Father Elizondo’s birthday benefits MACC

Father David Garcia, Archbishop José H. Gomez and Father Virgil Elizondo celebrated a Mass April 16 at Assumption Seminary in honor of Father Elizondo’s 75th birthday. Katherine Jass Lopez | Today's Catholic

SAN ANTONIO • Adding to the excitement and joy of the city’s Fiesta activities, the Mexican American Catholic College (MACC) kicked off the Fiesta week with a party of their own; a birthday party.

Friends gathered to celebrate and give thanks for the gift of 75 years of life of Father Virgil Elizondo on April 16.

Born and raised in San Antonio, Father Elizondo has served as a priest for 47 years at various parishes including San Fernando Cathedral. He is an accomplished author, speaker and professor and is the founder of the Mexican American Cultural Center, now the Mexican American Catholic College. His contributions to the archdiocese, the academic community and the formation of Hispanic ministry are insurmountable. Although Father Elizondo’s actual birthday isn’t until Aug. 26, the decision was made to hold the celebration early for scheduling reasons. “MACC is eternally grateful for Father Elizondo’s years of service, support and dedication to our mission; we wanted to show our gratitude by having a birthday fiesta for him,” said Dr. Arturo Chávez, Ph.D., president of MACC.

Before the fiesta began, a Mass of thanksgiving was held at Assumption Seminary with celebrant Archbishop José H. Gomez and concelebrants Father David Garcia and Father Elizondo. Also in attendance was Father Jaime Robledo of Assumption Seminary and Father José Arturo Cepeda of the Vocations Office for the archdiocese.

During his homily, Father Garcia commented how appropriate the timing of the party was. “Food is what brings us together and gives us the opportunity to learn more about each other and often brings out the best in us; it gives us an opportunity to be in solidarity within the rest of the world and we must remember those who are in need; this is what the Gospel teaches us. The Gospel is about the eternal banquet and calls us to share our gifts and resources and there will be enough for everyone.”

He continued, “We gather today to honor Jesus who called Virgilio long ago to share his own gifts of loaves and fishes with an overwhelming number of hungry people, mainly the Hispanic Catholic people of the United States. Father Virgil and others after him have shared their considerable gifts and call forth the community the wonderful flowering that is so wonderful today. We are all called to look at our loaves and fishes as Father Virgil has.”

Others in the religious community echoed the sentiment of the wonderful gifts Father Elizondo has bestowed on the Hispanic community. “He is one of the pioneers of Hispanic ministry in the United States. His theological reflections have been instrumental in the church being more of aware of the needs of Hispanic community and he is a wonderful blessing for the Archdiocese of San Antonio,” said Archbishop Gomez. “His legacy is that of a man of great faith and vision and he is always looking and willing to share his gifts with the church and he empowers others to believe in their own gifts for the good of the church; it is wonderful to be here to celebrate his birthday and give thanks for all that he has done for the Hispanic community,” commented Father Cepeda.

After Mass and a rain shower, the fiesta began on the beautiful grounds of MACC with food, music and fellowship. Friends from across the country and those closer to home came to celebrate and share their love affection for the soon to be 75-year-old priest. “I was a student of his more than 30 years ago and now we write books together; his own personal life journey and prayer life are a great inspiration — there is no other like Father Elizondo,” said Timothy Matovina, who traveled from Indiana to join in the festivities. Current MACC board member Sister Theresa McGrath, CCVI, has witnessed the benefits of Father Elizondo’s contributions academically. “Father Virgil is a person of vision, faith and courage and works to break down barriers. He is a foremost theologian in Latin American theology and has had a tremendous impact on preparing students at Incarnate Word to prepare them to take on leadership roles across our country.”

When preparations for the birthday celebrations, Father Elizondo again showed his love for learning and wanted to find a way to help MACC in the process. In lieu of personal gifts, Father Elizondo suggested that donations be made to go towards the development of a library at MACC, appropriately named the Elizondo Library and Archives. “The mission of MACC is to prepare pastoral leaders and teach seminarians and you can’t have a college without a library; I wanted to be able to help raise funds to build a library that would be beneficial to all of the students,” Father Elizondo said.

The Elizondo library is off to a great start with a check presented to Father Elizondo in the amount of $52,000 and MACC is still accepting donations. “The Elizondo library will be exactly what MACC’s students need to have on hand as they pursue higher education in theology, philosophy, cultural studies and pastoral ministry. This small but comprehensive library will also be essential as MACC seeks academic accreditation and continues to evolve as a biliterate institution of higher learning,” said Dr. Chávez.

Helping to keep the celebration going, Tejano singer Patsy Torres joined in to sing Father Elizondo “Happy Birthday” as his cake was brought out. “I began singing at San Fernando Cathedral when Father Virgil was there and it was an honor for me to be invited here to help celebrate his birthday. He is a strong leader and has an incredible sense of humanitarianism and faith; he makes me proud to be a Catholic,” she said.

One of Father Elizondo’s former students traveled over 500 miles from Hammond, La., to wish him a happy birthday. “I came to MACC to learn about the Hispanic cultural and ministry and I can say without hesitation that the courses I took with Father Virgil have given me a strong foundation and have had a tremendous effect on me. Father Virgil is gracious and generous and an incredible theologian; I wish more people had his passion and vision,” said Angie Ruggia-Kretzer.

Father Virgil was overwhelmed and happy to see so many people who wanted to celebrate with him. “I have a profound gratitude for every person who came tonight; they are my gifts. It’s been so nice to see people from the parishes I’ve served in and former students — it’s like having a family party, and that is how life should be — a family.”