'The Life and Legacy of Patrick Flores,' various dates, PBS

NEW YORK (CNS) -- In 1956, Patrick Flores, a former migrant worker and nightclub entertainer, was ordained a priest for the then-Diocese of Galveston, Texas, which is now the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston.

Fourteen years later, he became the first Mexican-American bishop in U.S. history when he was named an auxiliary bishop of San Antonio.

"A Migrant's Masterpiece: The Life and Legacy of Patrick Flores" -- a warmly appreciative biography of the man who went on to serve as archbishop of San Antonio from 1979 until his retirement in 2004 -- premieres on PBS stations throughout the spring (check local listings).

Director Hector Galan's inspiring hourlong documentary, filmed in the months before Archbishop Flores' retirement, features sometimes emotional interviews with co-workers, siblings and local journalists as well as with the archbishop himself. It also includes archival photographs and footage of farm laborers, civil rights and union protesters, and pilgrims to the shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, to whom the archbishop's mother had a special devotion.

A victim of discrimination both inside and outside the church -- Texas' Jim Crow laws also segregated Latinos -- young Flores was told by many that he would never become a priest. As a dropout, he had to finish high school before he could enter the seminary.

Once ordained, Father Flores, whose love of Mexican music gained him the nickname "The Mariachi Priest," did his best to strengthen the bonds between the church and the Hispanic community, especially by promoting the Cursillo movement, a "little course" in Christianity that educates and inspires Catholics about their faith.

The priest's groundbreaking 1970 appointment as an auxiliary bishop coincided with a tumultuous era that saw the rise of the National Council of La Raza and other organizations promoting Latino civil rights and the United Farm Workers of America's expansion into Texas, despite sometimes violent opposition.

Then-Bishop Flores, a close friend of its founder, Cesar Chavez, consistently supported the UFW, whose goals in those years included a $1.25-an-hour minimum wage.

During the early 1970s, Bishop Flores was instrumental in the establishment of San Antonio's Mexican American Cultural Center and in the organization of the nationwide Hispanic Scholarship Fund. In 1978 he was named bishop of El Paso, Texas, and in 1979 he was appointed archbishop of San Antonio.

Among the highlights of his tenure as archbishop were a 1985 trip to Cuba, during which he urged Fidel Castro to allow greater religious freedom on the island, and Pope John Paul II's September 1987 visit to San Antonio. In 2000, Archbishop Flores and his secretary were taken hostage by a mentally deranged immigrant. The standoff at the diocesan chancery, which drew large crowds of concerned San Antonians, lasted more than nine hours before the man surrendered.

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Archbishop Flores speaks eloquently of the enduring value of priestly ministry. His long years of work on behalf of the poor and disenfranchised, together with the affection in which he is held, vividly reinforce this message.

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Copyright (c) 2007 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops