Holy Family's A Vision for Parish Leadership is alive and thriving! Over the past year, the Holy Family Search Committee, under the leadership of Julie Condon, has been hard at work researching, interviewing and discerning in order to identify the best parish life director candidate, such that Holy Family Church may realize its vision for lay leadership for the future.

After many months of an extensive and detailed search, including telephone and personal on-site interviews of multiple individuals, the Holy Family Search Committee has strongly recommended Cambria Smith as a candidate for the future lay leadership of Holy Family Church. Cambria Smith will be officially commissioned as a lay pastoral associate by Cardinal Mahoney on May 18, 2008 and will be appointed to join the Holy Family staff and parish community as a lay pastoral associate beginning August 15, 2008. Msgr. Connolly, Bishop Gabino Zavala, and the Archdiocese of Los Angeles have encouraged this next step and are supportive of lay leadership for our parish.

Cambria Smith is President of Valley Interfaith Council, a non-profit organization that provides services to over 78,000 seniors, families in need and the hungry per year. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Literature from Oxford University and holds a Masters degree in Religious Studies from Mount St. Mary's College. She made a profession of faith fifteen years ago to the Catholic Church and is currently a part of the Parish Life Director formation program within the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Cambria is the chairman of the Archdiocesan Pastoral Council, a long-standing active member of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles Justice and Peace Commission, and chairman of the Social Justice Committee for the San Fernando Regional Pastoral Council. Cambria's management, human resource, financial and fundraising experience will serve her well at Holy Family.

Pastoral associates are full-time ministers who share with their pastors the overall care of the parish. He or she is a member of the parish staff and is accountable to the pastor. Called to serve "in the name of the Church," pastoral associates are commissioned by the Cardinal after they are professionally prepared and formed for this service and leadership.

As a lay pastoral associate at Holy Family Church, Cambria Smith will immerse herself into the life of our community. Msgr. Connolly will remain the pastor of the parish. He will delegate responsibilities as he determines appropriate, while Cambria continues to meet and work in close consultation with all staff, parish leadership and the entire parish community. Though selected as a strong candidate for the future position of parish life director, several months of two-way consultation and affirmation between Cambria and the parish will ensue before any recommendation may be made as a next step toward becoming a parish life director. During this period of time, a parish Evaluation Committee will be in constant consultation with the community via the many levels of parish leadership to assess the affirmation of the progress of the parish's A Vision for Parish Leadership.

Though Cambria will not begin her assignment at Holy Family until mid-August, she may occasionally have a need to be on our campus before that time. It is our hope that if you recognize her, you will welcome her to our community and feel free to introduce yourself. Plans are currently being made for a formal parish-wide introduction Mass and reception after Labor Day to warmly welcome and support Cambria's ministry at Holy Family.

As always, the Holy Family Transition Committee invites you to contact us via our phone line (626/403-6182), e-mail ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ) or in person to ask questions, voice concerns or share your support. We also encourage you to view the parish plan, A Vision for Parish Leadership, in its entirety.