Hispanic ministry vital to the Church of Paterson

CLIFTON  Since its inception in the diocesan structure, the Office for Hispanic Ministry has enthusiastically renewed its commitment to the great number of Hispanics that make up a large portion of the Diocese of Paterson.

When Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney established the office last year, he granted the Spanish-speaking population of our diocese a place at the table, thus recognizing the great contribution on the part of all Hispanics to the experience of our Catholic faith in the counties of Passaic, Morris, and Sussex.

Through various initiatives and an arduous effort to carry out a true «pastoral de conjunto» (a collaborative pastoral front), today, the Office for Hispanic Ministry plays an indispensable role in the mission of evangelization to which we are all called by virtue of our prophetic, priestly, and royal identity.

With the support of Bishop Sweeney and under the leadership of Maria Moncaleano, director, and Fr. Yohan Serrano, chaplain, the Office for Hispanic Ministry finds itself amongst the vital organs of the pastoral activity that is carried out within this local Church. That is why this month, in which we celebrate Hispanic Heritage in the United States, we also call to mind the contributions that have been made thus far in the field of Hispanic pastoral work in our very own diocese.

Every initiative carried out by the Office for Hispanic Ministry has, at its end, to highlight the different expressions — proper to each culture — which enrich our Christian identity and strengthen the fabric of a genuine catholicity within our diocese.

Undoubtedly, the focus of the office has been the formation of the lay faithful and, in particular, of the different leaders whose talents are exercised for the benefit of their respective parish communities.

Programs that help to equip lay leaders, such as the Certificate Program in Leadership with a focus on Evangelization (fruit of a partnership between our Center for Evangelization, St. Paul Inside the Walls, and St. Eliza­beth University), highlight the urgency of forming true missionary disciples which can be of great support in pastoral ministry.

Moreover, the different workshops that take place throughout the year and which vary in topics and themes, from catechesis to canonical affairs, provide the faithful with ample opportunities to deepen their knowledge of the faith and the different fields in which it takes on flesh and is lived out.

This great endeavor is complemented by the efforts on behalf of the Diocesan Office for Catechesis, now under the leadership of Fr. Yojaneider Garcia, the pastoral team at our Diocesan Center for Evangelization, St. Paul Inside the Walls, under the leadership of the vicar for Evangelization, Fr. Paul Manning, and the Diocesan Advisory Council for Hispanic Pastoral Ministry, a consultative organ that supports the Office of Hispanic Ministry in the development of pastoral initiatives and whose members are Fr. Brando Ibarra, pastor of Mary Help of Christians, Fr. Yojaneider Garcia, director of Catechesis, Fr. Duberney Villamizar, pastor of St. Margaret of Scotland, Fr. Cesar Jaramillo, parochial vicar of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, and Fr. Yohan Serrano, chaplain. Each of them, within their competencies, carries out an essential role in the collaborative effort to lead everyone to a personal encounter with Jesus Christ.

The fruit of this arduous labor was palpable in many of the events that took place throughout this past year, such as the Synod on Synodality, the Pentecost Project, and the Eucharistic Congress. All of these events took place in the mother church of our diocese — thus underscoring the important role that the Cathedral occupies in the pastoral and sacramental life of a diocese — and which were channels of an authentic «pastoral de conjunto» as it managed to unite clergy and faithful from all over the diocese to enjoy an opportunity for intellectual stimulus and spiritual nourishment.

We would be remiss if we did not acknowledge the pastoral work being done by the Office for Hispanic Ministry through its chaplain in favor of the community of rural migrant workers who are present, in great numbers, in Sussex County.

Thanks to the pastoral commitment of Bishop Sweeney to each of these communities, this initiative crystallized this past July, with the presence of Fr. Thomas Florek, J.C., delegate of the USCCB and director of the Catholic Network of Migrant Fieldworkers, to unite pastoral efforts and give a “voice to the voiceless.” The visit ended with the first Mass ever in Spanish at the Parish of the Good Shepherd in Andover.

The retreats, events, workshops, and seminars are complemented by the different expressions of popular religious piety that accentuate the cultural pluralism that enriches our diocese, all of which act as catalysts that bring down walls of indifference and prejudice and facilitate dialogue and authentic Christian fraternity.

The Office of Hispanic Ministry will continue its efforts to integrate the different communities, movements, and ecclesial communities that are present in the diocese and which are seen as effective models of evangelization. The office will also continue promoting the formation of the faithful and implementing norms that help the bishop in his duty to protect the integrity and unity of the faith.

With this in mind, we make recourse — with renewed filial devotion — to our Blessed Mother, Our Lady of Guada­lupe, Star of the New Evangelization, so that she may continue to intercede for the success of the Office for Hispanic Ministry and that of all the diocesan organs that contribute to the upbuilding of God’s Kingdom here, in our local Church of Paterson.