By Andrew Winter
1.
The number of Spanish-Speaking Catholics in the Lincoln Diocese has increased by 200% in the last 20 years. As such, there is one dedicated parish tasked specifically with serving the Hispanics of the diocese, as well as several bilingual parishes. There is also an Office of Hispanic Ministry, directed by Ricardo Izquierdo.
2.
Cristo Rey Church in Lincoln is the sole Spanish-only parish in southern Nebraska. It holds six Masses every weekend, and serves all Spanish speakers in the city. It was founded by Bishop Glennon Flavin in 1988. Its current pastor is Father Rafael Rodriguez, a native Spanish speaker.
3.
There are also nine bilingual parishes in the Diocese of Lincoln: Sacred Heart in Crete, St. Joseph in Harvard, St. Cecilia in Hastings, St. Patrick in Imperial, St. Patrick in McCook, St. John the Baptist in Minden, St. Benedict in Nebraska City, St. Andrew in Tecumseh and St. Mary in Wallace.
4.
The diocese has 12 priests officially assigned to Hispanic ministry, and more priests help with the ministry occasionally.
5.
In the 1930s, Masses in Spanish were celebrated in scattered farmhouses or irregularly in parishes across the diocese. In 1974 Father William Kalin celebrated the first Spanish Mass at St. Mary in Lincoln. From there, it spread to other parishes in the diocese as the Hispanic presence in Nebraska grew.
6.
There is a specifically Hispanic religious community of nuns in the diocese, Las Hijas de la Pasión de Jesucristo, or the Daughters of the Passion of Jesus Christ and the Sorrowful Mother. They serve at Cristo Rey in Lincoln, St. Andrew in Tecumseh, and St. Cecilia in Hastings.
7.
The Office of Hispanic Ministry translates columns from Bishop James Conley into Spanish. His column is published and other events around the diocese are posted at https://es.lincolndiocese.org/home.
8.
Every year Cristo Rey Parish in Lincoln hosts the Gran Kermes Hispanic Festival, a huge event full of fun, food, games, and music. It is the largest Catholic Hispanic event in the diocese, with about 1,000 participants every year. All are welcome to come try authentic Hispanic cuisine, participate in the raffle, and watch a Lincoln Saltdogs baseball game at Haymarket Park.
9.
The Diocese of Lincoln takes its obligation to the Catholic Hispanic community very seriously, and requires all seminarians at St. Gregory the Great Seminary to study at least six credits’ worth of Spanish, so as to form priests equipped for this ministry.
