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The archdiocesan Office of Hispanic Ministry is on the move.
Since the beginning of the year, a newly formed Archdiocesan Pastoral Advisory Council for Hispanic Ministry, consisting of 18 priests, including the vicar general, the chancellor and the rector of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, along with priests serving in parishes across the archdiocese and in specialized ministries, has been meeting to chart a new course for Hispanic ministry.
Also serving the council are staff members of the aforementioned Office of Hispanic Ministry, including its director, Wanda Vasquez, who was officially appointed to the post last September. The office’s name, some readers may know, was changed from the former Office of Hispanic Affairs, to more accurately reflect the Church’s mission to the burgeoning Hispanic Catholic community.
The Advisory Council will serve as a “governing board” of the Hispanic Ministry Office in determining how best to serve “ministries or missions” on behalf of Hispanic Catholics in the archdiocese, Ms. Vasquez said. The group met several times in the first half of the year at the New York Catholic Center in Manhattan.
The idea for the council came straight from Cardinal Dolan, who also selected the initial members. Most are Hispanic pastors and parish priests, along with others who head ministries that interact closely with the Hispanic community, such as Father Brian McWeeney, director of the ethnic apostolate, and Father Joseph Espaillat, director of youth ministry. A number of other priests who are not Hispanic, such as Father Daniel Kearney, pastor of Ascension parish in Manhattan, have a long history of service in Hispanic parishes.
Along with working with the staff of the Office of Hispanic Ministry to develop “a more effective and efficient vision” to support the archdiocese’s efforts with the Hispanic Catholic community, the Advisory Council will seek to “elevate outreach to our pastors and the community, especially in the upper counties of the archdiocese,” where the Hispanic Catholic population is growing.
Another goal is to create a new archdiocesan pastoral plan for Hispanic ministry, using major documents of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops as a framework, and to establish a plan to address the shortage of priests and religious in the archdiocese. The proposal for the pastoral plan for Hispanic ministry is especially noteworthy since the previous one was put forward in the early 1980s.
While the goals will not be accomplished overnight, Ms. Vasquez said the council’s initial meetings have left her feeling enthusiastic about the future. “It’s a dynamic group, just a fabulous bunch of priests,” she said recently. “They are 100 percent concerned with Hispanic ministry.”
That certainly seemed to be the case when I spoke with several council members individually. To better accomplish their work, all the members are serving on one of the subcommittees established to address key concerns. They include: New Evangelization, specifically liturgy and prayer life, and evangelization; Religious Education for Hispanics, primarily adult faith formation and catechism; as well as Pastoral Needs and Concerns, and Ecclesial Movements.
Father Eric Cruz, the newly named administrator of St. John Chrysostom parish in the Bronx who is also regional director for archdiocesan Catholic Charities in the borough, explained that building pastoral sensitivity and expressing a vision for Hispanic ministry would “evolve over time,” but that he has experienced “a sincere commitment” by Advisory Council members to work together to forge such a commitment.
In a sense, the work now being started on behalf of Hispanic Catholics is really the business of the entire Church, “restoring and renewing that sense of Catholicity,” he said.
It’s important to take the time to build up the foundations that will attract Hispanic Catholics to see their parish community as “home.”
“That’s where they will stay and focus their energy and resources,” said Father Cruz, a member of the Pastoral Concerns subcommittee.
Father Fredy Patino, who was ordained to the priesthood four years ago, serves as parochial vicar at Immaculate Conception, St. Joseph’s and St. Mary’s parishes on Staten Island. He said he was “surprised, happy and honored” when he received a letter from Cardinal Dolan asking him to serve on the Advisory Board.
As a young priest, he noted that he was looking forward to working with other priests who have a lot of experience serving in the Hispanic community. “It’s good for me to listen to them,” said Father Patino, who is serving on the Ecclesial Movements subcommittee.
His service in the Hispanic community has taught him that Catholics from various countries of origin and cultures are not exactly alike but each one has something to offer the Church of New York. “We are really the ones who benefit from working with these devout people. They nurture our faith,” he said.
Members of Archdiocesan Pastoral Advisory Council For Hispanic Ministry
Auxiliary Bishop Gerald Walsh, vicar general
Msgr. Gregory Mustaciuolo, chancellor
Msgr. Robert Ritchie, rector, St. Patrick’s Cathedral
Father Adaly Rosado, parochial vicar, Incarnation, Manhattan
Father Agustino Torres, C.F.R., St. Crispin’s, Bronx
Father Ambiorix Rodriguez, Our Lady of Mercy, Bronx
Father Brian McWeeney, director, Ethnic Apostolate
Father Carlos Rodriguez, administrator, Holy Cross, Bronx
Father Daniel Kearney, pastor, Ascension, Manhattan
Father Eric Cruz, administrator, St. John Chrysostom, Bronx
Father Fredy Patino, parochial vicar, Immaculate Conception, St. Joseph’s, St. Mary’s, Staten Island
Father Jean Paul Soler, pastor, St. Denis, Yonkers
Father Joseph Espalliat, director, Office of Youth Ministry
Father Librado Godinez-Rivera, I.V.E., pastor, St. Thomas Aquinas, Bronx
Father Lorenzo Ato, pastor, St. Brigid-St. Emeric, Manhattan
Father Santiago Rubio, pastor, Our Lady of Guadalupe at St. Bernard, Manhattan
Father Steven Markantonis, temporary administrator, St. Luke’s, Bronx
Father Vincent Druding, Assumption, Peekskill
Wanda F. Vasquez, Director, Office of Hispanic Ministry
Sister Pilar de la Cruz, Hispanic Institute for Adult Faith Formation
Luis Peña, Assistant, Office of Hispanic Ministry
