December 11, 2006VOL. 44, NO. 22Oakland, CA

Father Jose Leon honored for
co-founding leadership of COR

By Voice staff

Father Jose Leon, pastor of Our Lady of the Rosary Parish in Union City, was honored as co-founder of COR, (Congregations Organizing for Renewal) at the organization’s 10th anniversary interfaith worship service and dinner celebration Nov. 19. Also honored was the Rev. Drew Nettinga, pastor of San Lorenzo Community Church.

Father Leon moved into community activism in1996, after seeing the social and economic pressures facing his parishioners in the Decoto area. He contacted the Pacific Institute for Community Organizing in Oakland for assistance in creating an organization that could work to improve the lives of low- and moderate-income families and develop local residents into community leaders.

The small, original group expanded into an organization of 12 congregations which today serves 25,000 families living in San Leandro, San Lorenzo, Hayward, Union City and Fremont. It is the only community organization with a large, organized voice across south Alameda County.

During the past decade, COR’s hundreds of grassroots volunteers have been improving health access for low-income people, increasing neighborhood safety, strengthening public schools and bringing affordable housing to communities across southern Alameda County.

In Hayward and San Lorenzo, for example, parents urged public school district officials to implement a parent-teacher home visitation program to build stronger relationships between parents and teachers with the goal of helping children.

In San Lorenzo, Union City and Fremont, congregation and community members worked with cities and school districts to establish after-school programs at middle schools in Union City.

COR leaders from Our Lady of the Rosary have successfully fought for increased county funding for community health clinics and low-cost health insurance programs.

In commenting upon COR’s accomplishments, Father Leon told the interfaith group that he is still amazed by community organizing’s power and ability to get people striving together for a common cause.

“I should not be surprised because I know that this power is really God’s power working with us,” he said.

Father Leon has been pastor at Our Lady of the Rosary for the past 21 years. A native of Arizona, he has degrees in Spanish, secondary education, drama and theology. He taught Spanish and Latin in high schools for 10 years before earning at master of divinity degree at the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley in 1980. He was ordained in 1981.

Father Jose Leon

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