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Rev. Pablo Martinez is leaving Manistee after three years as the parochial vicar of Divine Mercy Parish to return to California to tend to his own health and the health of his mother. (Kyle Kotecki/News Advocate)
lessPhoto: Kyle Kotecki/News AdvocateRev. Pablo Martinez is leaving Manistee after three years as the parochial vicar of Divine Mercy Parish to return to California to tend to his own health and the health of his mother. (Kyle Kotecki/News
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Rev. Pablo Martinez is leaving Manistee after three years as the parochial vicar of Divine Mercy Parish to return to California to tend to his own health and the health of his mother. (Kyle Kotecki/News Advocate)
lessRev. Pablo Martinez is leaving Manistee after three years as the parochial vicar of Divine Mercy Parish to return to California to tend to his own health and the health of his mother. (Kyle Kotecki/News
... moreMANISTEE — When Rev. Pablo Martinez was assigned to the Divine Mercy Parish in the summer of 2017, he was enthusiastic to take on a new challenge and to serve as the parochial vicar for Manistee Catholic Central, after discovering his natural ability to connect with kids.
"I was kind of excited for the challenge, and I was excited to have a school. I had never had a school before as a priest," he said. "When I was in Empire, one of my parishioners had me come out to his classes and speak to the kids. After a couple of the visits he said that it had a really good impact on the kids and they were always talking about the times I went there and the talks that I gave to them, and he said to me, 'If you ever get asked to have a school, do it.' So, I was excited for that reason."
Martinez was welcomed by the community and loved his new role working with students. He saw that MCC was in need of his help. The vicar is an assistant priest to the parochial priest.
"Let's just say the school kind of wasn't in a good spot. We were struggling for enrollment and there was kind of a lot of discontent," he said. "A lot of the families, the alumni and the parishioners were kind of concerned for it. ... For years people kept saying to them the school's eventually going to close. There was no more feeling of hope, you could say, as far as the school went."
Martinez was no stranger to feelings of hopelessness, having endured a difficult childhood in Southern California. Nor was he a stranger to overcoming them, so he quickly set to turning things around at MCC.
"To be honest with you, when I was in school, I didn't like it. I hated school," he said. "I was a very rebellious kid. I did a lot of stupid things when I was young. I grew up around drugs and gangs — that was my culture in Southern California — and I was also sexually abused as a child. It was actually thanks to the gift of the church that I was able to reconcile all of these things."
Martinez's impact on the school was felt immediately.
"He loves the school — he loves the students. He wants them to grow," said Jeremie Solak, MCC principal. "He wants them to know our Lord and he wants them to be happy. ... One of the things he always says that I really appreciate is just, 'God loves you. God loves you where you are. You don't have to do anything different in order for God to love you.' He wants the kids to really know that."
Martinez said he took inspiration from St. Martin de Porres, and wholly committed himself to turning things around at the school. He wanted to spread love and beauty to the students — two things he found in too short supply during his childhood.
"Instead of demanding anybody to do anything, (de Porres) himself just did everything. He threw himself into it, and that's what I tried to do in the beginning," Martinez said. "I thought that if the people saw me giving my life there, my sweat, my blood, my tears, that somehow they would be inspired to follow.
"When I got there I even painted some of the rooms, I painted the office area, I did several art works there — murals and things like that — just to inspire the kids. I also think that if the kids feel that they're surrounded by some beauty, they feel even more loved."
Jenny Howes, MCC director of admissions and mission advancement, said Martinez "was a breath of fresh air."
"We have had priests in the past who were great advocates for the school, who knew how to engage well with students to get the students excited about their faith, and Father Pablo was one of the best at doing that," she said.
However, just as hardship led Martinez to leave Southern California, it is now his reason to return.
"A year ago, I was diagnosed with early onset Parkinson's. Then in the summer, my mother discovered she had Stage 4 colon cancer, which covered 80% of her liver," he said. "I mentioned this to my cardinal and he felt it was better for me to go back to California to spend time with my mother and take care of my health.
"In the letter they sent me they said my priorities were to take care of my health and the health of my mother, mainly," Martinez continued. "I'll be helping out in the diocese out there, but that's the main priority for this year.
Martinez will be leaving on Monday. Solak said the announcement caught him off guard.
"On one side, I'm a little bit shocked. It was his cardinal's decision because of his family circumstances, and because of his own Parkinson's," he said. "I'm supportive and I hope he's a blessing to his family and the time that they have together is good, but I'm still a little shocked. ... It came about pretty quickly.
"Even though this is only my second year here, I've worked closely with him and talked to him or saw him five or six days out of every week," Solak continued. "It's not only losing one of the pastors and the parochial vicar for the school — it's also losing a friend."
Few if any would argue Martinez isn't leaving MCC better than he found it, with enrollment up nearly 40%, a more stable staff and work underway to bring Martinez's idea of creating an endowment for staff to fruition.
"In order to help the kids I thought to create an endowment for the staff. I thought if we have a strong staff, we'll be able to help the kids as much as possible," Martinez said. "That's something we're working on now. Things are really moving forward I think. They're in a very good place. I can see it in the eyes of the kids — they're happy. Kids are wanting to come to the school now. My goal was never to really compete with public schools; it was mainly to save souls and to help the kids."
Howes said enrollment increased because students found Martinez relatable.
"He was really kind of a spark that we needed to get kids interested in their faith," Howes said. "He did a lot in the community and he was well known, so people in the community took note of him and his presence. I think that really helped us to kind of market the school in a way. People saw what we were doing with having kids get excited about their faith and wanting to learn about Christian values and morals, and the Catholic faith."
It's hard for Martinez to leave Manistee, not just because of all the great times he's had here, but because — despite all he's accomplished — he still feels as though he could have done more.
"I said in a letter to the school I felt like I didn't do enough. I felt like there was still some things I could keep doing and I could give more, but God is calling me to a new mission and I accept it," he said. "It is hard. I'm not excited to go back to California to be honest. People think it's fantastic — beautiful weather, beach, all these things — but it's not Hollywood. It's not a movie.
"Especially in the midst of all of this stuff, it's a little more closed down, so I'm a little afraid to be going back over there to be honest," Martinez continued. "But somebody said to me, 'There's a lot of youth out there as well that you can help.'"
Martinez strove every day to let the students know they were loved. His efforts did not go unnoticed.
"When I discovered I had the Parkinson's, the kids were praying for me every day when I was going to the Mayo Clinic for the treatment. The people here were praying for me, so I felt very loved by the people here," he said. "Even when I had to announce this last week that I was leaving, to see the reaction of the people, I felt loved immensely. The people were crying and I was shocked, to be honest, because I've only been here a little over three years.
A priest's time with a school is finite, with the possibility of reassignment always looming. However, that does little to cushion the blow to those in the Catholic community who felt blessed to have Martinez enter their lives.
"We're definitely going to miss him," Howes said. "While we knew he was going, you kind of wished that you could keep him longer always. When you have something good, you don't want to see it end."
Martinez knows what he'll miss most about Manistee: the beauty — both in the landscape and in the hearts its people. He'll miss the school, the parish, the community, the calmness, the Manistee summers, the lake and Fifth Avenue Beach.
"I'm grateful for my experience here. I'm never going to forget Manistee. Never," he said. "I'll never forget the school. I'll never stop praying for them and being close to them as much as possible even though I'm going to be far away."
The Link LonkNovember 28, 2020 at 05:45AM
https://www.manisteenews.com/insider/article/I-m-never-going-to-forget-Manistee-15758820.php
'I'm never going to forget Manistee' - Manistee News Advocate
https://news.google.com/search?q=forget&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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