April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
HABLA ESPANOL?
Sister, senior learn Spanish together
Ms. Marks is taking Spanish lessons from fellow parishioner Miriam Ruemmele, who is a native of Puerto Rico.
"I give homework, yes," said Ms. Ruemmele.
"And sometimes it's quite difficult," Ms. Marks added.
Last summer, Ms. Ruemmele offered to teach Spanish to anyone at OLA who might be interested, primarily the English-speaking parishioners. Since the mission church is primarily a Hispanic community, she thought it would allow the Spanish and English communities to connect further.
Ms. Ruemmele was also hoping that people working for Immigration Services might take up her offer. "They need to be more familiar with the Spanish people," she told The Evangelist.
Class of two
The only people who took the opportunity to learn a new language were Sister Peg Keddell, CSJ, and Ms. Marks. Both are very involved in the parish: Ms. Marks is a eucharistic minister, a lector and a volunteer at the food pantry; Ms. Ruemmele assists Sister Peg with creating the weekly bulletin for Mass, and the two clean the church's linens together.
For the new Spanish students, "it's enjoyable. We're really glad we're there," Sister Peg told The Evangelist.
The class is taught in the back room of the church on Monday and Thursday afternoons. Ms. Ruemmele, a graduate of The City College of New York, teaches her students with a workbook, an accompanying CD and the church's missalette. The women will use the missalette to pick out words and parts of speech that they have gone over in class. "We're just finishing pronouns; next is verbs," said Ms. Marks.
When Ms. Marks first began taking lessons in Spanish, she said a lot of people didn't understand why or even how a woman of her age could pick up something so unfamiliar.
Helping each other
"I want to be able to react with my friends" when something is said in Spanish, she explained.
"She is very good for her age," said Ms. Ruemmele. "Not many people [would try to learn] at 84."
Ms. Marks is picking up the reading, but claims to have a problem with the translating end of learning the language. Her teacher said she has the same problem with English, which is her second language: "I can read, but I can't speak everything that I see."
The lessons aren't just benefitting Ms. Marks and Sister Peg. Ms. Ruemmele often asks her students to help her with English pronunciations and words.
"We work well together," Ms. Marks told The Evangelist.
"Yo trato hablar español," said Sister Peg, meaning, "I try to speak Spanish." (She's working her way up to a fluid, "Yo trato de hablar en español.")
Sister Peg believes that her Spanish lessons have helped her connect with the parishioners. "They appreciate the fact that I am able to speak a little bit. They know I'm working on it."
"I think [the lessons] brought us closer together. When we're doing our bilingual [Masses], I follow along with the Gospel and so forth," said Ms. Marks. Together, the women have learned the Our Father, the Rosary, the Hail Mary and the sign of the cross in Spanish.
Poco a poco
"It's coming mas y mas, poco a poco," said Sister Peg, telling The Evangelist that her Spanish fluency is coming more and more, little by little.
Learning the language has helped Ms. Marks connect with the Spanish community at Our Lady of the Americas. She participates in many of the cultural celebrations and ceremonies, including Las Posadas, a Mexican Christmas tradition. The celebration, which lasts nine days, welcomes friends into homes of community members for a prayer service and refreshments.
"Each night is a different house," Ms. Marks said.
The church also offers Stations of the Cross in Spanish during Lent.
Through these cultural experiences, Ms. Marks has gotten to know many members of the Hispanic community. "I've made many friends," she said. "They are a very warm, welcoming and loving people."
Sister Peg wishes to be able to communicate better with the elderly people of the parish, or "los ancianos."
This past winter caused a few lessons to be cancelled, but the "class" is determined to continue their progress toward Spanish fluency. Ms. Marks says they won't stop until her teacher says, "Enough!" In Spanish, that would be, "Es suficiente!"[[In-content Ad]]
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