Mt. Carmel Cambodian Catholic Church, 1851 Cerritos Ave., Long Beach. (Stephen Carr / Press-Telegram)VOID: April departure of pastoral director leaves center desolate.
07/28/2010
By Greg Mellen, Staff Writer
Long Beach Press Telegram (California, USA)
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."
greg.mellen@presstelegram.com, 562-499-1291
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."
greg.mellen@presstelegram.com, 562-499-1291
9 comments:
Everyone leaves or dies one day, replace her by a Khmer American!
4:57PM
You have to reread the article again before writing your comment.
I don't believe that a Khmer-American can do better than her because such commitment is not necessary base on the ethno specific race but purely from dedication and the love of serving people.
Do not just write for the sake of writing because this is only reflects your shallow judgment and prejudice towards others. Please take it a constructive criticism.
Thanks God almighty for continue to bless my cambodia and cambodian people! God said, i will heals your land if you keep your faith in me...
The words of God have reach the far corner of the Earth! this is meant that and the son of man is on his way to harvest his people! Thanks God almighty for having mercy on my cambodia..!!
Can God keep the yuons out of Cambodia and make the Thai not wanting preah vihea anymore?.
The problem is not GOD, that's human, human creates the word GOD to manipulate other men for their profits, westerners came from there why you go to the opposit direction, in the pass countries laws were not there why we needed GOD laws to preserve peace but now we have laws we don't need GOD laws anymore..
That's not clear ! ha
8:47PM,
Either you or your God must have completely blind not to see that right now the innocent Cambodian people are suffrering and continue to suffer, and you said you God bless Cambodia? I think you have been getting lost in the thick bubbles of belief. Why don't open your eyes and observe for the truth? It's a person's own self that will suffer the consequence of his own evil act; no god will ever help anyone. Your God might say, "Have faith in me and I will save you from your sin." But the Buddha said it very differently: If you commit Bab, you yourself suffer its Kamma, for him the Buddha, will not save anyone from his own sin; he the Buddha only gave you moral principles; follow it or not, it's up to you; you are your own master. And as we Buddhists have observed so far: A man must suffer the kamma of his own act.
I think GOD means DOG.
God is just a statue. Like Christ and Buddha. Stone don't talk or answer your dumb question. Knowledge is the power.
Khmer poi paet live in us.
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