Native of Mexico wants to build bridges in Diocese

As the new part-time coordinator of Hispanic pastoral services for the diocesan Family Life Office, Martha Arenas-Fenn hopes to build a bridge between the Catholic Latino population in the Albany Diocese and the local Church.

A native of Mexico City, she wants to help Latinos develop a relationship with God like the one she has.

"I feel God inside," she said. "It is peaceful; I am overjoyed. I feel secure and don't feel afraid. I want Latinos to find this."

Latino connection

Mrs. Arenas-Fenn will work with the five parishes in the Diocese that currently serve the Latino population. "They have Spanish services," she explained. "They requested someone to help coordinate sacramental preparation."

Although she just started in her position, she has already traveled to the five parishes -- St. Patrick's in Albany, Sacred Heart/St. Columba's in Schenectady, St.Joseph's/St. Michael's/Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in Amsterdam, St. Anthony of Padua in Troy, and Nativity/ St. Mary's in Stuyvesant -- to assess their needs.

"Each parish has different needs," she said. "In Albany and Schenectady, it is catechesis and youth ministry. In Stuyvesant, it is migrant workers."

Fears

One problem she will face is that many Latinos are afraid to go to church because they fear Immigration and Naturalization Services will find them there.

"There are a lot of very sad problems," she said. "They face prejudice, unemployment. They don't have the [good] fortune that I have. I was blessed from the beginning."

Her goals are to work with other diocesan offices in order to provide services to the Spanish-speaking population. For example, she will work with the Office of Religious Education to translate catechetical resources, and with Hispanic Outreach Services and other Catholic Charities agencies in meeting human service needs.

"The challenge is where to start," she said. "There are tons of Hispanics out there."

Differences

Mrs. Arenas-Fenn previously worked for Family Rosary Inc. in Albany as a translator. That experience will come in handy, but she explained that the difference between English-speaking Catholics and Spanish-speaking Catholics involves more than language. There are also cultural differences. For example, the idea of registering at a parish was foreign to her.

"When I grew up, you didn't belong to a parish or get envelopes," she said. "People don't move that often and everybody knows you."

There are also differences regarding sacraments. "There are tiny bits of difference," she said. "Godparents are the biggest difference. Godparents play an important role in Spanish culture."

Godparents

While it is common in American culture to chose one godparent from each side of the family, that is typically not done in Hispanic cultures. Instead, a couple is chosen that has a role-model marriage. Godparents take on a life-long responsibility.

"We respect the link between godparents and family. They are your compadres; you always listen to compadres," she said.

Once a couple is asked to be a child's godparents, they are responsible for getting the christening gown, making arrangements at the church, buying flowers for the church, giving a donation, and hosting the christening party. Godparents also give the child a chain with a medal of Our Lady of Guadelupe or of Jesus.

"They are making the promise that if anything happens [to the parents], they will become parents to the child," Mrs. Arenas-Fenn said.

Weddings

There are also differences in the Latino marriage ceremony. For example, during the ceremony, there is the "lazo," where the couple is "tied forever before God and the community," she said.

The husband also presents the bride with 12 coins -- symbolizing the Apostles -- in front of the whole community. Each coin represents a specific aspect of the groom's life, such as his work and his desire to provide for a family.

"There are rituals that aren't in the English-speaking culture," she said.

Sweet 15

One of Mrs. Arenas-Fenn's most cherished memories are of her "Sweet 15," another custom that is not part of the English-speaking Church. On a girl's 15th birthday, she goes to Mass wearing "a long, beautiful dress."

"Your godparents and parents bring you to the altar to be presented to the community," she said. "Your father and godfather speak in front of everyone and talk about what you mean [to them.] They ask the entire community to guide and help you."

Following Mass, there is a big party where the girl dances her first waltz. Mrs. Arenas-Fenn said guests stand at the perimeter of the room while the girl dances first with her father, then her brother, then godfather, and then her uncles.

Challenges

Besides cultural differences, there are also different beliefs among Latinos, she said. While the laity are being called to minister in the Church, for example, Hispanics still support the idea that priests and women religious are on a higher level than laity. Laypeople are involved in parish life as a member of the choir, but their participation in other aspects of parish life may be limited.

Mrs. Arenas-Fenn and her husband Keith have decided that they will attend the five parishes serving the Hispanic community. That will allow her to be in regular contact with the people of the parishes and seen as approachable by them. It will also help them raise their three-month-old daughter, Mara Aisha, with their culture.

Mrs. Arenas-Fenn has lived in the United States for six years; her husband is an American of Peruvian descent. That helps her to understand both the English-speaking and Spanish-speaking cultures she is working with.

"I understand both cultures," she said. "I don't want a barrier between Americans and Latinos. We are one Church."

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