Thursday, 29 July 2010

Cambodian community misses friend at Long Beach Catholic parish

via Khmer NZ

VOID: April departure of pastoral director leaves center desolate.
By Greg Mellen, Staff Writer
Posted: 07/28/2010

Mt. Carmel Cambodian Catholic Church, 1851 Cerritos Ave., Long Beach. (Stephen Carr / Press-Telegram)

LONG BEACH - For 18 years, members of the Cambodian community knew they could always wander over to the small church near Martin Luther King Jr. Park if they wanted a sympathetic ear or sage counsel.

But not anymore.

Mary Blatz, the pastoral director at Mt. Carmel Cambodian Center since 1992, left in April when she says Catholic church leadership decided it "had a different use" for Mt. Carmel, which has been a cornerstone in the Khmer community since Blatz took the reins.

Blatz doesn't like to talk about the specifics of her departure, and the Archdiocese of Los Angeles would only say Blatz's departure was a personnel matter and could not be discussed.

The Archdiocese also said little about future plans for the parish, which as a mission does not have a regular priest. It holds Mass once a month and prayer services on Fridays conducted by clergy from St. Anthony Church. In an e-mail, an Archdiocese spokesman said there were no plans to close Mt. Carmel.

Most days, the property seems deserted except for several no trespassing signs.

This is in contrast to recent years, when Blatz and Cambodian and other community members could almost always be found on the premises in a buzz of activity.

Blatz helped Cambodians with literacy, citizenship and deportation issues, medical information, connecting them with social services or whatever came across her desk.

The house next to the church, where Blatz resided, was part domicile, part office, part drop-in center.
Since 2007, the fledgling nonprofit Friends of Mt. Carmel, of which Blatz is president, dealt with a number of social issues, while the church ministered to spiritual needs.

When Cambodian seniors wanted to start a garden, Blatz wrote a grant with the City of Long Beach and turned over a portion of the back property.

When Blatz left, the seniors had to move their garden into pots which are now tended behind the gymnasium at McBride Park.

However, in recent years Blatz felt a strain between what she saw as her pastoral calling and church rules.

Fundamental to that was providing shelter.

Blatz often let displaced and destitute residents sleep on the property, which she said was against church rules.

They were people like Kea Cheng, who wandered in, in need of medical and legal help and a place to stay. He lived on the premises and helped prepare meals and performed other duties until Blatz left.

The help Blatz provided could be unofficial and off the books, but she says it was nonetheless vital.

"We've helped a lot of people to transition (into the mainstream). We couldn't do that in the church anymore," Blatz said.

Although Blatz left the employ of the church, she says her faith remains.

"I don't want social and pastoral needs to separate, but I can't do anything about that now," Blatz said.

Blatz says her work with Cambodians will continue.

"We're trying to relocate," Blatz said from an office at the UCC Plaza.

Blatz said her goal is to find an apartment or property where needy community members can stay.

At a recent event with Cambodian seniors, Blatz said several members mentioned they had gone to Mt. Carmel in search of her and wondered where she was now.

"I said `I'm up in the air,"' Blatz said with a laugh. "I'm up in the air, but I'm hoping to land."

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