BRAWLEY — For Rev. Bernardo Lara, the dusty fields of the Imperial Valley were never just a landscape; they were his cathedral. Whether distributing ashes to farmworkers during their breaks or leading processions through the streets, Lara’s ministry has been defined by a “bruised and hurting” church that prefers the pavement to the sacristy.
Now, after a combined six years of service to the Catholic Communities of Brawley and Westmorland, Lara is preparing for a new mission. Following a diocesan announcement earlier this year, he will transition to Our Lady of the Angels in San Diego—located in the heart of Barrio Logan near Petco Park—effective July 1.
A Ministry of ‘Firsts’
Lara, who has served as pastor for the last four years and previously spent two years as a parochial vicar in 2015, describes Brawley as his “first love.”
“The saying goes that you never forget your first love,” Lara said in a recent interview. “Brawley was my first love as a priest and as a pastor. Leaving is bittersweet. It’s more than half of my ministry spent here—the stories, the connections, the projects that formed me.’
The transition follows the Catholic Church’s fiscal year calendar. While the announcement was made between January and March, Lara will continue to celebrate Mass in the Imperial Valley through June.
Taking the Church to the fields
Lara’s tenure has been marked by a visible, hands-on approach to social doctrine—a specialty he studied extensively in Rome. Inspired by Pope Francis’ call for a church that “goes out” to meet the people, Lara became a familiar face in the agricultural fields during significant liturgical moments like the Feast of Guadalupe and Ash Wednesday.
“It’s not common, and that’s why it worked,” Lara said, noting that many workers were surprised to see a priest in the fields. “One worker told me, ‘Priests don’t usually stop here.’ But I prefer an accidental and bruised church that is in the street rather than a church that is sick from being confined to its own sacristy.”
Lara credits his collaborators and fellow clergy for covering parish duties while he slipped away during “breaks” to reach those laboring in the sun.
Healing old divides
Beyond the fields, Lara’s mission focused on dismantling the “ghosts of the past” in Brawley—specifically the historical and psychological divides symbolized by the local railroad tracks.
“One side of the tracks was the poor side; the other was the economically better side,” Lara explained. “That symbolism created walls… ‘you are like this,’ or ‘they are stricter.’ My goal was to see, judge, and act. Once you get to know people, you realize there is much more that unites us than divides us.”
Under his leadership, the parishes of Sacred Heart, St. Margaret Mary, and St. Joseph in Westmorland saw increased collaboration and public processions, supported by the City of Brawley.
A new chapter
While Lara admits to a “bittersweet” feeling regarding the move, he expressed deep confidence in his successor, Rev. Antonio Morales, the current pastor of Calipatria.
“He is one of the best priests in the Imperial Valley right now,” Lara said. “The community is in very good hands.”
As he prepares for the move to San Diego’s urban center, Lara offered a final message of gratitude to his parishioners, quoting the late rock legend Gustavo Cerati: “Gracias totales.”
“I have an eternal gratitude for the affection, the opportunity to enter your lives, and the support,” he said. “The people of Brawley showed that with a little push, they have the potential to leave those ghosts behind and keep growing.”
OLOV changes clarified
Recently, the Imperial Valley Press reported about a series of changes at Our Lady of the Valley Parish, including the assignment of Rev. Edward Horning to Borrego Springs, the sabbatical of Rev. Mark Edney, and the “retirement” of Rev. Allan White.
“Reports of my retirement have been greatly exaggerated,” Rev. White wrote on social media. “Dominican friars do not retire. They just die. Until then, they carry on working.”
Rev. White assured parishioners he hopes to continue teaching at St. Mary’s School, to which he has devoted his life for the past eleven years. “As you can see, I am too young to retire in any event!”
Rev. Edney elaborated, “Thank you, Fr. Allan, for your dedication to St. Mary’s School all these past years and in the years to come. I, too, will be teaching at St. Mary’s School next year, as I have for the past 12 years. Yes, I will be on sabbatical, but not from our school.”
A social media user later asked, “Does that mean you are not ditching us and moving to Yuma?”
Rev. Edney answered, “Yuma is not so far away as to prevent him from serving in El Centro. Many people commute greater distances every day! You make the sacrifices.”
No other changes were reported by the Diocese of San Diego as requested by the Imperial Valley Press last week.