STUTTGART — Descendants of immigrants are welcoming new immigrants to Holy Rosary Church in Stuttgart.
On March 28, Bishop Anthony B. Taylor, along with pastor Msgr. Jack Harris and Deacon Arnold Hernandez, CM, celebrated Palm Sunday Mass with approximately 100 Hispanic Catholics.
The people gathered at the parish hall, where the bishop blessed the palms, which were handed out, and they all processed to the church, with the choir singing.
Following Mass, they gathered at the hall for a meal and fellowship.
Hernandez, who lives in North Little Rock but ministers to Hispanics around the state, said the English-speaking parishioners have been welcoming to Hispanics and have helped whenever asked.
“A monthly Spanish Mass started last summer,” Janeth Martinez, 26, said in Spanish. “It is once a month, but we wish it was every Sunday. But we are a small group, still. There have been a number of changes here in the parish and the deacon has helped us very much, giving us more information and helping us get closer to the Church. We were even fewer than we are now. Now the community is a little bit larger. The number of people attending has been growing. We are participating even more here.”
William Claros, 27, said he has been living in the Stuttgart area for about five years and had been invited to attend Mass a number of times. He was pleased he could attend a Mass in Spanish, adding that he was getting closer to the Church.
For Msgr. Harris, who went to Mexico to study Spanish in January and February, this is not something new. He served at Blessed Sacrament Church in Jonesboro when they started having a monthly Mass in Spanish.
Coming to Stuttgart in April 2009, he and Hernandez decided to reach out to Hispanic Catholics in the area and started celebrating a monthly Mass in Spanish.
“We started the last Sunday of July to meet with the Hispanic community and up to now we are now in the process of continuing to give them instruction and evangelizing. It has taken time and work because the Hispanic community has never had any type of religious education other than the little they received in Mexico. There are some who can lead, but they need more instruction,” Hernandez said.
The deacon said he started reaching out to the Hispanics in the community, finding out where they lived. Some single men and some families then started gathering at the church. The majority of Hispanic parishioners work in agriculture, but most of them live there year-round. Most are from Mexico, from the states of Vera Cruz and Michoacan, he said.
Hernandez said he has also been working with the local police department and they have had one meeting with the police chief and the Hispanic community at the parish. Hernandez said he wanted to prevent racial profiling by police and wanted to start communication between Hispanics and law enforcement.
“The English-speaking parishioners have been very open. They have helped us out,” Hernandez said. “They have been very willing to help and cooperative with the Hispanic community, but there is still work to be done, for both cultures to get to know one another and improve relations between the two groups. People are always talking about change, but it is difficult. It takes time. In our minds sometimes we are ready but emotionally it might take time to get rid of any apprehensions there might be in both groups.”
The Hispanic ministry at the parish is growing. Previously they went elsewhere for baptismal classes, but now they have baptismal classes in Stuttgart. They are also having pre-cana classes for those who want to get married in the Church, he said.
“Msgr. Harris is willing to work with the Hispanics in the parish,” he said. “He went to Mexico to study Spanish. He will be going to San Antonio to continue learning. This helps me out when the priest supports me and gives me the liberty to do what is needed to be done for the good of the community in order that they can meet their baptismal promises.”
