[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 116 (Tuesday, July 15, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1463-E1464]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    A TRIBUTE TO MONSIGNOR JOHN MORETTA ON THE OCCASION OF HIS 40TH 
ANNIVERSARY OF ORDINATION INTO THE PRIESTHOOD AND HIS 25TH ANNIVERSARY 
           AS PASTOR OF RESURRECTION CHURCH IN BOYLE HEIGHTS

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. LUCILLE ROYBAL-ALLARD

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 15, 2008

  Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to an 
extraordinary spiritual and civic leader in the Boyle Heights community 
in the heart of my congressional district.
   This year, Monsignor John Moretta is celebrating two significant 
milestones. It is the 40th anniversary of his ordination into the 
priesthood and his 25th anniversary serving as the immensely respected 
and beloved pastor of Resurrection Church in Boyle Heights.
   It is my pleasure to tell you more about this remarkable man.
   A native Angelino, Monsignor Moretta entered St. John's Seminary, 
Camarillo, in 1960. After completing Philosophy and Theology studies, 
he was ordained on April 27, 1968. Since then, he has served in the 
Archdiocese of Los Angeles as a parish priest in five parishes, the 
most recent being Resurrection Church. In addition to being an elected 
member of the Council of Priests, the Monsignor received special 
recognition within the church on February 2, 1992 when he was invested 
as a Domestic Prelate to His Holiness with the title of Monsignor.
   During Monsignor Moretta's ministry, he has worked primarily in the 
Spanish-speaking Latino immigrant community. While he provides 
motivational spiritual guidance to his congregation, Monsignor Moretta 
is also highly regarded for his extensive community work that extends 
well beyond the walls of Resurrection Church.
   Under his leadership, Resurrection Church offers a broad array of 
initiatives to improve the lives of families in the community. Among 
the many examples of his outreach, Monsignor Moretta empowers his 
parishioners to learn English and become U.S. citizens.
   Monsignor Moretta also encourages residents to speak out against 
crime and pollution in their neighborhoods. For over nine years, as 
part of the Resurrection Church Neighborhood Watch group, Monsignor 
Moretta has met with members of the community every week to discuss 
public safety.

[[Page E1464]]

   In an effort to address the neighborhood's concerns about crime and 
gang activity, Monsignor Moretta took the lead in bringing the 
successful Project CLEAR anti-gang program to Boyle Heights. I remember 
well when Monsignor Moretta first approached me about obtaining the 
federal funding needed to start and maintain the program. Monsignor 
Moretta explained that he was very concerned about our community 
because he was increasingly attending funeral services for those killed 
in gang-related violence, including the funerals of innocent bystanders 
caught in the line of fire.
   Today, through intelligence-gathering, visible community patrols, 
gang-related arrests, and the investigation of gang-related crimes, the 
officers in the CLEAR Unit are credited with reducing crime in the 
area. The officers also work closely with school officials to reduce 
gang activity and local gang-intervention organizations to divert ``at-
risk'' youth from gang involvement.
   Monsignor Moretta has also led efforts to protect our children and 
families from a number of projects that raised significant health and 
safety concerns in the community.
   Under his guidance, the Mothers of East Los Angeles (MELA) was 
formed in the 1980s to bring the community together to protest the 
building of a state prison. As part of this effort, Monsignor Moretta 
led 200 Latina mothers on a lobbying mission to Sacramento where they 
successfully voiced their concerns about the proposed prison with the 
governor and state legislators.
   Ever since then, on behalf of the community's ongoing quest for 
social and environmental justice, Monsignor Moretta, in coordination 
with MELA and other local leaders, has worked to ward off other harmful 
projects. They have been at the forefront of efforts to stop the 
expansion of a plant that recycles petroleum and battery acids. They 
joined forces to oppose the siting of a toxic incinerator. And, most 
recently, they have been organizing to protest the proposed 
construction of a power plant that will increase toxic emissions in the 
area.
   In addition to environmental causes, Monsignor Moretta and the 
Mothers of East Los Angeles have joined forces to bring stability and 
pride to neighborhoods through homeownership. They worked together to 
make low-income housing units available to area families. They also 
established the Boyle Heights Resident Homeowners Association and the 
Mothers of East Los Angeles Home Ownership Center to provide 
information and resources to help families become first-time 
homeowners.
   Madam Speaker, on the occasions of Monsignor Moretta's 40th 
Anniversary of ordination and his 25th Anniversary as pastor of 
Resurrection Church, I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating 
Monsignor Moretta--or Father John as the community lovingly refers to 
him--on both of these significant anniversaries and, above all, in 
thanking him for his tireless advocacy on behalf of the Boyle Heights 
community.

                          ____________________