Parish using inter-Mass time to improve communications

Beginning last Sunday, June 1, and continuing for two more weeks, parishioners of St. Patrick's Church in Albany are taking language lessons between Sunday Masses.

They are learning basic Spanish phrases and simple Mass responses by participating in a project called "Hands Across the Aisles." At St. Patrick's, the 10 a.m. Sunday Mass is celebrated in English; the noon Mass is in Spanish.

"This is an effort that we hope will help everyone," said Sister Margaret Walker, DC, parish life director for the pastoral team of the inner-city cluster, which includes St. Patrick's, St. Casimir's and Our Lady of Angels. "We hope that our parishioners will come to learn a little bit about the language of others, basically Spanish for English-speakers and English for those who speak Spanish."

Cross-cultural

Sister Margaret called the project a concerted effort to increase understanding of the different cultures that make up the cluster, which includes Spanish-, Polish- and English-speaking parishioners.

Rev. Joseph Angelini, OFM, Conv., who is also on the pastoral team, got the idea for the program from a parish in Winston-Salem, N.C.

"Basically, it is an attempt to increase understanding of other languages through a dialogue of Spanish-English phrases," he said.

Learning together

Martha Arenas-Fenn, a parishioner of St. Patrick's who is an associate director of the Albany diocesan Family Life Office, said that the plan pairs one English-speaker with one Spanish-speaker. They are handed pieces of paper with simple phrases or sentences in the two languages.

"Each person takes his or her turn speaking the sentence or phrase in their own language. That person asks the other person to repeat it," she noted. Then the process repeats in the other language.

Father Angelini added that partners must work on the phrases during the week because learning any new language "is difficult," and lessons can easily be forgotten.

Basics

Last Sunday, participants worked on "Good Morning" and "How are you?" This Sunday, they will learn basic responses to the Mass.

"Our goal is to build a stronger sense of community among our people by offering a better understanding of each other's language," Mrs. Arenas-Fenn said.

"We have a wonderful community now, but language is a barrier, and we are hoping that these sessions will help to break that down," Father Angelini added.

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