In 1999, when Father Gregory Chisholm became the first African American priest to take the helm of the Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church -- a predominantly black Roman Catholic church in South-Central Los Angeles -- his installation was a point of tremendous pride for the region's black Catholics.
"All my life, I've never had a priest that was a black man," said Sharon Johnson, an African American church leader and lifelong Catholic for almost 39 years.
"My granddaughter calls him Jesus," said Sheila Bell-Briggs, an African American parishioner at Holy Name for 15 years.
Now, however, Chisholm is leaving -- assuming a leadership position in Boston with his Jesuit order.
At the same time, Holy Name parish, like much of South Los Angeles, has become increasingly Latino. Latinos now make up 20% of the parish, and the surrounding neighborhood has a Latino majority.
As a result, Chisholm's departure has set off a struggle over identity -- one that mirrors tensions across the archdiocese.
Is this a black church or a Latino one? Can it be both?
Black parishioners are hoping for another African American priest to keep their cultural traditions alive.
Many Latino parishioners, by contrast, feel Chisholm, who is not fluent in Spanish, has neglected their needs. They view his departure as an opportunity for change.
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Interaction Rare
Each group attends different Masses, rarely interacting with one another.
African Americans attend an English Mass celebrated by Chisholm. Latinos attend a Spanish Mass with Spanish-speaking priests from different parishes.
"It's two separate churches," said Silvino Arciga, chairman of the church's Latino prayer group. Arciga said Chisholm has never attended any of the Hispanic prayer group meetings and seems to favor African American parishioners over Latinos.
"We would like a priest to join the two communities," he said.
Tensions between Chisholm and Latino parishioners began early.
Soon after he assumed the post at Holy Name, a group of Latino parishioners circulated a petition for a Spanish-speaking priest in addition to Chisholm.
Chisholm now says it was one of three moments in his life when he felt discriminated against.
The Latino parishioners had an impression that "the presence of an African American priest implies that that person is not for the Latino people," he said.
