RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, Father Jose Maria Garcia-Maldonado was born in Mexico on March 24th, 1979, in the town of Los Altos de Jalisco Region, of San Julian to parents Jose Maria Garcia and Angelica; and
WHEREAS, Father Maldonado is the fifth child in a family of nine, five sisters and three brothers; and
WHEREAS, Father Jose Maria Garcia-Maldonado studied at the Seminary of San Juan de Los Lagos, Jalisco Mexico where he completed three years of Philosophy, then came to Chicago; and
WHEREAS, In 2001 Father Jose Maria Garcia-Maldonado and attended Mundelein Seminary to study four years of Theology; and
WHEREAS, Father Jose Maria Garcia-Maldonado was ordained a Priest for the Archdiocese of Chicago on May 17th of 2008 by Cardinal Francis George; and
WHEREAS, Father Jose Maria Garcia-Maldonado's first assignment was St. Silvester Parish where he served for two years and then was assigned to the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe for one year; and
WHEREAS, Father Jose Maria Garcia-Maldonado was assigned to Good Shepherd Parish in Little Village on January 1, 2012, where he was the Pastor for 10 years; and
WHEREAS, Father Jose Maria Garcia-Maldonado was assigned on July 1, 2021, to serve as Pastor of San Jose Sanchez del Rio Parish consisting of the Churches of St. Francis in the Community of West Humboldt Park, Maternity BVM in the Community of Humboldt Park and St. Philomena in the Community of Hermosa; and
WHEREAS, Father Jose Maria Garcia-Maldonado has shown his personal and spiritual commitment to the Lord and his leadership and guidance to the Parishioners of St. Jose Sanchez Del Rio Parish as the first Hispanic to be installed by Bishop Robert Lombardo as Pastor; and
WHEREAS, In celebration of this event we declare Saturday August 6, 2022t to be St. Jose Sanchez Del Rio Day; and
WHEREAS, Father Marco Antonio Luna-Franco was born in Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico on June 7, 1990, to parents Angel Franco and Felicitas Luna and is the third of four boys where they live in Guadalajara, Mexico; and
WHEREAS, Father Marco Antonio Luna-Franco was 12 years old when he began his seminary formation at Cuquio, Jalisco (his parents' hometown) where he attended middle school; and
WHEREAS, Father Marco Antonio Luna-Franco spent three years of high school in the Minor Seminary of Guadalajara; and
WHEREAS, Father Marco Antonio Luna-Franco studied a year of spirituality in Tapalpa, Jalisco in 2009; and
WHEREAS, Father Marco Antonio Luna-Franco in 2010, began his philosophical studies, and deterred his education by three years due to the loss of his second oldest brother in a car accident, to assist his family in healing this painful wound together; and
WHEREAS, Father Marco Antonio Luna-Franco then taught Spanish and philosophy in a high school while completing his philosophy studies at the public University of Guadalajara; and
WHEREAS, Father Marco Antonio Luna-Franco's time out of the seminary did not diminish his vocation but grew; and
WHEREAS, Father Marco Antonio Luna-Franco's friend informed him of the Archdiocese of Chicago's huge need for Hispanic vocations and the decision to leave his family again was not easy; and
WHEREAS, Father Marco Antonio Luna-Franco arrived in this country on August 11, 2013, with only the intention to keep answering God's call and studied English at UIC and Loyola University thus completing his Seminary formation studying four years of Theology at Mundelein, Seminary; and
WHEREAS, Father Marco Antonio Luna-Franco was ordained as a transitional deacon at Immaculate Conception Chapel, Mundelein, Seminary on May 11, 2018, and by the Grace of God, was ordained as a Priest of Jesus Christ on May 18, 2019, at Holy Name Cathedral by Cardinal Blase Cupich; and
WHEREAS, Father Marco Antonio Luna-Franco celebrated his first Mass a month later, on June 29, 2019, and had the wonderful opportunity to go back to Mexico to celebrate a thanksgiving Mass with the rest of my family and friends who were not able to attend the special occasion of his ordination here in Chicago; and
WHEREAS, Father Marco Antonio Luna-Franco's first assignment as a priest was Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Little Village, Chicago. His second and current assignment has been San Jose Sanchez del Rio Parish since July of 2021; and
WHEREAS, Father Marco Antonio Luna-Franco began his ministry in incredibly challenging times, the pandemic; and
WHEREAS, Father Marco Antonio Luna-Franco's second and current assignment is serving the people of San Jose Sanchez del Rio Parish as Associate Pastor since July 1, of 2021 as the first Hispanic to be Installed by Bishop Robert Lombardo as Associate Pastor, and in celebration we declare Saturday August 6, 2022, to be St. Jose Sanchez Del Rio Day; now, therefore
BE IT RESOLVED, That we, the Mayor and the members ofthe Chicago City Council, assembled this 20th.day of July 2022, do hereby honor Father Jose Maria Garcia-Maldonado and Father