'El Poche' Is Mexican-American Priest’s Story

REVIEWED BY THEA JARVIS, Special Contributor

Published: November 4, 2004

In his early years of priestly training, Severino Lopez was exposed to a rigid code of spiritual formation. Separation from family for long stretches of time was thought to nurture detachment from worldly relationships. Close friendships among classmates were discouraged. Pastoral assignments were as many and varied as the casseroles in a cafeteria lunch line. It could easily have been a recipe for a dry, dispassionate clerical career.

“… I had not seen any member of my family for more than 12 years,’’ Father Lopez said of his rigorous pre-ordination schedule, embarked upon when he was just 13 years old. “I had been separated from them for an extraordinary length of time.’’

Fortunately, young Sevy’s spirit rose above the strict rules and regulations his order of Claretian Missionaries then imposed. The warm support of his loving family, his strong Mexican Catholic heritage and his natural gifts of intelligence and good humor enabled him to overcome daunting obstacles and ultimately complete over 60 years of priestly ministry.

Now in his 86th year, Father Lopez is a beloved figure in the Archdiocese of Atlanta. At Corpus Christi Church in Stone Mountain, where he resides in active retirement, he is attentive to the needs of a multi-ethnic community, still eager to share his lively mind and caring spirit. His recently published autobiography, complete with black and white photos that enrich his colorful story, is an opportunity for those who know and love the priest to discover the man behind the collar.

The title of the book, “El Poche: Memoirs of a Mexican American Padre,” refers to a recurring theme in Father Lopez’s life.

“As a youngster in Mexico, I was given the nickname El Poche,’’ he explains in the introduction. “The expression applied to people whose lives were shaped by two different cultures—Mexican and American … (It) eventually took on a mild but still disparaging tone characterizing an ambivalent, awkward person lost in the decision-making process.’’

Born in California of Mexican parents, Severino Lopez was destined to span two worlds. His personal identity was often an elusive thread that slipped through his fingers like water through a sieve. During times of confusion, doubt or spiritual dryness, he maintains, “el poche syndrome’’ would surface, causing him to question his direction and intention. In his late fifties, during a three-year leave of absence in which he confronted his inner turmoil, Father Lopez finally found a definitive answer to the conflict he had experienced since childhood.

“God’s grace … led me to realize that I was a full-fledged child of his and the path he had placed me on at age 13 was the one I was to follow,’’ he writes in “El Poche.”

His priestly journeys have taken Father Lopez from one coast of the United States to another, to the Midwest and the South, back to Mexico and off to Guatemala. His willingness to serve in all manner of settings and conditions, in a variety of roles and responsibilities, attests to his flexibility and generosity of heart.

“I ask as you read these memoirs to join me in thanking God for the compassionate love he gave to me,’’ Father Lopez urges. Such humility makes “El Poche” a book that inspires and encourages even as it renders a compelling account of the Mexican-American experience within the Catholic Church.

“El Poche: Memoirs of a Mexican American Padre” by Father Severino Lopez, CMF, is published by Claretian Publications, 205 W. Monroe St., Chicago, IL 60606 (132 pp., $9.95). Call (312) 236-7782.