In December, more than two dozen worshipers gathered at Traverse City’s Bryant Park for prayer, song and a procession to Immaculate Conception Church for Mass. Along the way, they carried their personal prayer intentions along with a large statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe. It was the annual Antorcha Guadalupana (Torch of Guadalupe) organized by the local community of Hispanic Catholics.
“We have been having Antorcha Guadalupana for at least 10 years,” says Alberto Trujillo, who has been leading the group for approximately seven years now. “This year,” he laughs, “I forgot to bring the torch!” The absence of the torch (which symbolizes hope) did not dampen the spirits of the worshipers who carried their private prayer intentions along with the statue.
The origins of the traveling torch tradition trace back to Mexico City, where fire was carried to villages from the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the site where, in 1531, the Blessed Virgin appeared multiple times to Saint Juan Diego. That miracle is credited with the conversion of many millions of souls, making Our Lady of Guadalupe a great sign of hope and cause for her to be named Patroness of the Americas by Pope Pius XII in 1945.
Among those who walked alongside the pilgrims was Father Wayne Dziekan, an advocate for the Hispanic community in the Diocese of Gaylord and administrator of the newly-established Our Lady of Guadalupe Chapel in Traverse City. He, along with Silvia Cortes-Lopez, director of the Hispanic Ministry, and Gladys Muñoz, with the Justice and Peace Advocacy Center, help serve the needs of this diverse population. But the needs are great, and the resources are limited.
“It is a population that is largely invisible,” explains Father Wayne. “And there are a lot of variables. We have families who are well-established, individuals who have been here a short while and those who have just arrived.
“Language is often a barrier,” he adds, “and cultural differences can pose great difficulty for immigrants trying to navigate local medical, legal or government systems with which they are not at all familiar.”
Some think the diocese’s Hispanic Apostolate Ministry addresses just the sacramental needs, says Father Wayne. “But there is also a need for cultural interpretation along with legal, immigration and medical assistance. This is what it means to be the Body of Christ. We are literally all brothers “It is a population that is largely invisible,” explains Father Wayne. “And there are a lot of variables. We have families who are well-established, individuals who have been here a short while and those who have just arrived.
“Language is often a barrier,” he adds, “and cultural differences can pose great difficulty for immigrants trying to navigate local medical, legal or government systems with which they are not at all familiar.”
Some think the diocese’s Hispanic Apostolate Ministry addresses just the sacramental needs, says Father Wayne. “But there is also a need for cultural interpretation along with legal, immigration and medical assistance. This is what it means to be the Body of Christ. We are literally all brothers As a certified medical interpreter, Gladys Muñoz’ assistance is invaluable for families dealing with health-related issues. Imagine giving birth in a foreign country, or having a doctor explain a complex medical problem in your non-native language. By translating the medical team’s plan of care, Gladys can help reduce some of the anxiety during an already stressful time.
All of them would likely admit to feeling short-handed, but they take solace in knowing that their work makes a significant difference in the lives they are able to touch.
“We need to tend to the needs of the whole person — body, mind and spirit,” says Father Wayne, “and, this involves a huge investment of time.”
The Diocese of Gaylord started a Hispanic Ministry 30 years ago. Over the years, the demographics of the Hispanic community in our area has changed. Formerly, extended/multi-generational families would travel to work locations together. This enabled the Hispanic Ministry to travel to camps, meet with someone who remained at camp during the day and arrange a meeting when all family members could be present. Now, it is more common for men to come to the U.S. for work unaccompanied, and they are not an easy population to serve.
“The men often work extra shifts to earn extra money,” says Father Wayne. “When they arrive back at camp, it is late, they are tired and hungry and it’s not an ideal time to discuss whether they are Catholic.”
Before moving from Mexico to the U.S. as a young woman, Silvia worked as a social worker. She remembers being concerned for the women and elderly men who had to fend for themselves while many working-aged men labored abroad. Later, when she moved to the U.S. and saw the hardships of the men who were away from their families, their culture and their language, she had compassion for them as well.
Many workers lack their own transportation, and even if they had it, Father Wayne laments, they often aren’t familiar with their work location in relation to what is around them.
A bright spot in the Hispanic Ministry is the newly-established Our Lady of Guadalupe Chapel. Mass is celebrated in Spanish every Sunday night at 5 p.m., with Father Wayne as the usual celebrant.
The Chapel’s Fouch Road location is near Leelanau County, which has a significant population of Hispanic persons, and is also close to Traverse City. The building features a classroom/meeting space, a full kitchen and an office for Silvia. The worship space seats about 100.
Since the population Our Lady of Guadalupe Chapel serves is partly transient, the permanence of the location is important. Awareness grows through word-of-mouth.
Although Jenn Pedroza is registered at Christ the King parish in Acme, her daughters received their Quinceañera formation from Silvia at Our Lady of Guadalupe.
“The capilla (chapel) means a lot to us because it gives us a cultural home and community for us to bring our children to teach them Mexican spirituality and traditions,” explains Jenn.
The Spanish Mass holds particularly great value to the 50-75 families who worship at the chapel. Silvia, who has lived in the U.S. for many years, remarks: “I still cannot bring myself to say, ‘Lord, I am not worthy to receive you’ in English; it has to be in Spanish.”
Silvia’s vision is this: “Our Mother of Guadalupe came to show us how to see each other as brothers and sisters, united in the same faith. That makes me dream that it could be the same here, at Our Lady of Guadalupe Chapel.”
