Deacon and priest seek to enlarge Hispanic ministry

For Deacon Angel Garcia, nothing highlights the need for an expanded ministry to Hispanic Catholics in the Albany Diocese more than an recent experience he had at a Hispanic grocery store.

Waiting in line, he found himself answering the questions of some local women: There's a Spanish Mass? Where? When?

"A lot of people don't even know we have a Spanish Mass at St. Patrick's" in Albany, said Rev. Joseph Angelini, OFM, Conv., the Diocese's new director of Hispanic ministries.

"We need to be aware of their needs," added Deacon Garcia, who serves at the parish.

Getting word out

Awareness is the key factor in an ambitious plan the two men have for a vibrant, involved Hispanic apostolate to meet the growing needs of Hispanic Catholics in the Diocese, said Father Angelini.

Before his long-term plans for additional worship sites, youth involvement and a drop-in center can come to fruition, he said, all Catholics in the Albany Diocese need to cultivate a greater awareness of the needs of their Spanish-speaking brothers and sisters.

"All the numbers say that, in the future, [those numbers are] going to grow," he noted. "And the future -- that's what we're investing in."

Services available

At St. Patrick's, Hispanics attend a weekly Spanish Mass and play host to traditional Spanish celebrations, such as Las Posadas, a dramatization of the journey of the Holy Family from Nazareth to Bethlehem, and the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Dec. 12.

Spanish Masses are also celebrated at parishes in Schenectady, Troy and Stuyvesant Falls. But the quickly growing population needs even "more options," said Father Angelini.

Among his plans are the development of additional worship sites that may include daily Mass in Spanish. In addition, the apostolate plans to create a lay leadership team to provide home visitations, religious education, Bible study classes, RCIA programs and adult faith formation for Spanish-speaking Catholics.

Father Angelini also hopes to foster the development of a energetic youth ministry program, which will include peer-led Cursillo retreats, youth group meetings and inter-diocesan programs with already-established Hispanic programs in New York City. Finally, he aims to provide a drop-in center and resource library where Hispanic Catholics can go to find community, dialogue and faith-sharing.

Barriers

Many of those goals are five or more years off, Father Angelini acknowledges. Even though he and Deacon Garcia have already begun to "place building blocks" towards realizing their dreams, the most immediate step is increasing awareness and exciting a greater involvement in the ministry by Catholics.

One barrier to involvement by Hispanics in the Church in language. "We need to develop something in Spanish for them," said Deacon Garcia. "They want to give their talent and time, but they need the 'how.'"

Another obstruction, Father Angelini said, is that there's no concentration of Hispanic culture in one area of the 14-county Diocese; as a result, it's a more difficult to identify families and pass on information.

Finding Hispanics

On Jan. 22, the Hispanic ministry will host a workshop aimed at helping parishioners reach Hispanics. Trained lay ministers will conduct home visits to Hispanic families, offering friendship, and connecting families to ministries, Masses, fellowship and stewardship opportunities.

This will, the two men hope, help to draw people and families new to the community into parish life, as well as help the ministry to discover the many gifts among the community that will assist in building a colorful Hispanic ministry.

Those gifts, believes Father Angelini, can also be found in young people. "We would like to give [the young people] a positive experience of Church," said Father Angelini. "They are our future."

(For more information on Hispanic ministry, call 458-8801.)

(11/18/04)