At the age of 7, Father Ricardo Gonzalez, SVD, developed a deep connection with nature and animals while growing up in Mexico.
His first argument with his mother centered around “one little bird.”
Gonzalez had encountered a roadrunner that kept approaching him. Fascinated and feeling an immediate bond, young Gonzalez decided to bring the bird home without his mother’s permission.
“As soon as I got there, my mom wanted to put him in a cage, and I said, ‘No, I’m not bringing this bird here to put it in a cage.’ We had a huge fight because I would not allow a bird to live trapped. The bird stayed with us, grew up free, and he would leave and come back.”
The experience gave Gonzalez a sensibility that he would eventually carry into his priesthood.
“I had this dream to have a truck [to drive to places] and inform kids how important nature is,” said Gonzalez, who is now the pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Church in East LA.
Then one day, that dream came true. A parishioner from a previous parish wanted to get rid of an old truck. “Father, you should have it,” he told Gonzalez.
Gonzalez didn’t hesitate at the offer. Today, the truck is parked at Our Lady of Lourdes, a largely Hispanic parish that was heavily affected by last year’s immigration enforcement sweeps. Depending on the day, the priest either uses it to take soil, plants, and donated trees for community gardens, to collect new clothing for migrant children and teens living in shelters, or to help the elderly move heavy furniture or household items.
Gonzalez considers this part of an environmental ministry at Our Lady of Lourdes guided by the teachings of Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical Laudato Si’. Focused on the Catholic imperative to care for our “common home” as a matter of protecting human dignity, its title comes from a phrase by St. Francis of Assisi, meaning “Praise Be to You.”
Since arriving at Our Lady of Lourdes two years ago, Gonzalez has brought Laudato Si’ to the classrooms of the parish’s school, where students are encouraged to grow their own plants and care for nature.
Around the parish, small gardens filled with vegetable plants, trees, and flowers now surround parts of the church grounds. They also have solar lights, while butterflies and insects have become more visible among the gardens, and even a compost area.
“When Father Ricardo told us to get a plant and plant it, I was so excited and surprised because we hadn’t done that before,” said fourth-grader Sergio.
He paused before adding, “I look at the plants every time we pass by. I always try to see where my plant is.”
Since 2014, Cristina Gonzalez has been a teacher at the parish’s school and now serves as the TK teacher.
Having students learn about Laudato Si’ has “opened their eyes to how nature is around them, how everything grows, and how they should be treating nature.”
“It helps them to understand how to nurture things and how to care for the earth,” she said. Even her little 4-year-old students remain curious about how nature grows.
“Before Father Ricardo started this program, students didn’t understand a lot about plants and gardening, but now they’re so into it,” Cristina said.
She has also taken her TK students to visit the planters.
“They look at the planters every day and enjoy seeing all of the plants, how much they’ve grown,” she said.
Cristina said with the emphasis on Gonzalez’s teachings about the earth, “it’s amazing how much the kids now are taking care of the outside. If they see trash on the floor, they’ll go and pick it up and throw it in the trash can.”
During outside activities, Gonzalez has found ways to engage with students and materials, having kids use recyclable materials and sometimes even “trash” to create projects and games. There’s always a lesson to be taught, he said.
Sergio recalled a game in which the activity only required a blindfold and no phones. A student was blindfolded, referencing the story and soon connecting it to “when Jesus helped the blind man.”
“It was like a little test game, and I was intrigued with it because Father made a game for us to at least understand the lesson of the story” about helping others.
From the positive response Gonzalez receives from his parish and school community, he continues to challenge students and parishioners to remain active in taking care of the earth and helping others.
“Everything that we have is a gift,” he said, referring to nature and animals. “We’re part of a huge net, and we are all connected. Thanks to God, here you have the possibility to help others.”
