 We would ask everyone to please take their seats so that we can honor Andy Serabia in the way that he wants to be honored, which is not to make a big deal about it, but it is a big deal. Hello everyone, my name is Father Mike DeGirolami and I will serve as your emcee tonight as we will pray the prayers of the Holy Rosary tonight. And after each decade of the Rosary, a brief reflection will be given by various people about Andy, the impact that he had on their lives. We have certainly lost a great leader, a great friend, a person we all love, and tonight is our formal and public expression of that love, that gratitude for all that he did in his life. So without further ado, we will call upon Andy's oldest son, Mike Serabia, who will begin the prayers of the Rosary. Mike came a long way, he came all the way from Monterey to be here. Welcome Mike. Good evening folks, thank you very much for coming, Dad, what can I say about Dad? You know, you guys know probably you were more than I did because he was always with the community more than he was with me. But I thank you all for following him and joining him in the efforts to change the city and the people of the city. And I expect that things will continue, that things will continue to go on here in San Antonio and the other regions that were cops in the metro areas and the other sisters organizations live on. So thank you very much. I'm a little nervous even in the Rosary when the sister is looking at me. I mean, we went to Little Flower and she was a principal at Little Flower, so. But we'll start off with the prayers of the Rosary, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Our Father, the Word in Heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and give us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And give us not temptation but deliver us from evil. Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women. And blessed is the fruit of the eye of Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women. And blessed is the fruit of the eye of Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners. Now and forever. Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women. And blessed is the fruit of the eye of Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners. Now and forever. Amen. Glory be to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Glory be to thee. And to the Father who shall be. And to the Father who shall be. And to the Father who shall be. And to the Father who shall be. First joyful mystery, the Annunciation. And when the angel had come to her, he said, Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, that will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day, our daily bread, and give us our trespasses, as we, and those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen. Full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessings of the future lie, won't Jesus. Holy Mary, the Mother of God, pray for us sinners. Now and forever. Amen. Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blesses the fruit of the lie, won't Jesus. Holy Mary, the Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and forever. Amen. Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Hail Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners, now in the power of thy name. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Beside our Thou amongst women, and blesses the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Hail Mary, Full of Grace, the Lord is with thee. Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for our students, now and at the hour of death. Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for our students, now and at the hour of death. Amen. Will be the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. As the ones at the beginning, is now and shall be, growth without end. Amen. It was old enough to start to understand who my dad was as a kid. I was a baby. I learned to throw the ball, catch the ball, and he would go out there and he would teach me. I always wanted to be like my dad. He was a Yankee fan. Sorry those family from Chicago. But he was a Yankee fan, and his hero was Mickey Maddon. So, because I wanted my dad to love me, to be proud of me, I learned to back, death-handed, and throw with my right hand, just like Mickey Maddon. And I did that for baseball year. I got some of my baseball buddies here from Holy Family. And I did that because I wanted to be like my dad. A lot of things that, growing up, you know, I wanted to be like my dad. Funny thing is that, you know, the guy in the audience I just recognize right now, because of his beautiful wife, came along and changed a lot of that. And I was very angry because he took my dad away from me. He took my dad from my home and he put him in the community. And that really upset me a lot, because now I couldn't be there with my dad at all times to see what he was doing. Then he let me start going to meetings. And so, while other kids were out running around, outside I was inside trying to figure out what was going on, because I wanted to be like my dad. So, being blessed and going to Little Flower and Holy Cross, I learned a lot about brotherhood and about the community and how we serve the community. And then I understood a little bit more. See, there's a lot of things you don't know about my dad, you know. And everything that he did came from the heart. And everything he did came from something within the heart. Stuff that he suffered and stuff that he had to go through as a child that was Koraje. Koraje to not be able to do things because you're from a certain part of town or you're from a family that doesn't have enough income or because you go to a high school and it turns out that you want to go to college but you didn't ever go to college because you didn't see a counselor. Because the only time you saw a counselor you were in trouble. And then when he wanted to join the army, he wasn't old enough, but still he tried to go to college and they asked him to go get your transcripts. And then he had the Koraje because he found out he was the top five students in the whole class, you know. So everything that my dad did and everything that he started came from the same Koraje. I too learned to have that Koraje. And everything I did in life, I did to please him. To hear him say, I'm proud of you. I love you. I've never heard it. But I hear everybody tell me that. But I do well. And today is the hardest. I do speaking at events. I'm a coach, I'm a mentor in Mexico. I run businesses. We have franchises, travel agencies in Mexico. We do a lot. And I work with the Mexican government. And I do do it with my heart knowing that my dad did it that way. And I thank him from the bottom of my heart with all that Koraje. And I will continue to do that. But now I do it to please my sons. And what we did here in the states, we're doing in Mexico. And people in Mexico scratch their heads, but it works. So I just wanted to say that. So one of the other things I've done in my lifetime is I was a songwriter for Capital EMI. So I just wanted to say something real quick before I go. I just wrote a quick song for my dad. And you know, I was a songwriter for them for four years. And I just wanted to write, read this real quick if I could read my own writing. You lived a life fighting each and every moment. From your birth, nothing was easy. But you read everything. Everything and much more. I have your own name. The only one that has your blood. I take you to the most... I take you to the same mistakes. And the same tears. I take you to the same path that you... The only thing that I never took were the words I love you. Even though I always say it to you, always in me, you and your dreams live. Goodbye, dad, goodbye. Because you're leaving again. Goodbye, dad, goodbye. I already have time to live in peace. And it goes on and on. But I just wanted to say thank you all for being a part of my dad's life. Thank you all for making him know that he was doing the right thing. And he loves you all. And thank you. I could go on and on. For our second mystery, we invite one of the former presidents of COPS. We welcome with open heart, Ms. Beatriz Cortez. The second joy for mystery, the visitation. Our Blessed Mother visits her cousin Elizabeth and shares the good news of her son, John the Baptist. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou amongst women. And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. I will be Mary, Mother of God, great for us sinners, now and the hour right up in me. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou amongst women. And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, great for us sinners, now and the hour right up in me. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou amongst women. And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, great for us sinners, now and the hour right up in me. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou, most women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou, most women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou, most women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou, most women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou, most women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou, most women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou, most women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and never shall be. World without end. Amen. Oh, my Jesus, it starts to save us from the fires of hell. Lead all souls together, especially those who might be in the diversity. Andy Saravia and I went to the same high school in San Antonio. It's now known as Foxtet. I didn't know him in high school. I don't even know what activities he was involved in. I had to work after school, so I would run out of school and go catch the bus so I could go to work. I met him at the first time at a steering committee meeting at Good Council. And the reason that I went was I was invited by Ernie Cortez, who had come to one of our churches in the neighborhood because the San Antonio School District was closing our school. I had never been in any public place. And all I was reacting was that the schools where my kids were going, which was an elementary school. And one of the ladies in the community knew Ernie and came over and he was telling us, it was like 150 parents there. And they said, the school's going to close come August. And this was like March. So they were waiting for the end of the year. They were going to close it and we were like in a panic. And Ernie Cortez talks to all of us about what's going on. And we have to go to the school district to approach them about why are they closing the schools. It was for schools. So Ernie invites me to the steering committee meeting so I can give a report. And I walk in and there's like three of those long tables. And there's like 30 people standing around. And they're all getting reports. And Ernie's at the head of the table directing, hearing reports, asking questions, challenging, what are you doing? What are the next steps? Who are you meeting with? And I was like amazed in the west side of San Antonio. This is going on. Anyway, but Ernie reminded me of my older brother because he was always challenging me about, I used to tell him, how am I going to learn to read when I was little? How am I going to learn to read? I don't have no books. He said, you can learn to read another thing. He would bring me magazines and pamphlets from school, whatever, that he was looking at. You have to look for resources he would tell me. So when I told Ernie about this, he said, I said, why are you, how is all this happening? So he says, we'll come to the next meeting. That's what happened. That next meeting took me to another meeting, to another meeting. But there was always information that I thought, I've got to take this back to the church. I've got to take this back to my people. I've got to make sure they find out what's going on. I learned a lot from Andy. He was always calculating, thinking, asking questions. I learned a lot about what was going on in other areas. And one day I told him, you know what, Andy, you're a very smart guy for somebody with an eighth grade education. I graduated from high school. I said, so did I. I said, but at one time I read the paper and I heard this general. It was some kind of military holiday. And this general was saying, he was making a report saying, you know, there's a lot of good Hispanic people in San Antonio. They're energetic. They have a good work ethic. They're smart. He says, it's just that damn education. If they could just get them into college. And so I told Andy, but you know what he said? If you're a graduate from Fox Tech then by that name, he said, you've got like an eighth grade education when you get. I said, so for an eighth grade education person, you are, you know what, smart. He can never heard it, but we talked about that. In 2014, I was seriously ill and I almost died. He called me, his wife, Linda called me, and they were asking how I was doing. And I told it, they were going to come up to, I was in Ohio in a hospital. I was three months in the hospital, three months in rehab. They wanted to come visit me and I said, you know, save your money. Your call is important. I feel better than to call. Over the years, Andy and Linda and I have come to know each other, share our happiness and our heartaches together. Our kids graduate, they have attended our kids' graduation. Weddings and my, I lost my husband in February of this year. He came to visit us. And when he was very ill, I went, I and my children went to visit him. And he said, the tables have turned. I went to see you when Andy was in the hospital and now you're here to see me. He became a close friend. And I know my kids, we talked about him. He said, he was like our uncle. He went to their weddings and said, had heard they were going on honeymoon to Mexico or another city and he would always cost them. Be careful where you go, take care of yourself, call your parents when you get there, call them when you get back. Just, he said, they said, he's like an uncle to us mom. I'm proud of you, Andy. I will pray for you and I will watch after Linda. I will keep on visiting. You did great for an eighth grader. To lead us in the third decade, two of Andy's grandchildren, Bella and Matthew Ledesma. We're doing a mystery, the birth of Jesus. She gave birth to his first born son. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them in Luke 2.7. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come that will be done on earth as it is in heaven. You will be blessed to stay in the earth and forgive those who are trespassing as we forgive those who trespass against us and be a sign of temptation but to never ask for an evil treatment. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed be the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and again. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and again. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and again. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and again. Hail Mary! Full of Grace, the Lord is with thee! Blessed are thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, the Lord of God, great for us sinners, now in the hour of heaven. Hail Mary! Full of Grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are they of a woman, and blessed is the fruit of Jesus. Holy Mary, the Lord of God, great for us sinners, now in the hour of heaven. and blesses the fruit of that with Jesus. All we marry, Mother of God, pray for us to this now that the hour of death is imminent. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women, and blesses the fruit of that with Jesus. All we marry, Mother of God, pray for us to this now that the hour of death is imminent. Glory be unto the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. And as it was in the beginning, it is now that the hour of death is imminent. All we marry, Jesus, pray for us to this now that the hour of death is imminent. All we marry, Mother of God, pray for us to this now that the hour of death is imminent. Okay, so we prepared a little something. My blood can't tell you that I knew any Serabia. My blood can't tell you of the love we showed, laughs we shared, tears we cried, games we played, and advice we took. But the heart knows, the heart knows the emotions we felt, the happiness, the joy, the excitement, the thrill, and the pure bliss it was to have known you. The heart knows and the memories we made, the cops meeting I went to, the chess games we would play, the 1955 movie Trantula we watched together, the smell of pungus that we would come over, the singing together to You Can't Really Skate in a Bubble Overd by Roger Miller, the little projects You would help me with. These memories we will cherish forever. The advice You had given us over the years. When You would tell me it's not over till it's over, I took it to heart. The simple words and advice You would give me, I'll never forget. You taught me that I can't quit or give up until it was completely over, to do my very best and to finish through everything throughout, even if it meant staying late or doing something over and over again until I got it right. You always told me not to let other people keep what is shopping for my dreams and goals. I want to pursue throughout life. You encouraged me to keep my head high at hard times and always help others just like You would have. These words of wisdom You have shared with us will impact our everyday lives. The dedication You showed towards helping others was displayed in everything You did. We never had the last meal of sorabia, nor do we share the same blood, but the love You shared and Your action will live on through us. 16 years. 14 years. We were blessed. Yes, so very, very blessed to have known You. It seems like such a short time here on Earth that we shared, with the impact You made on our lives will remain deep in our hearts forever. I'm sure we all have our own special memory of my grandpa that makes us smile. My special memory is when he told me about how he would steal ice chips from the iceman who delivered ice to the house. That story had no real meaning, but it has always stuck in me. Whenever I think of that story, I think of you, grandpa. He told me a story a few days before he died. It was kind of hard to understand, you know, being in the hospital, but since he's told me the same story countless times before, I knew the message he was trying to get across. An elephant walks through a field and steps on a mouse. The mouse sees you and cries for help. You have two options. You can either watch the mouse die and live with the guilt, or you can tell the elephant to get off the mouse and risk getting trampled. Both options have consequences. You can risk getting trampled or you can watch the mouse suffer. The moral of the story he told was you can either do something or do nothing, but everything has consequences. I think about this story a lot. I think about it when I'm faced with an injustice to do something or to do nothing. Throughout my life, my grandpa has always told me that I have an honest job and to love my career. His calling to help others has inspired me to serve others in the medical field. I know that when I help others, I'm living in your legacy. Your last wish for me was to dance with me at my wedding. Since that won't happen anymore, I know that every time I dance, it's going to be for you. Performing is something that I love to do and it has so much more meaning when you have a purpose and a reason to dance. When I perform, you're watching me and cheering me on. Thank you for always supporting me and encouraging what I do. Our lives will definitely never be the same, but knowing you have helped shaped our future really gives us hope. I love you so much, Grandpa. Thank you for everything. Our next prayer of leaders was visiting with Pope Francis just a few days ago. So we have a very important person here. We welcome a former Cops Metro lead organizer. It's a true story, but she didn't get her picture with the Pope though. But she was there. We welcome Sister Pearl Caesar. Important as visiting with Andy. The fourth joyful mystery, the presentation. When the days were completed for their purification according to the law of Moses, they took Jesus up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. Just as it is written in the law of the Lord, every male that opens a womb shall be consecrated to the Lord. Our Father who art in heaven hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. In us this day are made great and forgiveness our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And give us not a condemnation but deliver us from evil. Hail Mary, full of grace the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of that womb of Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, great for us sinners, now and the hour of great attending. Hail Mary, full of grace the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of that womb of Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, great for us sinners, now and the hour of great attending. Hail Mary, full of grace the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of that womb of Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, great for us sinners, now and the hour of great attending. Hail Mary, mother of God, great for us sinners, now and the hour of great attending. Hail Mary, mother of God, great for us sinners, now and the hour of great attending. Hail Mary, mother of God, great for us sinners, now and the hour of great attending. Hail Mary, mother of God, great for us sinners, now and the hour of great attending. Hail Mary, mother of God, Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed are thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed are thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed are thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed are thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell. It has been said that saying goodbye is really about saying hello, meaning that we come to know what someone has meant in our lives when we tell them goodbye. And that's certainly true about Andy Serabia. I met Andy in 1976 when I was hired as a local cops parish organizer at St. Alphonse's Parish on the west side. In cops history, four Catholic sisters held similar positions at that time. Sister Consuelo Tovar was at St. Leo's. Sister Wilma was at San Juan De Los Lugos. There was another sister at St. Philip of Jesus and then myself at St. Alphonse's. Arnie Graff was a lead organizer at that time and he supervised our work. But that wasn't good enough for Andy. Andy really believed he was a supervisor. He had just completed his presidency and he was very invested in the organization of cops. And he was invested in the future development of organizers, not just the leaders, but the organizers. And for him, the four of us were fresh meat, if you will. You understand me after, yes, we were fresh meat. So he immediately set up individual meetings with each of us, wanting to know who we were, what were we about, why we were doing this work, where our anger came from, and how we saw our future. He took his role as the first president of cops very seriously. And he challenged us continuously that if we were going to organize locally and possibly become future organizers with the Industrial Areas Foundation, and three of us did, Sister Mignon later became part of this group, so three of us did become IAF organizers, then Andy was determined that he was going to be the one to teach us and mentor us, and he did. So I shall always be grateful to Andy for those years, and for the guidance and the mentoring that he gave, not only in the formation of cops, but also in the formation of the Metropolitan Congregational Alliance, which later became Metro Alliance, because it was Andy whom we could always call on to meet with the North Siders, who were always so schizy about how we were organizing and what organizing was about, so we would call in Andy to lay their fears. It was Andy who was always the go-to person for out-of-town visitors, for out-of-town funders. It was Andy who was always our elder spokesperson, our elder statesman. He was our go-to person. He was the one that we knew we could always count on. He was our mentor. He was our guide. And so, dear friend, this is not goodbye, but a hello and a thank you for all that you have been to all of us in our lives. Continuing with the wonderful religious women who have been part of our organization for so many years, we now give a welcome to a longtime leader and still a leader with cops Metro, Sister Gabriella Lohan. Finding of the child Jesus in the temple. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers of the leaders, listening to them and asking them questions. I am Sister Gabriella. This is what I was taught to do. I am Sister Gabriella Lohan, a sister of the Holy Spirit and a leader with cops in the Metro Alliance. What I am about to read is not a doctoral thesis. You probably recognize that right away. It is memories and lessons I learned during Andy's last days. I forgot to say the decade word. First, our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we keep with those who trespass against us and keep us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, great for us sinners, now and in the hour of the evening. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, great for us sinners, now and in the hour of the evening. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of the evening. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of the evening. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of the evening. Hale Mary full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Hale Mary full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Hail Mary, full of grace to Lord, as with the blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the foot of thy womb, Jesus. Hail Mary, full of grace to Lord, with the blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the foot of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, great messengers, now be our way again. Hail Mary, full of grace to the Lord with thee, blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of Thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, great messengers, now be our way again. Glory be to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. All my Jesus, forgive us our sins, Jesus, and the Christ that hath been lost unto the heavens, especially those who have been lost unto the heavens. You know now it is not going to be a doctoral thesis. It is memories and lessons learned during Andy's last days. We saw his faith, we were in his hospital room, be a lot of us. We saw his faith, his love for his church, the love for his family, his trust in Linda, the suffering he endured, the gratitude to cops and early creters for the opportunities they gave him. He shared with us humorously, I might add, the struggle to get to the table, and the fun times the leaders had. I am grateful to God and Linda for my visits to Andy, and for the privilege of bringing Holy Communion to him during his last days of his great life. While my digital army anointed Andy on Thursday, I came on Friday and Andy was in good talking form. He told me about this parish Holy Family, Saint Timothy, Father Benavides, B. Cortez, and the first cops pastor at St. Patrick's. I thought he was excited by the news I had for him, that St. Patrick's had reconnected, but the old stories were better. I took it from him that St. Patrick's rectory was a fun place to be in the old days. He seemed a little bit obsessed with those beginning days. I asked Andy if he wished to receive Holy Communion. He eagerly said yes. The talk and laughter subsided. We, those in the room, B. Cortez, Linda, Mike, I and others formed a small prayer for community around the bed and started the prayers which precede the reception of Holy Communion at the Mass. Andy knew and joined in all the prayers. Lamb of God, oh God I am not worthy, I was happy he was so engaged. I noticed he was slow swallowing the host and I waited. After a few moments he said, I want to hold it as long as I could. Such faith in the real presence of Jesus. A few minutes later he told us, I'll see my mother in heaven. I'll see Father Benavides. Not being a certified chaplain, I said, Andy you're not going anywhere now. He retorted, it is not for you or me to say when I'll go. Another Andy Serabial lesson. Another day I went to the hospital and Father Gwilwaters was there. For those of you who do not know him, he was one of the early Metro Alliance leaders and he knows Andy well. He is an Episcopal priest from Santa Fe Episcopal. More talk and reminiscing. Andy and Will had a great chance. The beginning of Quest Education Partnership. What the business teacher said and the mistakes some of them made, Andy remembered them well. Andy could talk long and eloquently on the issues. What those of us listening learned was the beauty of the IAF if we give it a chance to teach us. We all got around to Andy's better Holy Communion. We said all the old prayers and some new ones. O angel of God, Jesus, Mary and Joseph, etc. And Andy received the host and Will followed by blessing Andy with the holy oils. And dear Andy couldn't resist saying double dose. Actually it was an ecumenical moment which Andy was probably at home with. There were several people with Andy much at the time. The doctors knew there was a celebrity in the hospital and many of them came to his room or call Linda. Then Mayor Julian Castro came, Rick Casey and other public faces. We had a lovely teaching moment really when Andy's grandson came in. The young man was heartbroken. He was mighted son from Mexico. He cried and cried. He put his head in his hands and leaned on the side of the bed and cried. Andy comforted him and explained to him that there's a time to be born and a time to go back to God. In the intervening time, God has a plan. Be a good neighbor, be a good family member, do the right thing always. And you will be ready and happy to go when God calls you. Andy further explained to him and of course we were sitting around. Andy further explained that he himself was ready and happy to go to God. He asked that his grandson not grieve for him but thank God for his life. I was really moved by Andy's kindness and truth. As the days went by, Andy's suffering intensified and his competent, competent Linda did everything she could to make him comfortable. It was fortunate that she was so confident. Linda worked at Methodist for 40 years. She knew exactly what was necessary and she constantly requested the hospital staff to keep him comfortable. She was the tower of strength for Andy and the family. Bea Cretez was there most of the time. She, too, was a tower of strength like a sister to Linda. Saying and singing the old prayers and hymns, she learned as a child. By the last days in Laws, Mises, Nephews, grandchildren, relatives, they all came and they all cried. Then you and Andy loved them even if you couldn't say so now. Of course he loved them because indeed a loving love of the family they are. I was delighted to meet them all. I had met many of them who came to Little Flower. Now, what was important about this decade of the Rosary? That was a sign to me. Jesus was found in the temper. If you remember, Jesus was up there teaching the leaders. Well, let me tell you, friends of Andy, Jesus did not go to the temple to teach in his 33 years. All due respects to Jesus. As often as Andy Searabia went to the temples of power in San Antonio, Austin and D.C., and no respect to Jesus, but Andy didn't get lost in all ways and in all temples. Andy taught the leaders that all persons are created equal by good night with a God-given right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. In Andy's language, all people had a right to eat, walk safely on the streets, play, pray, get paid and thrived in all parts of the city. Now, I want to take a moment, as I think they call it, a moment of personal privilege. And when Metro joined Cubs, I hope you see them, Cubs Metropolitan. When Andrew joined, I mean, when Metro Alliance joined Cubs, the most welcoming member of Cubs, organizers and everything included, the most welcoming member was Andy Searabia. See, Andy saw the big picture. He knows how to count. For an eighth grader, he knew how to count. And he knew that politicians count votes. And he knew that politicians count people. And that the larger we were, now we needed the smarts too, as you could be proud of. But the larger we were, the more powerful we could become. Linda, unsolicited now, unsolicited Linda told me this. I didn't ask her to tell me this story. But Linda told me that a couple of months ago, Andy had given up driving, and a couple of months ago, we had accountability session in a lotus. And she was driving Andy down to a lotus. And she said to him, Andy, what is Cubs doing in a lotus? He said back to her, you mean Cubs Metro? It was a pleasure for me to be with them, as it was for those of us who are there on this family. Everybody, it was a pleasure for me to be with him. And let me tell you, I learned more from Andy. I don't know if I should say that he was really a very good mentor. He was excellent. And when you were making a mistake, he would tell you. And I want to thank you, Andy. And may God bless you, and may your good works go with you. And we'll see you again. Well, what an evening. And it ain't over yet. Our next, actually our featured speaker, how could we call her a feature speaker after all these eloquent, compassionate words have been shared. I won't, I'll just say, I'll just say, let's give a warm welcome to Sister Christine Stevens. I'm featured after what we've heard. The fourth lead organizer with Cops. We numbered ourselves the way the Cops presidents numbered themselves. Andy was the first president of Beatrice Gallego, who I know is here. Where is Beatrice? Beatrice, the second vice president, Carmen Badeo. I'm sorry, second, excuse me, second president, Carmen Badeo, who's rejoicing with Andy now. It was the third, and Beatrice Cortes was the fourth. And quite honestly, after that, I just kind of lost count. Well, I was the fourth. And we numbered up the organizers that way, too. Ernie Cortes, who's here with his wife, Aralea, was number one, and Arnie Raff was also here, from Baltimore was second, and then Robert Rivera was third, and I was the fourth. I want to thank the family on behalf of Cops Metro and really all of San Antonio for sharing Andy with us. He was very respectful of the chain of committees, so if Beatrice was the president, Andy didn't speak for the organization, he let Beatrice speak for the organization, but he was there, who's always there, and he was a volunteer organizer with me when I first came. But as we got over, my relationship with Andy was usually on the telephone, and he would call me and let me know when someone had died. And he kept me abreast, and I then would tell other organizers who had worked with Cops Metro. Part of that, Andy had such love and respect for the leaders that worked with him and who gave so much, and he honored them. And I know that he'd go to the funerals and he would make sure they had a call at the button. I often wonder how many Cops Buttons are buried in San Fernando, and if they're ever dug up, what people are going to think. Most of you here, I see, you all put your Cops Buttons on, so I can't say, I see David Garcia, I can't say everyone here is Cops Metro. We do have a leader from El Paso, Alicia Franco who's here, there'll be other leaders from the network tomorrow, from the IF Network, and Mike's going to introduce the organizers that are here. So we're here to say goodbye, but to also honor someone who really set the pace and the tone, Walker Moore, who's the current lead organizer, told me that one of our leaders in Dallas, Gerald Britt, and I hope you got his letter, wrote and said, my, when I was a leader in Dallas, what I hoped to do was to be a leader like Andy Cortez. Sorry. I hope to be a slip because Andy Cortez was also one of all of you. I'm looking right at me after Andy Saravia. He was really the model for our leaders. I want to end with a scripture passage, but as I was running, I've had this book, this is my book, my Bible that I've had for a very long time, and from time to time I just slipped things in here, and I happened to come across this, and it says, I don't know how long ago. Christine, messages from your office. Father Benavides needs a ride to go to Dilly. Father Benavides is with us still. This is the reading from Daniel. At that time, there shall arise Michael. I could say Andy, but I'll say Michael. The great prince, guardian of your people. It shall be a time unsurpassed and distressed since nations began until that time. At that time, your people shall escape. Everyone who is found written in the book. Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake. Some shall live forever, but the wise shall shine brightly like the splendor of the firmament. And those who lead the many to justice shall be like the stars forever. We would like to recognize the many organizers of COPS Metro, COPS and Metro Alliance, COPS Metro now, who are here present. I think that speaks volumes that folks are coming from all over the country who have organized here in San Antonio. They know that Andy Saravia made a major, major impact on their lives as the leader of your go-to guy here in San Antonio with COPS Metro. So I would like to call the names and ask you to please stand and we can give a round of applause when we finish. Ernie Cortez and his wife Aralia will go in the order of when they came here. Arnie Graf, Christine Stevens, Carl Caesar. It was a word for testimony. Group thinks about how long we should allow a person to speak. We were told three minutes. Two minutes is the will, I tell you what. When you hit two minutes, you will feel someone tugging at your coat. It will be Andy in my person reminding you to wrap it up in one minute. So we will now welcome any other reflections. Good evening. My name is Raul Saravia. I'm the only brother left. There were three of us, me and Andy and Arnie. He passed some years ago. And surprisingly he was also a very, very helpful type person. And I said this when he passed that he helped a lot of people also during his lifetime. And almost everybody in the audience knew him at some point because he did that. And he did it just out of this way he was. And Andy's kind of the same way. What is surprising to me is that when we were growing up, he's a, but he would have younger than me, but he didn't show that what I've heard tonight. He was quiet. He was, we used to play around a lot. But since he was younger, the younger of the boys, he had a different set of friends and we were a little bit older. So we grew up together, but we didn't really associate together like little kids normally do, especially those of the same age. And we sit and mess around doing all the things the kids do. We went to the same high school. We were also in the ROTC. We were both in the drill team. We did all kinds of things in high school. There was a vocational school just like he had said, it's been mentioned. And so we really weren't trained to go to college as such. Even though there was college courses and some people did come. But we did mostly shop work. I started out on radio and then I became an engineering drafting. And I forget what he did. I don't know if he did radio or auto-mechanics or something like that. Who was it? Hold my minute. I forgot about that. Somebody give me their time. You were going to speak, right? I'll take your time. But all I'm saying, all I want to say is that we are so proud of Andy Andres, his two name. And we call him Chito when he was a little boy, which he didn't like. But he has had a full life and he has accomplished a lot. I'm speaking for the family. We couldn't be more proud of him. I only wish that I could be at least half where he is shown. And who knows when I die, who knows what they're going to say. I hope it's all good. But a teacher once told me one time that I had a lot of potential. And so are my two sons. I'm not going to say that. Here lies, he had a lot of potential. But potential was his middle name. And more than that, he changed that potential into actions. And that's what remains here in San Antonio. And I'm sure it will continue to remain. And I just want to thank you all for being his friend, for him being your friend, for him being my brother, brother to the family. And we will never, ever forget him. Of course. And we'll be praying for him always. As well as for you. Thank you. Okay, you know, my name is Piazza Sky. I was second now President of San Antonio Cops. We extend our sincere condolences to the family of Andres Saravia. Today we celebrate this holy rosary. For Andres Saravia, we acknowledge that he has been welcoming to the Kingdom of Heaven. And now he's living with Jesus Christ. And he had a big heart, which is now with his family. For Cops in Metro, he left us with beautiful and special memories. And his legacy will continue. I saw Andy for the first time at Kennedy High School. We were both in line to address the drainage of concerns. Andy was tense and angry. He was walking back and forth and was tired of witnessing Mayberry drainage being neglected. Andy witnessed the homes under water and families struggling for help. His heart carried that great burden. Since day one, Andy carried a small tablet and was always taking notes. He brought that tablet to the following action at City Hall and left with joy to know that Mayberry made it to his checklist. Mayberry was one of the 15 drainage projects that made it to the $47 million bond. It was a small bond, but it was a beginning of the bond. August of 1974, at Jefferson High School, Andres Saravia was elected the first president. He told the delegates we're a power organization. From this point on, we do our own fighting. From that day forward, he pushed hard to fulfill the needs of the people. As president, he took his role too hard. He led Cops with dignity, respect and power. Into capital improvements resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars in infrastructure. Storm drainage streets, parks, libraries, etc. made many hundreds of projects. In bonds, there were reprogrammed and put off over 30 years and Cops challenged him back into the communities. Amazing grace. Dinero bien gastado para el pueblo necesitado. Andy was so fervent about helping others boot on. He himself actually stayed behind to train and ensure others had that good so he could help them out. Andy was a man of principle and believed people of all walks should grow into their full potential. He was passionate about his community and eager to spread all his experience and knowledge to others with reverence and authority. Through this, others were able to move forward, thrive to their desire to change themselves in communities for the better and go forward spreading social justice. Andres Zavia voted before he left us in this earth. He left us with a reminder to always exercise their vote. Forty-five years Cops in Metro has proved that it has both getting abilities. In Andy's honor, always remembered to vote. Andres Saravi and Father Benavidez had major significance in changing streets and communities. Whenever Andres debates Andres Saravi, he was always inspired, dedicated and involved in the field of social justice. Andy will be joining our leaders that have gone before us. Between Mr. Saravi and Father Benavidez, the angels will have to vote who's going to lead the delicate congress meeting in heaven. I think God will be there with him. Andres Saravi era muy cooperativo para las obras del campo. Su fe en Dios y su credencia y su enseñanza para los valores del próximo. Como respeto y justicia. Esta es la mejor herencia que les dejó a sus ceros queridos. So Andres Saravi aquí está dando su despedida. So God bless you. Que Dios lo tenga sus santos descanso y descanse en paz. So God bless Cops in Metro. God bless all the leaders given power to Cops in Metro. God bless you and thank you. Good evening. My name is Pilar Sier Acobio. My parents were José and Dominga Sier. I am a product of Cops children when they were going to the meetings and I remember it very well. I am here as he was there at my father's funeral and at my mom's funeral and it was such an honor to have him because I always heard that name. Andy Saravia. That name meant for the kids. He was always fighting for the youth. So whenever he showed up I knew it was something good for the city of San Antonio. And along with the organizers I remember Mr. Graff. I remember Mr. Cortez coming over to our homes that I never understood. But now the city is in such a better place in our kids for their education that Andy Saravia had so much to do with it. My three sons have gone to four-year colleges one in Dartmouth and two at St. Mary's University. That was done to stand here in front of all of you and say job well done Ernie. I'm sorry Andy. Ernie too. And I really just want to thank the Cops community. I remember when I was getting married and there was a city hall right across the street where I was taking a picture and my mom was rushing back and forth because there was an action going at St. Hall and I was taking my picture so there we are. I said where's my mother at St. Hall? So Andy looked for your time. And this is my husband. My wife didn't want me to speak but I never listened to her anyway. I met Andy married into the family and he taught me two things. Get out and vote. So I wear my vote button. Now they have a future voter's button for all the kids. They give out the voting stations. So if you do anything, if you pass out any word to anybody in the city that you need an action on, it's vote. Get out the vote. The second thing he taught me was I was a young Stubbering, helping stuff like that. You go young man, come here. We need to set up chairs for a meeting. Like okay. He goes there's 100 people coming. I said okay how many seats do you want? He goes 50. I go what? 50. He goes yeah. Here's the rule. If there's 100 people coming, 50. There's 200 people? 100. There's 200? 100. I go what's that problem said? That way we have a standing audience. I go okay well the news media is here where you want them. I want them in the back. I said okay. So it was up to Andy right now. This would be blacked off. This would be blacked off. This would be blacked off. This would be blacked off. But we have a standing audience right here okay? So thank you very much. Thank you Andy for the news shift. Unfortunately, and I apologize, but I never had the opportunity to meet Mr. Soravia, however I'm a fairly new member to cops and from what I've heard and what I've known in the past of his work, I hope to use him as a moral model for myself to become active one more okay the religious sister said wrap it up so you get to be you get to be the last one come on sir this will be the last speaker because you have other opportunities to do sharing and I'll explain it in just a moment thank you thank you my name is Joe Solis that's S-O-L-I-Z not as an S when Juan Solis was a councilman first time I met him I said my name is Joe Solis with a Z and every time we met with him afterwards he says this is Mr. Solis with a Z anyway I learned quite a few things being part of cops organization and then also when it turned into cops mental which was hard for me to understand but anyway I learned that I had to speak if I wanted something done and I went to meetings well first of all organizer came to the house and he said who are you etc etc etc you know got to know each other and I started going to meetings and started going to CDBG meetings that brought my attention because I live on the south side and then so many people know the South Samora Street South Samora between 35 and 410 used to be like a roller coaster and they said well there's no money what you mean there's no money I come over here on the north side they're doing this they're doing that and I started listening and learning from these meetings and I started attending CDBG meetings at the time I was working with a civil engineer and at those meetings the city would say well we can't do this because the plans are already made I says bull you can write an addendum and correct what and add on what you didn't do and they said oh somebody knows something about engineering so from then on CDBG was my little pet because I knew what they were talking about and they knew what I was what they were talking about and what I was talking about so for 10 years took 10 years of meetings with city state to get funding for Samora it went from two lane street to five lanes now and that's the main drag to the Toyota plant and I'm sure glad that we had that that street fixed but again it was thanks to Andy that I had the privilege of meeting within several times you know here in the past and he always says don't give up don't give up and as we're getting along you know in our age I remember that I said don't give up so don't give up all right don't give up know if many of you realize that this is being recorded and also a handout was given to everyone as you came in that now cast Senate now cast SA will be doing further recording of anybody who wants to go and talk with them immediately after this they are set up across the way here in the church office in the conference room all you have to do is walk over there and some of you who may be introverted or may have felt like well I have too much to say and take too long or whatever you can go over there immediately after this and you can do an interview so please remember that and again this celebration of Andy's life is not over tomorrow at 11 a.m. we will offer holy mass for Andy's at Avya his body will be brought back here tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. so if you would like to come and pay respects once again before the mass starts tomorrow at 11 a.m. and then immediately after the mass tomorrow there will be a reception and we're going to have fun there too telling stories about Andy immediately after the mass tomorrow there will be a lunch and a reception in the parish hall we thank the parish of holy family for their great hospitality the father Pat leave father Pat was here earlier but again thanks to all of you for being here this was a wonderful wonderful sharing of a life of a very beloved person in our life Andy said Avya the first president of communities organized for public service and now for how many years has it been 45 years later cops Metro is still going strong but let's stay around and visit some more you can pay your respects to Andy to the family let's visit some more until we until we gather once again tomorrow at 11 a.m. for the funeral mass quick clarification without father Pat we can't get into the room across the way tonight so we will be around tomorrow and tomorrow after after lunch or during lunch and after lunch we'll be here for the recording I promise