From left, Juan Rendon, D. Min, director of Diocese of Dallas Catholic Social Ministries; Chief Eddie Garcia, police chief of the Dallas Police Department; Father Jacob Dankasa, pastor of Holy Family of Nazareth Catholic Church in Irving and a Diocese of Dallas police chaplain; and Peter Ductrám, senior director of Ministries, met Jan. 31 at DPD headquarters.
By Juan Rendon
Special to The Texas Catholic
On Jan. 31, Father Jacob Dankasa, pastor of Holy Family of Nazareth Catholic Church in Irving and a Diocese of Dallas police chaplain; Peter Ductrám, senior director of the Diocese of Dallas Ministries Office; and Juan Rendon, D.Min, director of Diocese of Dallas Catholic Social Ministries, met with Chief Eddie Garcia, police chief of the Dallas Police Department, at Dallas Police Department headquarters.
The conversation was a great opportunity to get to know Chief Garcia and to hear what he considers to be some of the needs of his department and ways in which the Diocese of Dallas can collaborate.
Sacramental pastoral care is currently offered to the Dallas Police Department through our chaplains Father Dankasa and Deacon Juan Manuel Rendon. They recently administered ashes on Ash Wednesday. Father Dankasa is available for the celebration of Mass and the sacrament of reconciliation, especially during the Lenten season.
The areas of social justice, family, and mental health were discussed. There is a possibility, in the near future, of establishing a partnership with the DPD and Dallas ISD to assist in providing the tools for parents to handle difficult situations with their children, dealing with at-risk situations and preventing them from joining gangs. The tools will be provided through the Parent Project initiative which according to Chief Garcia, he helped put in place in the San Jose Police Department and found to be very successful.
Another initiative where we already collaborate and will continue to grow is the quarterly walk in the neighborhood. This is an opportunity to talk to the people in the neighborhood and to communicate and engage with people of faith. Last year, St. Pius X Catholic Parish hosted this event; we look forward to having more parishes host this initiative.
Regarding collaboration in mental health, Chief Garcia is fully committed to providing mental health assistance to his officers. He is fully invested in the wellbeing of those who provide safety and security to all of us. This is beneficial to the Dallas Police Department, the City of Dallas, and the families of the police officers. As a diocese, we are ready to assist in this area through our mental health initiatives and resources. We look forward to continuing to build a strong relationship with the Dallas Police Department through the sacramental and pastoral care of our chaplains, through education and formation of parents as they raise their children, and through the quarterly walk in the neighborhood.
For more information, contact Juan Rendon at jrendon@cathdal.org.
Juan Rendon, D.Min, is the director of Catholic Social Ministries for the Diocese of Dallas.
