Name: Roberto Martinez
Age: 75
Parish: St. Barbara Church in De Queen
City: De Queen
Family: Olivia, wife of nine years; one daughter; and two grandchildren
Why you want to know Roberto: In addition to serving on the Diocesan Pastoral Council and building up Hispanic ministry across the state for four decades, Roberto Martinez was inducted into the Arkansas Latino Hall of Fame Oct. 24 during a ceremony in North Little Rock. He moved to Arkansas from Chicago in 1979. Just seven years later, his family was named the Sevier County Farm Family of the Year. In addition to serving on the board of several local nonprofits and being deeply involved in his parish, he also helps provide resources and knowledge to empower families to own their own farms and get involved in agriculture in Sevier County.
IN HIS OWN WORDS
What feeds you spiritually?
I grew up in a very Catholic family, so my grandparents and the whole family were very close to the Church. Moving here, it was different. But in the beginning, during those years, we didn’t have any Mass or any service in Spanish, but we stayed there and kept praying, and we’re still here.
How have you seen Hispanic ministry in the state change since you’ve been involved with it?
When I got involved, there was no Hispanic ministry. Now, the staff of the diocese has the Encuentro; there are events in the community now, and the diocese has most of the things that the community needs. It’s in a tremendous stage. One of the biggest groups that has helped Latinos in the state is the Cursillo movement. It was a big thing and still is. When Cursillo got started, serving and being part of the Cursillos was huge. Now, we have encounters with Encuentro and all of these things. It is really satisfying and hard to believe that we got it, but I’m glad that we did. Now, when the seminarians become priests, they need to speak Spanish, which I think is a good idea. We’ve probably got over 40 Spanish communities in the diocese now, which is great.
How did you find out you were being inducted into the Arkansas Latino Hall of Fame?
It was a big surprise for me. I didn’t know anything until someone called and congratulated me, and I said, “For what?” And he said, “You’re being inducted into the Latino Hall of Fame.” And I didn’t know. I started getting some more phone calls, and they told me what they were planning to do, and it was a big deal. … I was told that there were several candidates, and for whatever reason, I was one of the four picked. I can hardly believe that they picked me, but I’m happy for my community here in De Queen and Texarkana. … I had the opportunity to meet with some of my old friends from when we were beginning this work around the diocese. It was a good experience.
How has your faith played a role in helping you balance and participate in all of the various things that you’re involved in?
My faith has played a great role. In many organizations I’m involved in, I am the only Catholic. I got used to it. I’m not afraid or scared to tell someone that I’m Catholic. It seems like they have accepted me very well. Over those 40 years in De Queen, I’ve given presentations and had the opportunity to serve in different areas, and I’m still involved. … At my church, I serve on the finance committee, I’m a Knight of Columbus … My faith got stronger and stronger, and in every opportunity I had to serve, I served. In the Knights of Columbus, we do several different events in the church and in the community … We’ve visited prisoners in the county jail … and let them know we were with St. Barbara’s, so we do things like that, and that helps my faith.
— Katie Zakrzewski
