Michael Shawyer
Shawver, the new director of the Office of Social Concerns, has held pastoral ministry positions in New Mexico and at Loyola Marymount University. He succeeds Verne Schweiger who retired from diocesan ministry in July.
“I am very excited to continue my love of Catholic social teaching in my role as the director of the Office of Social Concerns for the Diocese of San Bernardino,” Shawver said. “I look forward to working with the numerous parishes and Catholic organizations of the Diocese to bring about God’s Kingdom ‘on earth as it is in heaven.’ ”
A former Jesuit seminarian, Shawver felt called to serve in other ways. He received his Master’s Degree in Pastoral Theology from Loyola University Chicago, taught high school theology and worked with people with developmental disabilities.
He and his wife, Rosie, have a two-year old daughter, Sofia. Rosie is currently a campus minister for the University of Southern California’s Catholic Center in Los Angeles.
They moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico in August of 2008 and he was hired to work full time at a downtown parish as the Director of Social Concerns and Young Adult Ministry where he served until 2012. In addition to creating and building up both of those ministries, he also started a weekly Sunday meal for those who are homeless.
“I am very passionate about Latin American issues, local and global poverty, immigration, and worker’s rights, among many other issues,” Shawver said. “I have been on several immersion trips to Peru and Nicaragua. I have also gone on some border awareness trips to Juarez, Nogales, andTijuana, Mexico.”
Paulina Espinoza
For the past year Espinoza has served as the Associate Director of the Diocesan Office of Worship. Wishing to focus more on formation and furthering the mission of the church to evangelize, she took leadership of the newly reorganized Office of Evangelization and Adult Faith Formation, formerly the Office of Small Faith Communities.
In her new position she hopes to be more in touch with the small faith communities in the diocese and encourage the groups to continue their development and growth.
“This will be an opportunity to utilize my skills and experience in a broader way,” Espinoza said.
For almost 30 years she has served in campus ministry, promoting vocations, and coordinating formation programs at several Catholic universities, among other activities. Prior to coming to the Diocese, she served as the director of the Summer Institute for Hispanic Ministry at the Jesuit School of Theology in Santa Clara.
As the office continues its transition from Small Faith Communities to the broader Evangelization and Adult Faith Formation, Espinoza hopes the office will be a resource to keep alive the zeal the Year of Faith has inspired in parish communities.
“The Diocesan vision has inspired me,” Espinoza said. “We want the faithful to not only know the faith but also make an impact in the community. We need to ask ourselves how can we bring the kingdom of God to reality here.”
She will lead the office in researching different formation programs and suggesting programs and resources to parishes.
Dr. José Antonio Medina
Dr. José Antonio Medina is not new to the Diocese of San Bernardino, having served as an instructor for the Ministry Formation Institute (MFI) and a consultant to the Office of Catechetical Ministry and Office of Charismatic Renewal here. Holding a doctorate in sacred theology from the Pontifical University of Salamanca, Spain, he brings considerable statewide and national experience as a teacher of the Catholic faith to both clergy and lay people. Most recently he has served as an adviser to United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the California Catholic Conference and Liguori Publications.
In his new position, Dr. Medina says he will seek to provide tools and resources to priests so that they can achieve their mission of shepherding the people of God. Depending on the stage of priesthood – from newly ordained to retired – those tools and resources will vary greatly, he says. “Every priest has their own needs,” he notes.
Dr. Medina is preparing for the upcoming Priests Convocation in September and he will also plan and host annual priest study days, days of prayer and retreats. With the number of religious order priests now outnumbering diocesan priests, Dr. Medina said he will make a point in his ministry to build stronger connections between the two.
“It’s important that [religious order priests] feel at home working in our diocese,” Dr. Medina says.