April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
MUSIC, POR FAVOR
American with French roots plays and prays with Hispanics
Mr. LaPointe has played guitar for the Hispanic Catholic community in Schenectady for 14 years. A native of that city who grew up speaking English and sometimes French with his Montreal-born parents, he tries to learn Spanish during Mass through osmosis.
"I keep waiting for somebody to develop something that you can put on your ear and translate for you, because I'm lazy," he joked.
Members of the Hispanic community say Mr. LaPointe is a boon to the music group. The guitarist counters that they have enhanced his own faith.
They "always made it like I was God's gift to the Hispanic community, but I looked at it as, 'No, you guys are my gift from God,'" Mr. LaPointe told The Evangelist. "Doing this Mass is so rewarding to me. To just see how much their faith is like mine is unbelievable. It doesn't matter if you understand the language or not."
De servicio
Mr. LaPointe, 55, grew up in Sacred Heart/St. Columba parish in Schenectady when the community there was predominantly French. As his parents learned English, he lost his French skills. On the other hand, he started playing the guitar around age 10.
As an adult, Mr. LaPointe served in the U.S. Navy and spent his career as a systems engineer for Albany International Airport. Now retired, he sells security systems part-time.
When the Spanish-speaking guitarist at Sacred Heart/St. Columba left after an immigration scuffle, the community turned to Mr. LaPointe.
At first, the guitarist was embarrassed by his lack of Spanish abilities. Music director Norma Cortes tutored him weekly for a year.
"I said, 'You don't have to do anything; just listen,'" Mrs. Cortes told The Evangelist. "He's the best. Without him, I can't do anything in my music."
Trabajan en harmonia
Mr. LaPointe stuck with the group when Sacred Heart/St. Columba closed in 2008 and the Spanish Mass moved to St. Anthony's. So it was only natural, said Mrs. Cortes, for the group to stick with Mr. LaPointe when his wife, Kim, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer last year.
"He's part of us and at the same time his family is part of us, too," Mrs. Cortes said. "He's like us. He's like Spanish."
But the group's support of the LaPointes - rallying Hispanics in Albany and Amsterdam to visit the couple at the hospital and at home and forming groups to pray just for her - was exceptional, Mr. LaPointe said.
"I'll never forget that," he declared, adding that his wife appears to be on the road to remission.
Tanta generosidad
The guitarist noted that Mrs. LaPointe is Methodist - and that members of the Hispanic community have their own health problems to deal with, as well as poverty, immigration issues and educational barriers.
"How can I not play guitar for Mass?" he concluded. "These people are doing far more than what I'm doing. I show up with a piece of wood with strings on it; these people show up with holy water, rosaries, pictures of Mary."
Mr. LaPointe participates in the group's weekly prayer services and Spanish language retreats, socializes with parishioners and even plays Spanish music at about seven prisons.
He practices reading and speaking Spanish, but he's fine with still being a novice.
"Not knowing the language was an advantage because I got to see more," the guitarist noted. "The Catholic religion is for everybody."[[In-content Ad]]
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