Father Raul Cortes celebrates 50 years being a priest on Saturday
Papa Raul Corts plays an accordion during a songs lesson for third graders in St. Catherine of Siena Parish School with Reseda. Corts will celebrate the 50th anniversary of his ordination upon Saturday, March 17, This year. (Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer)
Father Raul Cortes peered Ray Ban Australia Store across a roomful of finally graders, strapped on a white accordion and commenced to play. See photo gallery.
He / she squeezed out an French "Torna a Surriento," then bellowed your Mexican "Cielito Lindo" as the eager ears at St. Catherine of Siena Parish School in Reseda took in the padre's harmonic riffs.
"Music is the one gift from God to us," Cortes, an associate pastor at St. Catherine associated with Siena Beats Audio Android Parish, told the class. "It's God's good thing."
The Mexican born priest, heralded for her feats of heroism, authority and compassion, Abercrombie Australia Sydney has been regaling parishioners for any half century.
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About Saturday, the 78 years cleric will celebrate the 50th anniversary of his wedding vows during a free festival regarding music, food, worship plus dance at the Modern design and style church.
To many, he's be a San Fernando Valley legend for the pioneering Spanish language services, intended for his contribution to songs education, and for filling your dwindling parish school by guaranteeing to never turn away students, no matter the financial need.
"This is actually my superhero," reported Father Paul Griesgraber, pastor associated with St. Catherine's parish, tapping the get of his strapping correlate. "If there's one thing I've mastered from him, it's really like.
"He's very, very kind. Really gentle. But very, very effective. I don't want to think about the Valley without him."
Consider the after upon a time tale in the eldest of eight boys and girls from San Jose de Gracia, Jalisco, Mexico.
The dad had worked up in El Norte since 1926. His mother, any devout churchgoer, wanted her youngster to become a priest.
The child of musicians was ordained upon March 17, 1962, although teaching sacred music at his seminary. Cortes once rode 14 a long time on horseback to hear your confession of a dying guy. (Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer)
He grew to become known as a shepherd who stood by way of his flock, drawing customers to his faith through his passion of ministry, sports and tunes.
At one church, he / she built two sports stadiums, organized 32 teams and also beckoned national soccer stars to decrease by his parish.
Thirty one years back, he joined his relatives, who had earlier moved to north america. While serving at The Lady of the Valley with Canoga Park, church members declare, he celebrated the first ever before Spanish Mass in the West Vly.
In 1994, he sent to Catherine of Siena, where Hollister Shop Sydney he ministered to some growing Latino community, as well as People from the philippines and a range of other cultural groups. Since then, he's blessed untold homes, families, as well as hearts.
"He's a great man, fantastic hearted, a Air Jordan 11 Concord good person," said Juan Guzman, 33, who sits within the Reseda Neighborhood Council and merely baptized by Father Raul, as seemed to be his first born boy, Dean. "He wants to better the world to create happiness to everybody.
"As a whole, he's brought the whole neighborhood of Reseda together."
It had become in the late 1990s that will Cortes, who has studied piano, accordion as well as sacred music, opened your music school for kids whom couldn't afford lessons.
This nonprofit St. Cecilia School involving Music in Canoga Park, created on land he got from his dad, at this moment teaches 200 students since old as 81 with 40 pianos, 40 guitars along with 15 accordions. It is not affiliated with the particular Catholic Church.
"(Most) priests' employment is to build a church or retirement home," Cortes explained. "But for me, the music school is (the) most important education for the kids. Ray Ban Glasses Melbourne Catherine's school that a seeming sensational soon took place.
Opened simply by nuns in 1952, the parish school grew to 800 students while in the postwar boom years, but experienced later withered to a mere Fifty seven.
The savings would be applied to student scholarships with no child turned away because their family cannot afford the $300 a month tuition.
And also Father Raul served as its main recruiter, reaching out to parent naysayers in the parking lot after Large.
