Corpus Christi Caller Times Caller.com - Priest says he and Holy Family Parish are a match

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Monday, November 8, 1999

Priest says he and Holy Family Parish are a match

By Deborah Martinez
Caller-Times

David Adame/Caller-Times

The Rev. Frank Martinez leads a prayer from the altar during the Sunday evening youth Mass at Holy Family Parish.

It may have seemed like a normal Mass to everybody else at Holy Family Parish, but to Frank Martinez, the one-hour service last month was what led him home.
   And ultimately, for the church, it was what won over their future leader.
   "It was their warmth and genuineness that convinced me this was the church for me," said the Rev. Martinez of the church, located near Nogales and Soledad streets. "Everyone was so real.''
   Martinez, who replaced James Edward Janacek after Janacek dropped out of the priesthood in September to get married, has been the answer to the church's prayers, parishioner Lydia Rodriguez said.
   It has been almost two months since Holy Family has had a priest, parishioners said, and now Martinez, who will be the church's only pastor, has brought them hope.
   "We love Father Martinez,'' Rodriguez said. "When we lost our other priest, we felt alone and without guidance. We felt sad because there was nobody to follow. I hope we have him for a long time."
   Martinez doesn't plan to go anywhere, he said. If the diocese never reassigns him again, he said, he'd be happy. In his 10 years as a priest, he never has stayed at one church for more than three years.
   Before he left for Washington D.C. two years ago to study at the John Paul II Institute For Studies On Marriage and Family he served as pastor of churches in Alice and Odem and as an assistant here at Most Precious Blood.
   Martinez said Holy Family is his perfect match. The 1981 Carroll High School graduate said he didn't go further when he was given the choice to be pastor of either Holy Family or another local church.
   After the Mass he observed from the back of the church he knew he wanted to commit to Holy Family, he said. Within four days, he was assigned to be its pastor.
   "I love the neighborhood,'' Martinez said. "The church is smack in the middle of it. It's right where the life of the people is."
   Back to his roots

David Adame/Caller-Times

The Rev. Frank Martinez speaks to parishioners at Holy Family Parish. Martinez is the church's new leader, replacing James Edward Janacek, who left the priesthood in September.

   The neighborhood's lifestyle charms him, he said. Since the church is in a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood and has a mostly Hispanic congregation, he said, it gives him a chance to get to know his roots better and celebrate holidays normally not focused on as much in other churches.
   The idea of observing Posadas during Christmas, ma¤anitas - a morning birthday celebration for Our Lady of Guadalupe on Dec. 12 - and D¡a de los Muertos excites him, he said. He also looks forward to improving his Spanish.
   "I love the events the Mexican culture has given the church,'' Martinez said. "I'm so excited to be able to do it again. It's so concrete. So down to earth and real. So rich."
   Martinez himself is earthy, said Rosie Salinas, the office manager at Holy Family. The way he likes to throw jokes into casual conversation puts people at ease and makes him popular throughout the local Catholic community, she said.
   Strong family ties
   Secretaries and deacons from other churches smile when they hear his name and discuss his outgoing personality and lively sermons.
   He's also easily identified with his parents, Consuelo and Roosevelt Martinez, who have been heavily involved in the Catholic church since before the Rev. Martinez grew up attending St. Cyril and Methodius Church on South Padre Island Drive. His parents attended Holy Family until they joined St. Cyril and Methodius in 1963, Martinez said.
   It is those roots with the church that help the parishioners identify with him, Rodriguez said.
   To Martinez that is important, he said, because identifying with priests is essential to the relationship between a church and their pastor.
   "It's important to see a priest as a regular person, but also to see that a priest represents Christ,'' Martinez said. "That kind of tells you Christ was pretty human too. I can't see Him not dancing in the corner with his parents.''
   Salinas said the people of Holy Family definitely connect with Martinez on a basic level.
   The level of excitement at the church is simply brimming over, she said.
   "He's a go-getter,'' she said. "We really need him now. He'll continue to move us forward and he'll bring us even more unity."



Staff writer Deborah Martinez can be reached at 886-3622 or by e-mail at martinezd@caller.com

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