Lawrence Robles’ life is a testimony to God’s ability to use
human weakness to accomplish good. It is an inspiring story of good
coming from tragedy
– and it is a story far from finished.
Lawrence Robles’ life is a testimony to God’s ability to use human weakness to accomplish good. It is an inspiring story of good coming from tragedy – and it is a story far from finished.
Robles grew up in an ordinary family in Southern California. Like most Mexican Americans, he attended Roman Catholic churches. When he graduated from high school in Placentia in 1974, he had no particular goal or vision for his life.
After attending California State University, Fullerton, for two years, he joined the United States Air Force, becoming a medical technician and serving honorably through several assignments. He was honorably discharged in 1981.
Somewhere along the line, Robles became addicted to alcohol and drugs; he collected seven driving under the influence citations and then tragedy struck. He was involved in a fatal collision with a bicyclist and served a three-year term at the California Institution for Men in Chino. His life could have spiraled downward from this experience.
But God came into Robles’ life through this event and he has turned this life around, achieving a kind of redemption through serving the poor around him.
After his release from prison, Robles began working with ministries of the First Baptist Church of Riverside. He taught Sunday School, worked with youth groups and participated in monthly missionary trips to Tijuana, Mexico, bringing food and clothing to the poor.
Robles returned to college, earning a degree from CSU Fullerton in religious studies and continuing on to study at the American Baptist Seminary of the West (a member of the prestigious Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley). He earned a degree, became a licensed Baptist minister and continued to serve the poor through ministries in Richmond, Hayward and San Jose.
In September 2000, an acquaintance invited him to apply for a job that would be “perfect” for him. He was soon hired and has served since as executive director of the Santa Maria Urban Ministry, a non -profit agency of the Episcopal Church in the Diocese of El Camino Real.
Each month, Santa Maria helps more than 500 low-income inner-city San Jose families, more than 1,500 individuals, half of whom are under 18. Many important programs are offered:
n A nutritional program operates an emergency food pantry with groceries for hungry families.
n The Community Closet gives clothing to needy families.
n There are two educational programs: ABC Playtime, providing literacy instruction for 3- to 5-year-olds, and Studio 17, an afterschool opportunity for 6- to 17-year-olds learning to use computers as a tool for school.
n Warm Heart Ministry provides blankets, socks and coats for the homeless during winter months.
While working with this Episcopal institution, Robles realized that the liturgy and sacramental aspects of Anglicanism were a “good fit” with the Catholic faith of his childhood. Two years ago he helped establish an Hispanic congregation, which is part of the parish of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Gilroy. This group of families meets at noon on Sundays to celebrate “La Misa en Espanol,” a service mainly in Spanish except for an English children’s sermon. One goal of this ministry is to develop sound leadership within South County’s Latino community.
After completing additional pastoral training and passing the General Ordination Exams, Robles was ordained as a transitional deacon by El Camino Real Assisting Bishop Sylvestre Romero in September; his ordination to the sacred priesthood is scheduled for March.
Lawrence Robles has experienced severe challenges in his life and is dedicated to helping others overcome their challenges. Santa Maria Urban Ministry operates on a tight budget and always needs more help, including donations of food and goods, and volunteers willing to devote time working with the poor.
For more information, go to www.smum.org or
e-mail
sm****@gm***.com
. To get information about St. Stephen’s Latino ministry, call (408) 292-3314.
