Hispanic priests of the Diocese gathered with their bishop Dec. 7 to reflect on the realities of ministering to a growing Latino community across Burlington, Mercer, Monmouth and Ocean Counties.

Held in Our Lady of Angels Parish, Trenton, the meeting afforded the more than 20 priests in attendance an opportunity to strategize on how to move forward in a unified way as the needs of Hispanic Catholics continue to outpace the number of priests able to serve them.

Primary among those needs is how to feed the spiritual needs of the community by offering Mass in Spanish. Currently, 25 parishes in the Diocese offer Mass celebrated in Spanish. Just as pressing, however, was the concern voiced by a number of priests that Mass in Spanish, while central to their ministry, does not completely fulfill the varied spiritual, catechetical and cultural needs of the community.

The four-hour meeting, which began and ended in prayer, was facilitated by Father René Pulgarín, pastor of Christ the Redeemer Parish in Mount Holly and liaison for the diocesan Hispanic community. Time was spent discussing Faith in Our Future, the Diocese’s new pastoral plan, which seeks to develop substantive ways to effectively minister to Hispanic Catholics.

Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., echoed the importance of and diocesan commitment to walking with the Hispanic community while working to build unity and solidarity in parish families. Bishop O’Connell praised the priests for their ministerial work, as well as their willingness to be present to the community for such events as quinceañeras, baptisms, funerals and other milestone faith experiences outside of their direct parish responsibilities.

Representatives of diocesan ministries spoke with the priests about the many ways that the Diocese strives to partner with the parishes in serving the Hispanic faithful. Josué Arriola, director of the diocesan Department of Youth, Marriage and Family Life, expressed his gratitude for all that the priests do, and pledged his team’s support and efforts as the Diocese responds to the needs of the family in all of its stages.

Laura Rivas, associate director for the Department of Evangelization and Catechesis, and Rudy Gómez, diocesan coordinator for youth ministry, shared strategies for bolstering formation and empowerment among their target groups while continually focusing on helping people to more deeply know Christ.

Terry Ginther, executive director for the Office of Parish Life and Mission, provided the priests with the broader diocesan perspective of ministering to all communities within the diocesan Church. Ginther highlighted the blessing that the Hispanic community is for the larger Church of Trenton and that, when the Church embraces the cultural experiences of faith of a given community, the Church family as a whole is better able to celebrate the Catholic faith more fully.


Sandra López, diocesan coordinator for Hispanic Ministry Initiatives, organized the gathering and detailed several formational opportunities that will directly enrich the Latino community. Among them was “Building Intercultural Competencies for Ministers,” which is offered in both English and Spanish at different times around the Diocese.

The program focuses on how to recognize cultural sensitivities and helps to develop strategies for meeting the needs of diverse ethnic and cultural groups from the perspective of a unified Catholic faith.

Greeley is also coordinator of Spanish-language communications.