Report on the mission to the Spanish-speaking of Esopus/Ulster Park

By Father Tom Travers, C.Ss.R., and Father Tom Deely, C.Ss.R. |

On Monday, March 16, we began our long-prepared regional mission for the Spanish–speaking of our area. We called it a regional mission because we invited people for the whole area where we are concentrating our apostolate: from the town of Saugerties and surrounding areas in the north to Highland/New Paltz in the south, with all of Kingston in the middle. This makes up a good part of Ulster County.

We invited Father Mark Wise, C.Ss.R., to preach the mission because he is a very effective preacher both in his use of the Spanish language and his knowledge of the Hispanic/Latino culture from his long years (36) in Puerto Rico. His use of visual symbols each night gives witness to his attempts to embody his message in something that can be seen and touched and grasped by all.

Those who came to the mission mirrored the mixed Hispanic/Latino population of our area. The people were mainly from Mexico and El Salvador, with others from Ecuador, Guatemala, and occasionally from Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. Because of this mixed population there are many challenges to effective communication.

We began on Monday night with about 20 people. We had expected more, but different situations seemed to work against us. First, we had planned to give the mission at St Mary’s Church in Kingston. Father Mark Oliver, the present administrator, had agreed to it, but then he had a stroke, and when he came back he had trouble honoring this commitment.

So we had to decide whether to postpone the mission or hold it in another place. We did not want to postpone it because we had already done a lot of publicity and preparation. As we were considering other places, Father Gene Grohe offered to let us have the mission in the neighboring Sacred Heart Church, where he is pastor. Not having the mission in Kingston certainly cut down on the number of those attending because now they all had to come by car.

Another factor that affected the number of people attending the mission was the reality that most of our people are “new Americans,” who are trying to get established here. In many families both the wife and the husband are working, and some are holding down two jobs. Because of this and the need to care for their children, they have little time on their hands for other activities.

Still another big reason is that this area—and this Spanish population—had been “pastorally abandoned” for many years. We are really only beginning to sow the seeds of good Christian communities.

It was 10 years ago that we re-started a Sunday Mass for the Spanish-speaking in Kingston (after a 10- to 15-year hiatus) and more recently began a bi-monthly Sunday Mass in Highland. We are now also celebrating the Eucharist once a month in Saugerties.

It is slow progress, but we are gradually establishing Spanish-speaking Christian/Eucharistic communities in towns where there are large Spanish populations with little or no pastoral care.

The closing Mass was the high point of the mission. We had more people. They were very enthused. They sang and answered the prayers in loud voices. Their spirit was contagious. Father Mark Wise gave an inspiring homily about the different presences of Mary in the Gospels and how they show her love for us in the difficult times in our life.

After Mass we all went down to the hall below the church and shared coffee and donuts, as we had the other nights of the mission. These moments of sharing also helped our community grow.

It was a blessing having Father Mark Wise with us for a week, preaching the Word of God very effectively. Also, we had members of our outreach program Brazos Abiertos and two Cabrini sisters who have formed part of our team: Sister Claudia Redondo, a young, gifted, and animated musician from Mexico, and Sister Antonia Plata from Nicaragua. And we are grateful to Father Gene for the use of the facilities at Sacred Heart, truly a “port in the storm.”

We felt that God was in our midst this week, and as always, He worked maravillas. We are so thankful!