As Minnesota congregations become more diverse, churches struggle to find Latino clergy

Twenty-six years ago, when Jacqueline Belzer immigrated to the United States, there were only two churches in the Twin Cities that served Catholics who wanted to worship in Spanish.

Back then, the Mexico native used to split her time between Minneapolis and St. Paul, serving immigrant and minority communities as a social justice organizer with the faith-based organizing coalition ISAIAH.

At the time, thousands of Latino immigrants were streaming into the state in search of better economic opportunities, and the first Spanish-language congregations in the Twin Cities — Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in west St. Paul and Ascension Catholic Church in north Minneapolis — were struggling to accommodate the influx of people, most of whom were practicing Catholics who didn’t speak English.

In collaboration with the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, Belzer and other leaders in the community organized programs that trained Spanish-speaking parishioners as lay leaders, people who then branched out to other churches. As a result, in recent decades the community has grown from having two Catholic churches in the Twin Cities featuring Spanish-speaking ministries to 22. Today, those parishes serve more than 25,000 worshippers each week.

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Racine parishioners bid farewell to Cristo Rey parish

Parishioners said goodbye Sunday, Nov. 23, to a place that has been spiritual home to many of Racine’s Latino Catholics for more than 30 years.

The final masses were held Sunday at Cristo Rey Parish, 801 College Ave., including a packed 10:30 a.m. Mass attended by Cristo Rey parishioners and some from St. Patrick’s Church, 1100 Erie St., with whose congregation Cristo Rey is being merged.

Next Sunday will conclude the yearlong process of the merger, when Cristo Rey parishioners will march from their church building and make their way to St. Patrick’s, where they will be welcomed by Archbishop Jerome Listecki, the spiritual leader of the Milwaukee Archdiocese.

It will also mark coming full circle for Cristo Rey, which was born out of St. Patrick’s. Eloy Contreras, parish council president for Cristo Rey, said that due in part to feeling, at times, unwelcome at St. Patrick’s, which in the late 1970s only had a small Hispanic membership, congregants there went about setting up a spiritual Hispanic community center across Douglas Avenue from St. Patrick’s. In 1979, a new parish was formed, first holding Masses at St. Patrick’s before acquiring and moving to the former St. Mary’s Church in 1983. When members left for their new church, a symbolic procession took place, Contreras said. Next Sunday’s procession will be a spiritual homecoming, Contreras said.

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PostCrescent: Green Bay Diocese working to serve growing Hispanic community

Photo: Sam Lucero, The Compass

Churches in the Fox Valley are working to meet the needs of Mexican immigrants, the driving force behind the state's dramatic demographic shift.

The number of minorities in Wisconsin will nearly triple over the next half century and no other population sector will grow faster than Hispanics, according to a recent report by the USA Today Network, which includes Post-Crescent Media.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Green Bay is among those trying to serve the Hispanic population, but more Spanish speakers are needed among its pastoral leadership to make that happen, said Mark Mogilka, the diocese's director of stewardship and pastoral services.

"That's our biggest challenge, coming up with bilingual and bi-cultural priests and ministers," Mogilka said. "All of our seminarians for the last probably 10 years are required to study Spanish."

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Dia de los Muertos in Milwaukee

Oct. 31 is All Hallows' Eve, but the day after is its own celebration.

The Dia de los Muertos — the Day of the Dead — has its own traditions and its own sense of spectacle. But it's not Halloween, as the Milwaukee celebrations below show.

Parade grounds

One way to celebrate life is to celebrate those who've passed from it.

The Dia de los Muertos parade, now in its fourth year, has been organized for the Walker Square neighborhood to do just that. The annual Dia de los Muertos festival, widely celebrated in Mexico and cultures throughout the world, is observed with celebrations and prayers for friends and family who have passed away.

Ofrendas, or altars, are created in memory of friends and family, often including colorful decorations, mementos and favorite foods. Many will be on view in Walker Square Park.

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