December 16, 2011
Report to the Diocese
Guadalupe Center: Building welcoming communities
By SISTER KAREN DURLIAT O.S.B., Guadalupe Center
Editor’s note: Following is a report from Benedictine Sister Karen Durliat on the past year’s activities of the Guadalupe Center, the diocesan ministry to the Latino community.
Ten years ago at the December 2001 celebration of the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Bishop Gerald A. Gettelfinger blessed the office of Spanish-Speaking Ministry of the Diocese of Evansville under a new name, Guadalupe Center. The name was changed from El Centro Hispano to reflect our Catholic identity as well as to seek the intercession of Our Lady of Guadalupe who ap-peared in Mexico in 1531.
In all the Churches where Spanish Masses are celebrated in the diocese, an image of this brown-skinned Virgin, “La Morenita,” holds a place of special honor. I continue to be intrigued by her dress full of symbols familiar to the Nahuatl people and the black ribbon that clearly announces her pregnancy. Every year I join with the Hispanic community to listen to the retelling of the dialog between Juan Diego and Our Lady of Guadalupe from the Nicán Mophua, the account written in the 16th century by Antonio Valeriano. As I listen, I am amused that the vision is so real to Juan, that he asks the Lady if she has slept well. But, mostly I am challenged by her request that we build a church where her love and protection are offered.
Our Lady asked Juan to go to the Bishop and tell him:
I very much desire that they build my sacred little house here where I may express and make self-evident all of my love, compassion, help and protection. Because in truth I am your merciful Mother, to you and to the inhabitants of this land and to all who love me, those who see me, those who trust me (Nican Mophua).
A miracle of Guadalupe is that Juan Diego, who did not feel worthy or qualified to be her ambassador to the Bishop, did so because of her insistence:
Listen, my youngest son, so that your heart may understand. My servants and messengers with whom I can entrust my message are not people of importance. But it is necessary that you go and champion this. Thanks to you, my will and my wish will be realized. (Nican Mophua).
She continues to be with each of us who feels unqualified or unworthy to accomplish our ministry. She looks at each of us with her compassionate eyes which tell us, “Yes, you can!” Her presence gives us assurance and divine energy. She is always here, telling us as she told Juan Diego: “You have nothing to fear. Am I not here, I, who am your mother?” With Our Lady’s assurance, we seek to answer the call to build a Church where all are welcome and where all will experience her love and protection.
In the past year with your help, we at the Guadalupe Cen-ter have accompanied Hispanic immigrants in many ways. We continue to offer Spanish and bilingual Liturgies and sacramental preparation. Our Advisory Board, made up of His-panic and Anglo representatives from throughout the diocese, helps us to discern directions and goals for our ministry. Like many of their English-speaking counterparts, Spanish-speaking adults participated in the “Why Catholic?” program to learn more about their faith. We continue to offer other services, such as, English and life-skill classes and immigration, translation, transportation, and health services.
This year a grant from the Welborn Baptist Foundation made more cultural and language connections possible. A training session for 10 people was held in January by the founders of LingoLynx, Building Connections through Language. Six native Latin Americans and four U.S. natives learned methods to provide immediately usable, context-based language, appropriate to specific situations. In five cities throughout the diocese, thirteen Reality Language® classes were offered by those trained: four classes focused on a specific language needed for communication for teachers and nine others fo-cused on communication within communities. The classes taught about culture so English-speakers learned more about Latin customs and Spanish-speakers learned more about their new U.S. neighbors. We hope that these courses have helped us to build welcoming communities as language barriers have been overcome and differences in culture understood.
With your partnership in our ministry, we continue to be a place of welcome where Our Lady’s love and compassion are shared. In the words of the Indiana Bishops in their 2006 Pastoral Statement:
Brothers and sisters, join us! Join us in meeting Jesus in our new neighbors. Join us in entreating our Lady of Guada-lupe, the patroness of the Americas, for help and wisdom as we embrace our new neighbors. Join us in inviting our new neighbors to embrace us, no longer strangers to them, but as joyful brothers and sisters made so by our common baptism in the Lord!
¡Muchas gracias y qué Dios les bendiga! Many thanks and may God bless you!