HE WAS MORE THAN A PRIEST; HE WAS TRULY OUR FATHER
Good parenting has its rewards, and we children often don’t know the results of their efforts until the parents are gone. To me, a good father understands his children, values them for who they are, brings out the best in them, and, above all, loves them unconditionally. I’ve had two fathers in my life — my own wonderful father, Juan Garibay, and a Jesuit priest named Father Richard H. Brown.
Father Brown wasn’t just a father figure to me but to hundreds of other youngsters spanning decades in Barrio Logan. What was wonderful about him? Even though he wasn’t a Latino by blood, he understood our customs and cultures sometimes better than we did and encouraged us to be proud. What made him a legend and beloved by so many was that he extended his ministry beyond the walls of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church and Our Lady’s School where he was pastor for nearly four decades. He made friends where others put up barriers. He was el padrecito del barrio — the priest of the barrio — and a friend and advocate of lowrider car clubs who have been subject to unfortunate stereotypes for a long time because of their love for their customized cars.
The fear and misunderstanding of lowrider car clubs goes back decades and sadly it continues even today. Clearly more education is needed because there is nothing to fear. Father Brown made it a point for people to understand this wonderful culture of car enthusiasts who simply have a passion for their fine cars and who enjoyed cruising. At Our Lady
of Guadalupe Church in Barrio Logan, he was the first priest to befriend the car clubs. He not only supported their activities, he also educated others about who these tough-looking Chicano guys and gals were. He went further and in the early 1970s appointed Jorge Marroquin, the leader of the Masters Car Club, as the president of the church parish council.
When some questioned his choice, Father Brown responded, “Look, these are good guys who just love their cars. What’s wrong with that?”
No argument followed, and the
Masters and Baja Kings, another car club, became friends of the church and supported all our Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) events, and other car clubs followed.
One of the best things that can happen to a person is being valued and accepted. That honor was bestowed on Father Brown at the Barrio Station in 2005, when the San Diego Lowrider Council honored him for his 20 years of service. He even received a plaque from the Oldies Car Club that he proudly displayed in the back window of his car.
Jesuits are educators, so it didn’t stop there. He educated some of our highest clergy when Bishop Leo T. Maher and Sebastiano Cardinal Baggio of the Vatican were invited to ride in a “rag top” convertible lowrider for an Our Lady of Guadalupe celebration in 1984. He believed in unifying all the car clubs with “the blessing of the lowriders,” an annual event that moved from Our Lady of Guadalupe Church to Chicano Park where it was celebrated on Chicano Park Day.
Father Brown once said, “I hope that I can continue to serve the people of the barrio until I die. And when I die, that they spread my ashes in Chicano Park.” Unfortunately, that wasn’t possible because he passed away early in the COVID-19 pandemic. He died on May 20, 2020, at a Jesuit retirement home in Los Gatos, but he wasn’t forgotten by the lowrider community. A procession of over 200 lowriders made its way from his alma mater, St. Augustine High School, to Our Lady of Guadalupe Church for his final ride and blessing.
The outpouring of love and admiration will continue on Saturday, June 25, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., with an unveiling of the Brown Image Car Club mural. The club represents one of the early lowrider car clubs to come out of San Diego, guided by Chris Rodriguez, one of the early founders and a past member of the Catholic Youth Organization at Our Lady of Guadalupe.
His brother Henry Rodriguez, president of the Brown Image Car Club, is leading the installation. He reflects on his relationship with Father Brown, saying, “Father Brown was a friend and loved by all of us. He guided us the right way.”
Father Brown was more than our priest; he was truly our father.
It’s glorious that it will be the lowriders that he loved so much who will grant him his wish to be part of Chicano Park forever as his image and spirit will be enshrined in this new mural.