Hispanic ministry

BY ANNIE LUST

When Francisco Carrillo moved to Norwalk, Ohio from his hometown in Mexico, he was 21 years old. His uncle and older sister had moved to Norwalk, and they convinced Francisco to follow. “I came here not knowing the language and not knowing the culture,” he recalled. Back home, he had been active in his parish, even leading the choir. In Norwalk, he attended Mass at the nearest Catholic Church, St. Paul the Apostle, but it was not easy. “I didn’t understand a thing,” Francisco said with a laugh.

Beyond the language barrier, there were cultural differences that made it difficult for Francisco to feel connected with his new parish. Francisco came to the church on Good Friday his first year in Norwalk. He expected something similar to what he experienced in Mexico: “We do (Stations of the Cross) live, in the streets. We carry the cross,” he explained. The Church was locked. He must have come at the wrong time, he acknowledged. But that day had an impact. He missed the cultural elements of Catholicism that he experienced at home. “I made the decision to leave,” Francisco recalled. He wanted to get back to Mexico in time for his parish’s feast day: “There are dancers and a special Mass... it’s a big celebration.” His sister cajoled Francisco into putting in his paperwork to become a United States citizen before he returned to Mexico. He was reluctant, but he did it. He returned to Mexico but was unable to find work, one of the main reasons he had moved to the USA originally. After months, he resolved to return to Norwalk, where he could also return to the job he had. To his surprise, his citizenship paperwork came in just in time for his return.

Back in Norwalk, Francisco made the best of the situation. It was very difficult to become part of the life of the parish. Francisco explained, “I couldn’t get involved because of the language barrier.” Francisco and his wife, Patricia, whom he had married in 1989, started night school to learn to speak, read, and write in English. There was still not an organized Hispanic Catholic community, but that began to change. Francisco began helping Fr. Bob Haas (1936-2013) as he celebrated Masses for migrant workers at area farms. Eventually, the Masses moved from farms to the church. Once a month on Saturday nights, there was a Hispanic Mass. The community needed much more than a monthly Mass, though. “I noticed a lot of people were not baptized, had not received First Communion or Confirmation,” he said. Francisco started doing sacrament preparation, first for the many adults, then for the children. For 19 years, Francisco volunteered his time. “They called me the liaison to the community,” he explained.

One priest told Francisco that his parish was going to switch their Sunday Mass from English to bilingual to accommodate the Hispanic community. Francisco convinced the priest to change his mind. “We have to respect both cultures,” he said. His suggestion was to keep separate Masses where each community celebrates its own culture but to come together for big celebrations. That is what Francisco managed to do at St. Paul in Norwalk. The entire community comes together for special celebrations. “We learn from their culture and they learn from ours, but we’re not imposing our culture,” Francisco said. Some of the elements that Francisco remembered from his home parish in Mexico have been incorporated, like live outdoor Stations of the Cross and a special Mass and fiesta for the Feast of St. Paul.

Francisco decided to spend four years getting a certificate in Parish Life and Administration, all the while continuing to care for his family (which included not only his wife but his two sons and a daughter), work a full-time job, and continue to volunteer. When Francisco completed his courses, the pastor created a new position and offered it to him: Pastoral Associate of Hispanic Ministry. “The position that they gave me opened up a door,” Francisco explained. It was a major moment for the Hispanic community of Norwalk. It gave Francisco

the authority to truly work on behalf of the parish. He shared, “I can really help the community in a different way. Everywhere I go, I can say that I am the Pastoral Associate to the Hispanic Community of St. Paul. It’s what was missing.”

In 2018, Francisco was part of V Encuentro, a national initiative that included discussion, reflection, and identifying best practices to serve the Hispanic community, and to develop leaders from that community. “I think the V Encuentro made an awareness, not just on the Hispanic side,” Francisco said. “The parish leadership learned some of (the Hispanic communities’) needs and fears. It took a lot of training to help them understand our culture,” Francisco explained. Francisco was one of the five delegates from the Diocese of Toledo chosen to travel to Texas to attend the National Encuentro. The process gave Francisco great hope for the future of the Church. He was particularly struck by the presence of so many bishops: “Just by being there, it showed me that they care about the Hispanic community.” He continued, “(The bishops) sat down and listened to what we had to say.”

Last year, Francisco was asked to be part of the planning team for the Diocesan Strategic Plan, an initiative to focus pastoral energies and resources toward our diocesan vision: “to become a more faith-filled, united and vibrant Diocese of Toledo, through fostering Holy Disciples, Holy Families and Holy Vocations”. He joined Bishop Thomas and other leaders from across the Diocese of Toledo. As the only member of the Hispanic community on the team, he brought a unique and important perspective. The main point that he emphasizes in the Strategic Planning process is the same point that he tries to help everyone understand: “It’s one Church, one community, but two cultures.”