Large turnout to celebrate Brawley ‘pastor of the people’s’ 25th anniversary
BRAWLEY – With rainclouds looming and rain drizzling down sporadically, locals gathered here at Sacred Heart Church on Saturday, March 16 for someone they’ve dubbed a “pastor of the people.”
The Rev. Claro Ortiz, of the Philippines who has been pastoring in Brawley’s two Catholic churches and Westmorland for the Catholic Communities of Brawley & Westmorland (CCBW) since 2017, celebrated his 25 years in the priesthood on March 16 with some 400-plus attendees at the church service, and about the same if not more at the after-service reception/party in the Sacred Heart Church hall in Brawley.
The masses spilled over in the mass from a full Sacred Heart Church into the church hall, with those in the hall watching the service via live stream, because the pastor is “the people’s priest,” locals said.
“Everybody has come together to do this for his 25th anniversary,” Joseph Ramirez, a Brawley resident, St. Margaret Marcy church member, and the Knights of Columbus Brawley Council 2130’s Grand Knight, said.
“That just kind of falls in with the community. He breaks ice with the community pretty quickly,” Ramirez said of the reverend. “He’s genuinely sincere and he cares about his parishes.”
The Rev. Claro Ortiz, though celebrating his 25-year ordination as a Catholic priest, has been serving in the Brawley/ Westmorland communities since 2017, he said. He was ordained on March 16, 1999 “in my own parish in my own town, at St. Catherine of Alexandria, in Gerona, Tarlac,” which is located 88 miles Northwest of Manila, the nation’s capitol.
While Claro is not yet a permanent priest for the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego, which governs the Catholic churches of the Imperial Valley, the community has taken to him in the time he has been serving here.
The local CCBW community showed up in numbers, as did some visitors from his former parishes in parts of San Diego, and some of the associate pastor’s family from the Philippines, partaking of the Catholic service but also enjoying the Rev. Claro’s jokes during his homily (sermon) and words of thanks for the community putting the celebration event together for him.
While the after-service food and fiesta was to be held outside at Sacred Heart School’s soccer field Saturday’s rain showers poured down after the service, prompting the community to work together in an impromptu change of location. Locals huddled together, bringing chairs and tables inside the church hall and wiping them dry for guests.
“The parish, both parishes, the community loves him,” Ramirez said. “As you can see, it’s mad house in here (because of the rain), but everybody is doing this because of the father (Claro). It’s turned out pretty nice; you can see the result.”
“It’s funny, we found out that it was his 25th anniversary, and all the groups from the (three) churches got together and said, ‘Hey, we have to have a party for father. This is a big milestone,’” Art Barros, Brawley resident, long-time Sacred Heart Church member and former Knights of Columbus Council 2130 Grand Knight, said.
“He’s always calling him family in the Philippines, so we wanted to make him feel welcome,” Barros said.
And welcoming the celebration was for the priest, right down to the mix of Mexican and Filipino foods served, like the large Lechón roasted pig, lumpia, adobo, pancit and various colorful cookies – to go with the priest’s colorful personality.
“He may not tell everybody but he’s a Hello Kitty fan,” Ramirez said, near the two festively decorated cakes, one sporting a pink-bordered Hello Kitty and the other a yellow-bordered Knights of Columbus emblem.
“Pink is his favorite color,” Barros added.
In addition to food and music provided by DJ Nancy, other entertainment included Mexican folkloric dancing from Los Flores del Valley Folklorico and singing from vocalist Lisa Duarte.
The fiesta was scheduled from 5:20 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., according to the program.
“I think that when it first started he was kind of sad because he didn’t know what was going to happy (with the celebration),” Ramirez said, “but now he can’t say anything because he’s got a smile a mile wide,” Ramirez said, “and so I think he’s happy with the response from the community.”
When the priest was asked what the secret to his longevity of service is, he said “just always be humble.”
“My secret is … be happy in what you are doing as a priest because you’re doing this for the glory of God, not for anybody else,” Claro said.
“I am happy because it is this 25 years as a priest and thank you so much, ¡gracias a Dios!” the Rev. Claro said. “I’m so very happy.”
“He belongs to the people,” Ramirez said.