Faith has always guided José Dionicio “Nicho” Vázquez. It got him through his parents’ divorce when he was 10. It challenged him to go door to door evangelizing when he was 12. It sent him to seminary after high school, and a decade later, it gave him the courage to immigrate to the United States.
The Mexican native was led by faith again when he joined the staff of the Diocese of Little Rock as the associate director of the Hispanic Ministry Office on June 1.
With Deacon Marcelino Luna serving as translator, Vázquez spoke with Arkansas Catholic about his new job on July 5.
“The faith has been part of my life always,” Vázquez said. “When I moved here into this position, God was present everywhere, because all the barriers were cleared away.”
Previously Vázquez served Hispanics at St. Raphael Church in Springdale as spiritual formation minister in northwest Arkansas. He also served as the parish’s Hispanic associate director of religious education.
Vázquez, his wife, Mirza, and their three children, Tania, 6, Jahir, 4 and Alan, 2 now live in Alexander and are members of St. Edward Church in Little Rock.
Luna, who is director of Hispanic ministry, said Vázquez’ position was created to better serve Hispanics on the parish level.
“He’s going to focus on youth ministry so I’ll be free to do parish ministry,” Luna said. “Everything is going to be related to youth ministry and parish ministry as well as family issues and spiritual retreats.”
Vázquez will be assisted by the newly created Pastoral Juvenil Diocesana (Diocesan Pastoral Youth), a team of young adults from across the diocese who will advise parishes in forming youth groups.
Vázquez’ job also will include coordinating diocesan Hispanic youth programs such as Búsqueda (Search) for those 15-17 and Encuentros de Promoción Juvenil (Encounters of Youth Promotion) for those 18-25. He will also lead the Disciples of Christ Evangelization Team, which brings teens of different cultures together to learn about their faith and each other.
Vázquez also will direct the “Power to Serve: Fostering Latino Leadership for Church and Society” program, an eight-month course that helps Spanish-speaking men and women become parish leaders.
Vázquez, 36, grew up in Monterrey, Mexico. After high school he discerned for the priesthood in a seminary for five years.
In 1996, he said he left the seminary for law school. He married Mirza in December 1999. As a new attorney, she made only $100 a month. With a year left in law school, he knew his pay would not be any higher after he got his degree, so the couple left Mexico in 2000 and moved to Houston to provide for their family. In 2003 they moved to Springdale.
That fall, Vázquez became a part-time associate director of religious education for Hispanics. Then in May 2004 he was hired full-time as spiritual formation minister through grant money that lasted until May 2007.
Along with starting a new job last month, Vázquez also became a U.S. citizen on June 8. His wife, who became a citizen in 2004, applied for citizenship for her husband, a process that required him to be a legal permanent resident for three years.
Vázquez is learning to speak English. “Right now I understand a lot, but my difficult is to answer,” he said in English.
He is also taking online courses through the University of Anáhuac in Mexico City. When completed, he will have the equivalent of a bachelor’s degree in theology.
Vázquez said his goals for his job are clear: “The first one is probably going to be the most difficult, that is to be in service to what God wants from me.” The other goal is “to share all my knowledge and faith and bring Christ to everybody I come in contact with.”
