By Mary Pearson
Deacon Andrew Orosco – or ‘Deacon Andy,’ as most call him – is well known throughout the diocese and in the larger Church for his ministry to Native American Catholics. As the only locally-born Native American clergy member in Southern California, he is uniquely suited to this task.
“I belong to the San Pasqual Band of Mission Indians,” describes Dcn. Andy, “I am Kumeyaay on my grandfather’s side, and on my grandmother’s side I am Tongva.”
Dcn. Andy has been serving the diocese’s Native American Ministry since shortly after he was ordained to the permanent diaconate in 2014. The ministry, which was established in 2000 under the leadership of Father Earl Henley, M.S.C., exists to serve the six Native American communities on the reservation lands that are spread throughout the diocese.
“It’s an all-day ministry for us. It’s not just doing a communion service or a Mass [and then leaving]. We’re out there with the people all day long,” he says. “Our congregations are small, so even if we filled up the church, we’re still only looking at between 30-60 people.”
The smaller size of each community is part of what makes Dcn. Andy’s ministry so important.
“There aren’t that many people, so we know who’s there…and who’s not there. So after Mass we go on the ‘Res’ and go knocking on doors– ‘hey what’s up? How are you doing? Feeling ok?’"
Dcn. Andy describes a typical day in his ministry on the reservations, before noting that there isn’t really a ‘typical’ schedule.
Beside him in ministry is his wife, Roseanne. “Everything that I have done, we have done,” he says of their marriage and ministry. The couple met at St. Andrew Newman Center while in college and have three sons and 11 grandchildren. Throughout their marriage, they have served on engagement encounters, taught catechism classes together, and are both active in the Native American Ministry.
“Whether it was engaged encounters, youth groups, it was always the two of us,” Dcn. Andy says.
The two of them brought their passion for catechesis and evangelization to the Native American Ministry. Part of their work is teaching weekly sacramental preparation classes for children and young adults who live on the reservations. Roseanne teaches First Communion and Reconciliation, and Dcn. Andy handles Confirmation preparation. The classes are taught via Zoom so people can attend from any of the six reservations.
Since Dcn. Andy and Roseanne began offering catechism classes, the Native American Ministry has seen an increase in the number of people seeking the sacraments. Prior to this, it had not been the norm on the reservations for Catholics to seek sacraments beyond infant baptism, as well as asking for Christian burial after death.
“After our first couple of years, we celebrated our first Easter sacraments for adults,” Dcn. Andy recalls. His face lights up as he describes bringing in a small pool for the first Easter Vigil Mass on the steps of the tiny St. Michael Chapel on the Pechanga Reservation in Temecula. “Ever since then, every year we’ve had individuals come into the Church, because they’re here. They want to celebrate it here,” he says, referring to the reservation lands.
Dcn. Andy estimates that about 80 percent of the Native peoples living on reservations in the diocese are Catholic. He likes to point out that the Native people were America’s “first neophytes.” It was to the Native Americans that the Jesuits and Franciscans first brought the proclamation of Jesus Christ—well before the founding of the United States. And yet, Dcn. Andy acknowledges that it isn’t always easy for people to understand how native traditions and the Catholic faith can be in harmony.
“I get questions sometimes, like, ‘how can you be native and clergy?’ And that gives me an opportunity to be able to address that. But I’m not afraid of those kinds of questions,” he says. “Right now, there’s a lot of wrestling going on between the Church and the native tradition, so I just kind of weave my way through that saying that we can work together. We can. They’re not contrary to each other.”
When asked what his favorite part of this work is, Dcn. Andy said, “I love serving Christ in this way. I love serving my native people and calling them.”
For his work in Native American ministry, Dcn. Andy was nominated this year for the Lumen Christi Award, which is the Catholic Extension Society’s highest honor. It is given annually to a person who “radiates and reveals the light of Christ” in the community they serve. Each year, extension dioceses across the country submit nominations for the award. From these amazing nominees, several finalists are selected, followed by the recipient. Although Dcn. Andy was not selected as a finalist, he joins a list of dedicated ministers from the diocese, including Fr. Henley and 2011 winner, Sister Gabi Williams, O.P., who have been nominated for the award.
Mary Pearson is a freelance writer and parishioner of St. Martha, Murrieta.