Heber Catholics honor slain deacon

Intermountain Catholic

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The memorial to the late Deacon Aniceto Armendariz Jr. (1961-2005) hangs on the back wall of St. Lawrence Mission in Heber City. Deacon Armendariz was murdered in September 2005 in the process of his work. IC photos by Barbara S. Lee

HEBER — The emotional wounds left by the September 2005 death of Deacon Aniceto Armendariz are still fresh in the minds and hearts of the Catholic community of Heber.

A photograph of Deacon Armendariz, shot to death while driving from St. Mary of the Assumption Church in Park City to his home in Heber, Sept. 25, is the center of a monument to the slain deacon blessed and dedicated June 18 by Msgr. Robert J. Bussen, pastor of St. Mary of the Assumption Parish, of which St. Lawrence is a mission. Alma Armendariz, wife of the deacon, who was injured in the ensuing vehicle roll-over, attended the dedication Mass with the couple’s children.

The photograph of Deacon Armendariz shows him in the alb and stole of an ordained deacon, smiling as he stands before the altar of St. Mary of the Assumption Church. The photo rests in a hand-crafted frame created by Heber artist Dan Lowell, a close friend of Deacon Armendariz. At the top of the frame, Mount Timpanogos is readily recognized.

"I wanted to use mountains in this monument because Aniceto had just finished building his house when he died," Lowell said. "He was thrilled that every morning when he woke up he could look out his bedroom window and see the mountains."

Lowell also carved scrub oak leaves and jalapeño peppers into the frame, along with wafts of canyon stream water.

"The day after Aniceto was killed, I began the sketches for this monument," Lowell said. "He was a wonderful person and a good friend."

The people of St. Lawrence Mission chose to honor Deacon Armendariz’ memory on Father’s Day. He was the father of four children, three boys and a girl.

Deacon Armendariz worked tirelessly for immigrant workers in Park City, Heber, and the surrounding areas. He assisted them in filling out immigration papers and preparing them for drivers license tests. He also was instrumental in seeing that people of every community had enough to eat and quality care for their children while they worked.

Alma Armendariz continues her husband’s works of charity through the office of Holy Cross Ministries in Heber.

In his homily at the dedication Mass, Msgr. Bussen spoke first to the Armendariz family in Spanish, saying, "Deacon Aniceto died for the good he did for others. He will remain a brother to us always."

In English, Msgr. Bussen tied the dedication closely with the church’s feast of Corpus Christi, the Body and Blood of Christ.

"The earliest church would not have thought of the Body and Blood of Christ in the bread and wine," he said. "They would only have thought of it in themselves. They knew that we, when we gather, are the Body and Blood of Christ, we are not only ourselves."

Recalling Deacon Armendariz as a man not unlike the late Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador, who was assassinated while celebrating Mass in 1980, Msgr. Bussen said the two men had a struggle for the poor in common.

"Archbishop Romero was hated by the rich and the powerful. Just days before he died he spoke: ‘Go ahead, kill me. I will rise again.’ Today, 25 years later, his memory is stronger. He truly rose again in the life of the Salvadoran people.

"Just so, Aniceto continued in our midst," he said. "He is not forgotten. We gather today in his presence, recalling him as an example of faith."

The dedication Mass was followed by a special blessing for all fathers present.