April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
ALBANY DIOCESE
Growing options for Hispanic Catholics
Though he still finds his grasp of the language rudimentary, Father Carlino has also become better equipped to visit members of the Hispanic community in their homes or in the hospital, hear their confessions, baptize their children and simply converse with them.
"Even though these people understand English," Father Carlino told The Evangelist, "I know it means a lot to them for their pastor to speak their language."
It also eases some of the workload of Rev. Anastacio "Jun" Segura, a bilingual sacramental minister whose Spanish Mass assignments at the parish will drop from three times a month to two.
On the run
This will give Father Segura, a Filipino native, the chance to breathe in between his pastoral visits to parishioners at St. Anthony's, his new collaboration with a dozen Hispanic families at Sacred Heart parish in Margaretville, his associate pastor position at Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Schenectady and the Spanish Mass he celebrates monthly at St. Mary's in Crescent.
"Where there is need, I am there," the busy priest explained.
Nationwide, bilingual priests are in high demand. A recent national study by the U.S. bishops' Secretariat for Hispanic Affairs found that just 2,335 priests out of more than 13,000 respondents could minister to Hispanics.
More than 30 million Hispanic Catholics live in the U.S.; Hispanic youth are the Church's fastest-growing constituency. The Albany Diocese currently offers Spanish Masses at seven parishes.
Margaretville's monthly Mass ended last year. Since January, Father Segura has counseled the parish's Hispanic families in spiritual matters and helped them prepare for sacraments.
Some priests, like Rev. Joseph Falletta of St. Joseph's parish in Stuyvesant Falls, have ministered to Hispanic communities for years. Father Falletta's first Spanish Mass in 1994 drew only six congregants; it now draws up to 175.
Hudson's Catholic community, about 10 miles south of there, ended its Spanish Mass five years ago, making St. Joseph's the only offering in Columbia County.
Father Falletta does not know if Hispanic residents of areas south of Hudson travel to his parish.
But they do come from places like Hudson, Valatie and Kinderhook - and they bring their children.
"It's almost automatic that they come to church," Father Falletta said of Hispanic youth. "There's no real pulling of teeth to get them here. It's a real family thing."
The pastor aims to get all teens involved in parish life and integrate different cultures. He learned Spanish during a six-month course in Bolivia with a two-month refresher.
If that didn't make him confident about his proficiency with the language, his four-year stay in Chile in the early 1980s certainly did.
"I'm pretty good," he said.
Working on it
In Schenectady, Father Carlino is already thinking about when he can take more Spanish classes.
He said his strong knowledge of the Italian language and his age - nearly 59 - complicated the learning process. Still, he developed the skills to celebrate daily Mass in Spanish two or three times a week in Texas.
"What I'm hoping it will do is make me more sensitive to different cultures and religious traditions," Father Carlino explained.
Local clergy say the community appreciates this: "That's why our community in St. Anthony's is growing," Father Segura noted.
"I think we are happy there," agreed Deacon Ramon Tapia, a native of the Dominican Republic who has lived in the Schenectady area for 20 years. "The reception of the people and the pastor in the parish has been very positive."
Deacon Tapia recalled a time when Hispanics lived only in the Hamilton Hill area of Schenectady. Now, they're scattered among towns and villages like Scotia, Glenville and Niskayuna, as well.
St. Anthony's parish often welcomes parishioners who fell away from the Catholic faith because their nationality alienated them from communities, Deacon Tapia said.
His first two parishes, which offered only English Masses, were welcoming to him despite the language barrier, he noted.
The deacon coordinates a Spanish Bible study class, which draws almost 30 people four times a year, and a weekly prayer group.
Meanwhile, the Shrine Church of Our Lady of the Americas (formerly Holy Family parish) in Albany, now a ministry of Blessed Sacrament Church, continues the tradition of ministering to Hispanic families in that city.
Weekly Spanish Masses still draw between 100 and 150 people. A monthly bilingual healing Mass and a weekly prayer group are also offered, said Griselle Maldonado-Torres, pastoral associate.
Though the Hispanic community lost a parish hall when Holy Family parish became a shrine church last year, it has not hindered their activities. The bilingual youth ministry meets at Our Lady of the Americas; bilingual faith formation classes led by Apostolate catechists meet at Blessed Sacrament.
"I believe things still can be accomplished," Mrs. Maldonado-Torres said. "It's the faith of the people. It's not about the building or facility.
"For me, the most important thing is [that] our church is open," she continued. "Are we facing all these challenges? Yes. But faith is what's keeping us here."
The Albany Diocese's Hispanic Apostolate is sponsoring a workshop on evangelization as part of the "Called to be Church" pastoral planning process. It will be held April 16, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., at a location to be determined. Call Deacon Ramon Tapia, 399-5028. [[In-content Ad]]
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