A Thriving Hispanic Community Enlivens the Diocese

Hispanic Ministries Strengthen a Community Whose Faith Enriches Parish Life

Rhode Island’s Hispanic population has increased nearly 40 percent over the past decade. The state’s 182,000 residents of Hispanic descent now account for 17 percent of its population.

The Hispanic Ministry of the Diocese of Providence collaborates with multiple Diocesan ministries to help this growing Hispanic community nurture its spiritual and civic life.

“Our Hispanic population is a big blessing for Rhode Island and our diocese,” says Rev. Nolasco Tamayo, director of the Office for Multi-Cultural Ministry, Diocese of Providence and pastor of St. Ann Parish in Providence. “Their most important gift is their rootedness as Catholics and they thrive because of that. They are hard-working and bring youth, energy and generosity and they contribute both as citizens and parishioners.”

Most Hispanic Rhode Islanders are from Central America (primarily Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras), South America (mainly Colombia, Bolivia and Ecuador), Mexico and the Caribbean (Puerto Rico, Cuba and the Dominican Republic).

“Our Hispanic community has diverse cultural traditions,” says Rev. Nolasco, raised and ordained in Colombia. “Each has its own foods, customs and music. They bring all this richness and vitality to our state and to our parishes.”

Fostering faith formation, evangelization and promotion, the Hispanic Ministry connects and supports the 13 parishes serving large Hispanic neighborhoods. “The Hispanic Ministry responds to each parish’s unique needs while developing leaders who carry on evangelization throughout the Diocese,” says Celso Vera, coordinator, Office of the Hispanic Ministry.

The Ministry trains volunteer catechists who conduct bilingual programs reflecting parishioners’ varied cultures. And to reach more people, the Diocese is preparing a new cohort of deacons, recruiting more Hispanic priests and increasing integration across ministries.

Youth-oriented programs are also important, says Rev. Nolasco, who notes that more than 60 percent of the state’s Hispanic population was born in the United States. “While they retain traditional family and community values, third-generation Hispanics can lose their ties to Catholicism. Our ministries help the young keep their values alive as Hispanics, Americans and Catholics.”

Connecting through service and stewardship

For decades, the Sunday 12:30 p.m. Mass in Spanish at St. Patrick’s Church has drawn families who live within and also well beyond the parish.

“People find a spiritual home here,” says Pastor Rev. James T. Ruggieri. “We are a welcoming community with opportunities for all. Our Hispanic presence is integrated within our parish. Ours is a single, multicultural faith community that brings diverse traditions and customs into the mix. We allow the Spirit to work among us.

“We encourage service and stewardship. People serve on a rotating basis as ushers, lectors, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion and parish council members. We have four Spanish music groups, a youth group in English that attracts Hispanic kids born here with a foot in both worlds and social ministries that include a food pantry and a mobile food van. Of our many volunteers, 60 percent are Latino. Their prayer groups and retreats ignite the parish and energize our community.”

Rubelcy Herrera is one of three volunteer leaders of a charismatic prayer group held in Spanish at St. Patrick’s Church. About 50 people attend its weekly Wednesday night meeting, which opens with a Mass. And its First Wednesday healing gathering draws up to 200 participants. The group’s ensemble, Ministerio de Música Vaso Santo (Holy Vessel Music Ministry), accompanies its events, which are open to all. They include retreats and Life in the Spirit Seminars conducted twice a year over seven Saturdays. “I was raised Catholic,” says Rubelcy, who founded the group two decades ago, in his 30s. “But I never went to church. A Seminar converted me.”

Music of home, heart and spirit

As a music minister at St. Patrick’s for three decades, Silvio Cuéllar created the 12-person choir that sings in two of the parish’s four Hispanic Masses, Sunday at 12:30 p.m. and Wednesday evening. They also sing at annual Masses in the Cathedral of SS. Peter and Paul that honor Our Lady of Guadalupe (December 12) and the Virgin of Altagracia (January 21), a devotion of the Dominican Republic. Following each Mass are day-long festivities in the cathedral hall that include traditional dancing, music and food.

“Spanish cultures are very diverse,” says Silvio. “Mexicans play a traditional hymn in mariachi style. For Dominicans it becomes a merengue and for Colombians, cumbia. As a music director, I play a bit of each.

A priest once told me: ‘Music has the power to make people feel at home. When they hear a song from their country, people feel at home in the church.’”

While composing sacred music and leading choirs, Silvio has mentored young musicians who now direct music ministries in seven parishes. Among them is his son Alex, a music coordinator and youth activity leader at St. Patrick’s.

At the 2023 Pastoral Musicians Convention, Silvio presented his approach to mentoring music ministers. While developing the musical skills of young people, he strives to foster spiritual growth, faith formation, leadership and a heart for service.

“A charismatic retreat 30 years ago moved me to bring my music into the church,” says Silvio. “It is a vocation. Our choir goes on an annual retreat to help us grow in both music and faith. A choir can become a second family. We make music to reach the heart. Many Hispanic people try to bring others back to faith. Being part of a parish open to charismatic renewal and the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives inspires us.”

Special to God and one another

The Diocesan Office of the Apostolate with People with Disabilities keeps the sacraments and parish life within reach of all. Apostolate support enables parishes to offer Mass readings in Braille, obtain American Sign Language interpreter services and adapt facilities for accessibility. And its Special Religious Development (SPRED) Office engages children and adults with cognitive and developmental disabilities in faith formation.

Apostolate Director Irma I. Rodríguez trains volunteer catechists who conduct bilingual faith groups in 13 parishes, inviting all to participate in their faith communities. “We gather for two hours of religious education, prayer and quiet, centering time,” says Irma, who also serves on the Diocese’s Hispanic Ministry Board. “On alternating weeks, SPRED participants join us. Their learning includes creative expression through arts and crafts projects, sensorial activities and daily living activities.”

In July, young members attend the annual Msgr. Gerard Sabourin Vacation Bible Camp, named for the priest who founded and for 40 years directed the Apostolate and introduced SPRED into the Diocese. In September, all come together at an annual Diocesan picnic.

Sharing her experience raising a son with autism, Irma counsels those families who struggle with the diagnosis of their loved ones, facilitating their inclusion in the sacramental life of their parishes. “In the Hispanic community, there is a lot of stigma around having a child with disabilities,” says Irma, who works closely with pastors and catechetical leaders as a resource to them and the families. “Others are concerned because they look or behave unlike others. We foster healing and human connection through our faith groups. And at Holy Mass, the parishioners see people with special needs who are servers and ushers, bringing gifts to the altar and receiving Communion.”

Nurturing a thriving community

The Diocese of Providence, one of the largest nonprofit providers of human services in Rhode Island, responds to material as well as spiritual needs within the state’s Hispanic population.

“We have a presence in parishes serving sizeable Hispanic neighborhoods,” says James Jahnz, Secretary of the Diocese of Providence Secretariat for Catholic Charities and Social Ministry. “We work with parishes and pastors to be a resource for parishioners. It is an important part of church life that the everyday needs of parishioners are met as well as their spiritual needs.”

Services provided through the Office for Catholic Charities and Social Ministry include heating assistance; support for young mothers from pregnancy through the child’s first years; the St. Martin de Porres Multi-Service Center in Providence, which coordinates more than 40 agencies to assist Rhode Island seniors; and the wraparound services of its Office of Immigration and Refugees.

“Our Diocese is fortunate to have a thriving Hispanic community,” says James. “Its culture, language and worship strengthen faith throughout our entire Diocese. We are thankful for opportunities to help provide these ministries.”