MADISON — The Diocese of Madison hosted its first ever Hispanic Ministry Fair at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Madison on November 12.
“It was the first of its kind,” said Lorianne Aubut, the diocesan coordinator of the Office of Hispanic Ministry. “It was an exclusive event for priests who [serve the] Hispanic community in our diocese. They were invited to attend this fair with five of their leaders.”
She said the turnout was great.
“We were expecting close to 90 people total with presenters, and having closer to 125 was very good,” she said.
Events of the day
The day began with Mass celebrated by Bishop Donald J. Hying of Madison.
“The Mass was in Spanish and the liturgical music was done by the St. Thomas Aquinas choir,” said Aubut. “It was very beautiful [and had a] very Hispanic flavor.”
The bishop’s homily focused on the importance of being a missionary disciple.
“He spoke about the talents and the call that each of us have to serve the Church,” said Aubut. “To be missionary disciples and [to] bring more people back.”
He also expressed his gratitude for the work those leading Hispanic ministry in the diocese were doing and offered encouragement for the future.
After Mass, attendees moved into one of the social halls of the parish to listen to presentations from six different Hispanic ministry organizations.
The idea was for the leaders of the Hispanic community to come together and see the resources that are available to them, “so all the parishes can know them and [can] invite them to come to their parishes,” said Fr. Osvaldo Briones who serves in Hispanic ministry for the Sauk Vicariate.
The organizations represented were Camino Neo Catechumenal, Evangelical Catholic, Talleres de Oración y Vida, Emaús, Encuentro Matrimonial Mundial, and Movimiento Familiar Cristiano. They offer resources ranging from evangelization to marriage and family support.
Most of the lunch was provided by Los Caballeros de Colon, the Hispanic Knights of Columbus Council. Attendees then moved into the second social hall where tables had been set up by each organization.
“Leaders could go there and talk to the actual presenters and collect material to bring back to their parishes,” said Aubut. “The goal with this is that they take all of these resources back to their parishes and discern together what ministries they should be starting at their parishes.”
The Catholic Multicultural Center, The Society of St. Vincent de Paul, the Knights of Columbus, and the Diocesan Office of Hispanic Ministry were also represented.
The excitement
Aubut commented on “how excited and energized I was with being with all the people that were there. [They] understood that this was a pivotal moment. So the excitement and enthusiasm the leaders had was outstanding.”
Juan Del Camino, a lay Hispanic leader at St. Patrick Parish in Janesville stressed how important he felt the Hispanic Ministry Fair was to him.
“Some of the communities don’t have anything,” he said. “This is really important that we can share [these] programs with different parishes. [People in the Hispanic community] are losing their faith. [Their religion] is not important to them. It is [viewed as] just a tradition, [but] it is actually not a tradition. It is something we need to do for our salvation.”
Del Camino expressed how grateful he is for his own pastor, Fr. Drew Olson.
“He is responsible for integrating [the] Hispanic community with the Anglo community really well,” he said. “They are working together, and that is possible.”
He said that because of the example his pastor has set, the English-speaking community has started to really care about the Hispanic members of their community.
“It wasn’t like that before,” he said. “We didn’t feel [like] a part of the parish. [Father Olson] said you have to work together as a community. You are not Hispanic. You are not Anglo. We are a community. We are human beings. We are a part of God’s community.”
He said beyond providing programs available in Spanish, parishioners need to work to help make those in the Hispanic community feel welcomed. It can be as simple as introducing yourself with a smile and striving to remember people’s names.