MADISON Long before starting her new position as coordinator of faith and leadership formation for the diocesan Office of Hispanic Ministry here, Maria Moncaleano of St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Passaic had been serving as a “missionary disciple” of Christ through a series professional and volunteer leadership experiences in her home parish, in the Diocese and beyond. Over the past two years, she has been instrumental in helping to guide the Diocese through V Encuentro — part of a four-year process to revitalize Hispanic Ministry in the U.S.
In her new position, Moncaleano, who arrived in the U.S. from her native Colombia in 1986, coordinates existing formation programs and will help to expand those offerings. Also, she will help brainstorm ideas in formulating the Diocese’s long-term action plan for the Diocese to address the pastoral priorities in Hispanic Ministry in the Church of Paterson, the region and U.S.
“We Hispanics live for Jesus and Mary, bond over food and music and other parts of our various cultures and want to share the richness of those cultures,” said Moncaleano of Clifton; she is mother of two and grandmother of three. “Being an immigrant is not easy. In the United States, you are starting from scratch. But the key is to have faith and be with the right community — a welcoming parish. Hispanic ministry wants to help these Spanish speakers integrate into American society, not assimilate,” she said.
For V Encuentro — a process that seeks to form “missionary disciples,” Moncaleano has served as coordinator for St. Anthony’s, as a diocesan committee member and as a trainer on the parish and diocesan levels. She also was master of ceremonies for the historic diocesan V Encuentro gathering of 400 delegates last April at the cathedral in Paterson.
Moncaleano also has volunteered at the Diocese as an instructor for the Catechists Formation Program with the Office of Catechesis and as a speaker and workshop presenter in pastoral ministry for Spanish-speaking leaders in the Ministerial Development Program. She also has participated with the Evangelization Task Force for Spanish-speaking ministers for the Evangelization Program and as a certified instruction for the Protecting God’s Children Program, according to her resume.
Shortly after arriving in the U.S., Moncaleano quickly found a spiritual home at St. Anthony’s, where she has served on its Evangelization Task Force since 2000 and served as parish council president (2007-10). From 2013 until starting her job with Hispanic Ministry, she served as director of religious education for an inter-parish program for three Passaic faith communities: St. Nicholas, St. Mary the Assumption and Our Lady of Mount Carmel, according to her resume.
From 2013 until coming to work at Hispanic Ministry, Moncaleano worked as administrator/director of St. Nicholas Cemetery in Lodi and St. Mary Cemetery in Saddle Brook. In 2014, she also established with two friends Theology on Wheels, a freelance catechetical ministry that offers religious education in the area when needed — from retreats and workshops to Confirmation and marriage preparation. Moncaleano also has served as speaker and worship presenter for the Catechesis Formation Program of the Catechetical Department of the Newark Archdiocese.
In the U.S., Moncaleano also worked as a paralegal for 10 years and opened a business that handled mortgages and title insurance. In Colombia, she practiced law, having earned a law degree there from the Universidad Libre in Bogota in 1983. She also earned a certificate in pastoral ministry from the College of St. Elizabeth (CSE), Convent Station, in 2008, funded by a diocesan Lay Ministry Grant, and a master’s degree in theology in 2014 from CSE.