Father Zea's going homeAnd that will leave a huge void at St. Joseph Church, where the Colombian native is beloved
by Joseph Trevino
June 28, 2008
For years, The Rev. Virgilio Zea has been an outspoken defender of immigrant rights. The Colombian native has been a fixture for Latinos since he was assigned to Yakima's St. Joseph's Catholic Church in the winter of 2003. But now, his visa is about to expire and the well-liked priest is scheduled to board a Delta Airlines plane that will take him to Mexico City, then Bogota. It will be a trip filled with mixed feelings for the 75-year-old Jesuit. He wants to see relatives and friends in Colombia, but after ministering to St. Joseph's churchgoers for the last five years, he will miss them. "The people's kindness here is so much that one feels at home here," the priest said Tuesday in a broken voice in his rectory office. Emma Magaña, who with her husband headed a Charismatic Renewal prayer group that last April attracted about 6,000 carismaticos to a religious event at the SunDome, said Zea has been instrumental in helping local Latinos with their spiritual needs. Whether as a counselor, hearing confessions or supporting them in putting it all together for the biggest Catholic Hispanic event in the Pacific Northwest, she said the priest's dedication is unquestionable. "Ever since he came to Yakima, he has always been there for us," said Magaña on Tuesday. "He is always visiting the sick at the hospital or at their homes or counseling people. He never says that he is too busy for no one." Zea came to St. Joseph's as part of a program that supplies Colombian priests to the Pacific Northwest and the Yakima Valley. A theology and anthropology professor who has taught in universities in Colombia and Ohio, Zea was recruited by his Jesuit superiors to work with Yakima's working class and poorest Spanish-speakers.
June 28, 2008
For years, The Rev. Virgilio Zea has been an outspoken defender of immigrant rights. The Colombian native has been a fixture for Latinos since he was assigned to Yakima's St. Joseph's Catholic Church in the winter of 2003. But now, his visa is about to expire and the well-liked priest is scheduled to board a Delta Airlines plane that will take him to Mexico City, then Bogota. It will be a trip filled with mixed feelings for the 75-year-old Jesuit. He wants to see relatives and friends in Colombia, but after ministering to St. Joseph's churchgoers for the last five years, he will miss them. "The people's kindness here is so much that one feels at home here," the priest said Tuesday in a broken voice in his rectory office. Emma Magaña, who with her husband headed a Charismatic Renewal prayer group that last April attracted about 6,000 carismaticos to a religious event at the SunDome, said Zea has been instrumental in helping local Latinos with their spiritual needs. Whether as a counselor, hearing confessions or supporting them in putting it all together for the biggest Catholic Hispanic event in the Pacific Northwest, she said the priest's dedication is unquestionable. "Ever since he came to Yakima, he has always been there for us," said Magaña on Tuesday. "He is always visiting the sick at the hospital or at their homes or counseling people. He never says that he is too busy for no one." Zea came to St. Joseph's as part of a program that supplies Colombian priests to the Pacific Northwest and the Yakima Valley. A theology and anthropology professor who has taught in universities in Colombia and Ohio, Zea was recruited by his Jesuit superiors to work with Yakima's working class and poorest Spanish-speakers.
A slim, easygoing man with aristocratic manners who frequently wears a sweater over Roman-collared shirts, Zea's favorite pastime is reading. He celebrates Mass decked out in elaborately engraved old-school priestly robes, regularly reminding his flock of Jesus' love, extolling them to forgive those who have offended them and to help the downtrodden, even those in faraway lands.But when it comes to defending immigrants, including undocumented workers, Zea's kind voice becomes firm and his gentleman's gait, resolute. The Jesuit has led many pro-immigrant marches since he has been in Yakima, including the downtown rally May 1. But Zea, who many consider, in addition to a priest, a champion of immigrant rights, will have his religious visa expired. He said he can reapply for another one in a year. Still, he will have to return to Colombia, where a consular officer in Bogota will decide if he can come back with a tourist card, he said. He added that his superiors want him back in Colombia, where there is a lot of work for him, but parishioners in Yakima have grown fond of him, too. One of those is Magaña, who says she will be among the many who will sorely miss Zea. She said Yakima needs him and he must return. "We are praying that he can come back," Magaña said. "We will be waiting for him with open arms."
Link to original story (here)
Read more about the history of the Jesuits in Yakima at St. Joseph's (here)
Picture is of St. Josephs in Yakima
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