Fr. Douglas Daro
Pastor, St. Benedict Parish in Nebraska City
Hispanic Ministry
This column was written by one of my parishioners at St. Benedict Church in Nebraska City.
The culture and the faith of St. Benedict Church in Nebraska City is not just deeply rooted in the German immigrants who came here to escape to a better life. It is the story of our neighbors who come here to share their love of Jesus with those of us whose legacy of St. Benedict is not purely German, but captures the richness of the Hispanic community.
United, we all share in our joys, sorrows, and community. Just as my ancestors came here from Europe looking for a better life, this Hispanic family has done the same. Their celebrations of the Mass are not austere. A simple joy exists in their worship which I found to be missing in my life. It reignited my own spirit and love for Jesus. No matter the cultural lines: Germany, Mexico, and these United States, the experience of the Catholic Hispanic population in our Church continues to remind me that Jesus is present. He speaks to me and to those who share that precious moment in time with me.
Specifically celebrating the Mass amidst the Hispanic culture, I am immersed through prayer, song, and the Holy Eucharist, discovering the new depths in which my Catholic faith has evolved.
As I grow in my faith, my reliance on prayer becomes omnipresent in my relationship with God. As an English-speaking parishioner, attending our St. Benedict Hispanic Mass may seem overwhelming. Falling into my personal conversation with God, I have learned that the ebb and the flow of the Mass is made beautiful.
This beauty resonates in English or Spanish tones, when I am surrounded by fellow parishioners who are also in prayer, supplication, and the Sign of the Cross. The language may be different, but the actions and postures of the priest and his people are the same. We stand, kneel and bow in reverence to God, who made us: one, holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, in His Name. The Mass unites us, the old and the young, the stranger and the family. It opens our hearts and our minds the way only Jesus can.
Walking into a Hispanic church, a moment in time can define the celebration of the Catholic Mass in the Hispanic culture. Was this invigoration of faith born long ago when Hispanics planted the first seeds of Catholicism in this land? Does the Holy Spirit, through the Blessed Virgin, continue to permeate these holy people as she once did in Juan Diego on Tepeyac Hill? When Juan placed his trust in Jesus’ mother, opening his cloak to the bishop and his heart to the Lord, a fire was ignited that has burned through these centuries and lands itself in St. Benedict Church in Nebraska City, just as it does in Hispanic Catholic Masses across the country.
In his canonization of Juan Diego, Pope John Paul II said, “In accepting the Christian message without forgoing his indigenous identity, Juan Diego discovered the profound truth of the new humanity, in which all are called to be children of God. Thus he facilitated the fruitful meeting of two worlds and became the catalyst for the new Mexican identity, closely united to Our Lady of Guadalupe, whose mestizo face expresses her spiritual motherhood which embraces all Mexicans. This is why the witness of his life must continue to be the inspiration for the building up of the Mexican nation, encouraging brotherhood among all its children and ever helping to reconcile Mexico with its origins, values and traditions,” (National Shrine, 12/7/2020).
How do the defining moments of St. Juan Diego and Our Lady of Guadalupe inspire St. Benedict Parish? The Blessed Mother recognized the dignity and potential of Juan Diego, whom God equipped for a mission. In the Catholic Hispanic community, this mission continues today. We all become a “catalyst” for a new Catholic identity; a fusion of culture, celebration and worship that a mother orchestrates perfectly.
Beyond my doubts, my faith has been a bridge between where I am in that moment, and the place God is taking me. My conversion to the Catholic faith 36 years ago began a forge across an unknown river, leading me into an integral position in a vibrant American and Hispanic Church where, once again, I see these bridges span my life. They close the gap between cultures, and open the way to grow closer together in God’s graces.
The Mass is the bridge. It unites us; the old and the young, the stranger and the family. It opens our hearts and our minds the way only Jesus can. Gifts from Our Father are in abundance; it is through my daughter-in-law and her family that I was called to St. Benedict, and the experience of a renewal in Catholic faith has built yet another bridge. I am home.
