Firing of Unionized Parish Workers in Brownsville Diocese, Texas

Chronology of events (most recent first)

AUGUST 15
Terms of settlement of the dispute
UFW press release. 8/15/03

AUGUST 1
Texas Turmoil: detailed report by National Catholic Reporter
NCR, 8/01/03
http://www.natcath.org/NCR_Online/archives2/2003c/080103/080103a.php

JULY 28, 2003
Workers protest church in South Texas diocese labor dispute
AP, Texas/Houston Chronicle 7/27/03
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/metropolitan/2014898

JULY 8
In one letter to the editor, Catholics Allied for the Faith support Bishop Peña's moves regarding the employees at Holy Spirit Parish in McAllen. They condemn Call To Action, which has supported the fired workers. In another letter, a parishioner serving prison time for protesting the SOA, supports the parish workers. The Monitor, 7/98/03

JULY 7
Fired church workers get temporary reinstatement
The four parish employees who were fired last month were temporarily reinstated Monday, after the diocese and employees agreed to mediation before a judicial hearing.
The Monitor, 7/7/03

JULY 5
Young people take lead in Holy Spirit march on San Juan
Adam Moya said that when four workers were fired from their positions at Holy Sprit Catholic Church in McAllen it was as though a family member had been fired. "Like everyone else, I was hurt," Moya said. "The church is like a family to you. It was as if an aunt or second mother was fired."

When he learned of the firings, the 16-year-old Nikki Rowe High School student decided to gather the youth members of the church and organize a protest.
The Monitor, 7/5/03

In Texas, Parishioners Protest Church Firings
Dismissed Lay Workers Accuse Bishop of Trying to Break Labor Union Contracts
Washington Post, 7/5/03

JULY 3
Church, diocese sued by man claiming sexual abuse by priest
The Brownsville Diocese and McAllen's Sacred Heart Catholic Church are being sued by a man who claims a priest molested him as a youth, according to a lawsuit filed Monday at the Hidalgo County Courthouse.

Bishop Peña said recently that releasing information about priests accused of abuse would be a tedious process, requiring him to look through 35 years worth of personnel files.
Valley Star, 7/3/03

JULY 1
Call to Action moves to pry loose church documents
A small group of local Catholics are trying to persuade the Brownsville Diocese to disclose information about sexual abuse allegations and finances in the wake of the firing of four union workers.
The Monitor, 7/01/03

Bishop tries to change the issues
On the diocesan website, the bishop says, "It is important that we put the current controversy in perspective. It goes far beyond participation in the union. What is occurring was carefully crafted, by people of good will, who may have misunderstood the ecclesiology of the Second Vatican Council."
http://www.cdob.org/

JUNE 26, 2003
Delgado resigns as priest of Holy Spirit
The Rev. Ruben Delgado, the priest who fired four union workers last week, has resigned from his position as pastor of McAllen's Holy Spirit Catholic Church.
However, the firings remain in effect.
The Monitor, 6/26/03

JUNE 24, 2003
Events at Holy Spirit vexing youth
The controversy surrounding the four women the Rev. Ruben Delgado attempted to fire last week has not gone unnoticed by the youngest members of Holy Spirit Catholic Church.
The Monitor, 6/25/03

JUNE 23, 2003
Holy Spirit members gather to plan protest
Holy Spirit Catholic Church parishioners gathered on Monday night to organize a large-scale and long-term protest against current practices in the Brownsville Diocese.

Space was limited at the Call to Action-Rio Grande Valley meeting, with more than 300 people in attendance. The vast majority of the crowd indicated they were parishioners at Holy Spirit, where four union employees were fired June 18.

Meeting reported on responses from diocese regarding clergy sex abuse policy. Diocese will keep review board names secret. CTA had also asked for report on on diocesan finances involved in clergy sex abuse.
The Monitor 6/23/03

JUNE 22, 2003
Hundreds of parishioners protest
A congregation of hundreds attended a protest prayer meeting outside of the Holy Spirit Catholic Church during Sunday Mass in support of the four church employees who lost their jobs last week.

The large gathering, whose size dwarfed the number of people who attended the actual Holy Spirit Mass, was also used as a forum to speak out against the Brownsville Diocese and Bishop Raymundo Pena, who are being held responsible for the dismissals.

At least 600 people had signed during the service a petition that called for the reinstatement of the four women back into the parish's operations.
The Monitor, 6/22/03

JUNE 21, 2003
Bishop claims that protests were "carefully orchestrated."
Bishop Pena also said that he had nothing to do with the firing of the four parish workers. Parishioners had accused him of retaliating against the workers for joining the union. The former pastor of Holy Spirit parish until last week, Fr Gerry Frank, said he did not believe the bishop.
The Monitor, June 21, 2003

JUNE 18, 2003
Four parish workers fired
Fr Delgado, in the first hour of his first day as new pastor of Holy Spirit Parish, fires four parish worker (all women, all union members). More than 300 parishioners gathered Wednesday night to support the workers fired and devise a plan to protest the terminations.
The Monitor, 6/18/03

DECEMBER, 2002
Local CTA group begins forming in Rio Grande Valley.
They plan to monitor the diocese's response to clergy sex abuse response.

JULY 29, 2002
Peña: Diocese obligated to approve legally binding contracts
Two days after four local parishes announced they had signed union contracts to protect their lay workers, Bishop Raymundo Peña decreed that the Brownsville Diocese now has to approve any legally-binding parish contracts.

Diocese spokesperson Brenda Riojas said on Friday that this gives leeway to priests when they begin at a new parish. Priests are also forbidden to sign any contracts that would extend beyond their tenure at the parish, according to the Bishop's letter
The Monitor, 7/29/02

JULY 6, 2002
Union movement fueled by job security
For two years, Gloria Garcia worked as the director of religious education at a McAllen Catholic church. Then a new priest came to Our Lady of Perpetual Help. "My contract was not renewed," Garcia said. Nor, she added, were those of several other parish workers.

Father Esteban Hernandez said he did fire a few people when came to the parish, but that those firings were not personal and were made only because of the church's needs.

Regardless, Garcia was upset, and talked to friends who worked in other Rio Grande Valley churches. Together, they began advocating for something that would secure their job future.
The Monitor, July 6, 2002

July 3, 2002
Texas Catholic church employees unionise
Employees at four Rio Grande Valley Catholic parishes have unionized, forming what are thought to be the first church employee unions in the nation.

About 30 employees at St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church in McAllen, Holy Spirit Catholic Church in McAllen, Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Hidalgo and St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church in San Carlos have signed contracts with the United Farm Workers of America and the AFL-CIO.
The Monitor , 7/3/02

The employees sought unionization following the termination of an overfunded diocesan pension plan and what the UFW described as a mass dismissal of parish staff at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in McAllen, Texas, by a newly assigned priest.
National Catholic Reporter, 7/19/02