By Kasia Anderson, Managing Editor
Top photo: Father Arian Wharff is pictured in a Monitor file photo
For Father Arian Wharff, the new Diocesan Liaison for Hispanic Ministry, the value of fostering a multicultural experience within the Church cannot be overstated.
Reflecting on his new position, Father Wharff described his mission in theological, as well as poetic, terms.
One is “coinculturación,” a word which encompasses the English “encounter” while extending beyond it – all the way to the Cross. “It is my way of describing what happens when people from different cultures truly encounter one another in Christ: each brings something, each receives something, and together we become more fully the Church,” Father Wharff said.
“It is not assimilation or isolation,” he added. “It is a shared journey in which the Gospel draws us closer to Christ and to one another. In a simple phrase: Our roots sustain us. Encounter transforms us. Christ unites us.”
Speaking with The Monitor about the appointment announced June 30 by Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., Father Wharff expressed a keen awareness of the need to help Hispanic Catholics find their home in their parishes and in the greater body of Christ while respecting their distinctive origins.
“I am thankful for the confidence Bishop O’Connell has placed in me. I do not see it simply as a title, but as a call to serve the Bishop and our local Church,” he said. “Above all, I hope this appointment speaks to the whole Diocese about belonging.”
Many Cultures, One Church
For this Colombian-born priest who serves as parochial vicar of St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Hightstown, cultivating that sense “is about more than adding Masses in another language.” He has also been tasked with supporting local Spanish- and Portuguese speaking Catholics of diverse cultural, national and immigration backgrounds in faith formation, marriage and family life, youth ministry and vocations.
“At times, communities can worship under the same roof without really knowing one another,” he said. “I see that as an invitation to build relationships – to pray, serve and share responsibility together. Catholic unity does not erase language, culture or tradition. Christ brings us into communion through the gifts each community carries.”
This relationship both includes and reaches past the bounds of Hispanic ministry. “It is a question about the kind of diocesan Church we are becoming and how we learn to recognize one another as members of the same family in Christ,” he said.
The first order of business for Father Wharff is “to listen” – to clergy, lay leaders, youth, families and religious. Responding successfully to their needs will require an appreciation of the diversity of the communities and meeting all with compassion.
“There is no single Hispanic or Portuguese-speaking experience,” he said, citing both newly arrived migrants and those born in the United States. As the population he serves continues to grow and evolve, some younger generations may feel caught between cultures. Father Wharff views the issue as a pastoral opportunity.
“They can become bridge-builders,” he said, “and their vocations and service are signs that the Church has truly become home.”
Local Support, National Vision
Father Wharff will be able to draw upon strong support on the diocesan and national levels as he pursues these goals. “I am grateful that this will be shared work,” he said. “I look forward to serving alongside Denise Contino, Jossie Ramos, and the clergy and lay leaders who have accompanied these communities for many years. I also hope the gatherings of Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking priests will be moments of fraternity, honest conversation and mutual support.”
He will also be able to consult the United States Bishops’ National Pastoral Plan for Hispanic/Latino Ministry as a touchstone. Spanning the years 2023-2033, the plan “calls the whole Church to encounter, accompaniment, ecclesial integration and shared mission,” he said, adding that his obligation will be to “help discern how that national vision can take root in the particular life of our Diocese.”
Father Wharff also continues to offer prayers for everyone in the aftermath of the Aug. 10 earthquake in Colombia.
His core calling remains unchanged. “My parish assignment remains my first responsibility, and I am grateful for that,” he said.