With the appointment of Bishop Bruce A. Lewandowski, C.Ss.R. to the Diocese of Providence, R.I., Archbishop William E. Lori announced May 8 two interim appointments to continue the work Bishop Lewandowski had done while in Baltimore.
Redemptorist Father Ako Walker was named interim delegate for Hispanic Catholics while continuing his role as pastor of Sacred Heart of Jesus-Sagrado Corazón de Jesús Parish in Highlandtown. Deacon Andrew Lacovara was named interim delegate for the Urban Vicariate, while continuing his assignments at St. Ignatius Parish in Baltimore and the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Baltimore. The effective date was May 12.
“It is good news, welcome news, for me and the Hispanic community,” Father Walker said. “I look forward to celebrating partnerships and working together in the area of Hispanic ministry.”
Father Walker noted that he had spent two-and-a-half years in the Bronx, N.Y., working with the Hispanic community there before coming to the Archdiocese of Baltimore in 2021, taking over as pastor of Sacred Heart of Jesus in Highlandtown and St. Patrick in Fells Point from Bishop Lewandowski.
“He and I collaborated on projects in the past,” Father Walker said. “Our ministries, I would say, come from a place of caring and concern for immigrants.”
The past few years have brought significant challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge and changing immigration policies. Despite these difficulties, the period has also been rewarding, he said.
“I am an advocate for them, and I am learning from them. It is a two-way street,” Father Walker said, of his parishioners. “Since the whole immigration situation, more people are attending Mass. It is a good sign. They are recognizing the need to believe in Jesus in this time of uncertainty.”
Archbishop Lori called Father Walker a “champion of the Hispanic community in Baltimore.”
“This role will allow our broader archdiocese to benefit from his gifts and to ensure ongoing pastoral care to our Spanish-speaking brothers and sisters,” he wrote in a letter announcing the appointment.
Deacon Lacovara is excited for his new role with the archdiocese; however, he wants to make one thing clear.
“Nobody can replace Bishop Bruce,” he said, noting the bishop’s work with Seek the City to Come, the archdiocese’s pastoral planning initiative that merged parishes while closing others across Baltimore City and the surrounding areas last year.
“Bishop Bruce spent so much time listening to everyone,” Deacon Lacovara said. “I want to do the best I can to continue the very good work Bishop Bruce and his team did.”
He hopes to “accompany people” during this time of transition as new parishes emerge from the merged ones, recognizing their combined resources and strengths.
“There is still work to do,” Deacon Lacovara said. “Love and support.”
Deacon Lacovara will continue overseeing the campus and marriage ministries at Corpus Christi in Baltimore, working with Deacon Frederick “Fritz” Bauerschmidt.
“His knowledge and love for the Church in the City, his keen pastoral instincts, and his competent administrative skills will be of great assistance as we continue to move forward with the pastoral plan generated through the Seek the City to Come process,” Archbishop Lori said, of Deacon Lacovara.
Email Katie V. Jones at kjones@CatholicReview.org.
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