meet them in person or via Zoom and listen to them, get to know
them, and get to know their needs and struggles out in the field,” de Loera
said. “Then I can begin to assess the options to engage with (the Hispanic
community) and begin to slowly let them know how important it is to be part of
their parish and begin to serve there.”
He can relate to the challenges of Hispanic parishioners, many of
whom are immigrants raising their children in a very different culture than
they grew up in. Although he was born in Oklahoma, his wife came from Mexico at
age 16, and her parents insisted they take a chaperone on dates.
“They had strong values,” he said. “Now that I have four
daughters, I understand.”