Glenmary
Home Missioners
P.O. Box 465618
Cincinnati, OH 45246
513-874-8900
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This article originally appeared in the March 2007 Boost-A-Month Club Newsletter
Educating and Inspiring in Eastern North Carolina
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| José Mendoza, left, talks with Father Mike Langell. José and Father Mike work together to meet the needs of those living in Glenmary’s missions in Eastern North Carolina. |
In looking up the word catholic (with a lowercase “c”) in a thesaurus, one will find the synonyms varied and all-embracing. Since 1998 Glenmary has assured that its ministries are truly catholic by ministering to Spanish-speaking folks who have settled into the home missions.
One way Glenmary does this is through multicultural workers. These workers tailor their activities to the needs of the community in which they serve and work to build bridges between people of different cultures and traditions.
Jay Gilchrist, Glenmary’s coordinator of coworker ministries, calls the title “multicultural worker” a bit of a misnomer. “They work with people of Hispanic and Latino cultures,” he says. “But really they’re ‘intercultural’ workers who are trying to build bridges between cultures and help people navigate systems in the United States.”
José Mendoza helps people navigate systems—and build bridges—in Glenmary’s missions in Bertie and Washington counties in North Carolina. In addition to the Spanish-speaking families who have settled in eastern North Carolina, he serves migrant families who spend about six months a year in the region working in agriculture. For both groups he provides spiritual as well as social outreach.
José, a native of El Salvador, has lived in North Carolina for six years and teaches at Pitt Community College in Greenville, N.C. Teaching is also a part of his work as a Glenmary multicultural worker. Each week, he teaches English to Spanish-speakers and Spanish to English-speakers. The outreach of language is one of many ways to build bridges between the Anglo and Hispanic cultures, José says.
Eight English-speakers are enrolled in José’s Spanish class; they represent a wide variety of ages and professions, including a lawyer, a librarian and even a poet. They have told José they are learning the language in order to enhance their communications with Spanish-speakers moving to the community. The attorney, for example recognizes the need to be able to provide legal services to the Hispanic community.
Hispanics in Bertie County know José is available to assist them as they learn how to live in a new culture. He is available and willing to provide translation at hospitals, doctors’ or insurance offices and the local department of motor vehicles.
In Plymouth, one of the two missions Glenmary serves in eastern North Carolina, pastor Father Mike Langell collaborates with José to prepare the Spanish version of the homily each week. Father Mike does not speak Spanish.
“The homily is such an important part of the Mass, the place where people get a message,” José says. He studies the Scripture for the week, identifying the significance in the readings and determining how that significance can play a part in the lives of the people of the congregation. Then he and Father Mike create a message which José delivers in Spanish.
Helping the Hispanic community enhance its spirituality “motivates me,” José says. He hopes to soon begin Bible study groups in Plymouth, and he is currently researching formats and resources for the groups. He is particularly dedicated to helping people study the Gospels and find ways they can use Gospel values in their lives. Studying Scripture together, he says, can provide yet another means for building bridges between people of different cultures.
Bertie County is the home of a group of Filipino teachers who have been a cornerstone of the Catholic community since Glenmary arrived in Windsor, the county seat, to establish the mission in 2004. Recently, José says, the Filipinos participated in the International Festival that was hosted by the Catholic Community of Bertie County. The festival featured music and food from the different countries where people in the community originated, and the organizers compiled a book of common phrases for each language.
Such events also build bridges between people from Asia and Latin America as well as those from different states in Mexico. For all these communities, “One size doesn’t fit all,” Jay says. “Not everyone honors Our Lady of Guadalupe, for example. Every group has different customs, different saints they revere. A good multicultural worker will be comfortable with all of this.”
But a multicultural worker’s ministry isn’t without it’s challenges. For example, weekly—or even regular—church attendance and religious education is not a priority in many Mexican cultures, José says.
He hopes to introduce both to his local community. “In different states in Mexico, they have different customs,” he explains. “They think that going to church is only important on feast days or holy days. They might think that a priest is someone who only blesses them once a year.”
With much perseverance and hope, José is continuing to educate and inspire those in Eastern North Carolina, making sure that his ministry touches the lives of all he serves with a truly catholic perspective. |
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