The
usual work of a priest is to save the souls of his flock but in Los
Angeles a priest is doing the unusual task of saving his flock from the
jaws of foreclosure. The goal of Rev. John Lasseigne is very much down
to earth – saving the hearth and home.
It
is no easy task – it is like asking for a miracle to work in the Roman
Catholic parish located in Pacoima. The neighbourhood is infested with
bank signs offering houses for sale. These signs are growing faster than
the weeds on neglected houses. Woefully Rev. Lasseigne of Mary
Immaculate Church is stunned and commented, “We’re talking thousands of
foreclosures.”
Apart from praying for his flock the priest has
gone knocking at the doors of politicians and holding parleys with the
lenders. His daily epistles are laced with talk about ballooning
payments and amortization. The bishop’s agenda is full of meetings with
the top architects of this crisis – the lenders and the politicians.