Nearly 1,000 Hispanic Catholics to celebrate culture, faith in Newark (Hispanic Heritage Month)
Cardinal Tobin will lead Hispanic Heritage Mass on Sept. 20
Nearly 1,000 Spanish-speaking Catholics will celebrate their culture and faith during the Archdiocese of Newark’s annual Hispanic Heritage Mass on Friday, Sept. 20, at 8 p.m. in Newark’s Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart.
Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., Archbishop of Newark, will preside over the Mass, which is one of the Cathedral Basilica’s most popular liturgies every year. Joining him will be the Archdiocese’s four auxiliary bishops as well as faithful from some of the 86 archdiocesan parishes with Hispanic ministries. Many of these parishioners will come wearing vibrant cultural attire, a dress code that is optional but encouraged. A chorus from West New York’s St. Joseph of the Palisades Parish — one of the Archdiocese’s largest Hispanic congregations — also will accompany the Cathedral Choir in performing liturgical songs in Spanish.
In addition to these elements, the Hispanic Heritage Mass will continue a longstanding tradition by once again hosting a procession exemplifying the extent to which faith and culture are intertwined in the Hispanic community. This procession will involve participants marching with the flags of Spanish-speaking countries in a display of global solidarity. Accompanying processors will carry banners of each nation’s advocation of the Virgin Mary, paying tribute to the Blessed Mother’s crucial role in Hispanic worship.
“This Mass commemorates the Hispanic community’s devotion to the Catholic faith, which is an inseparable part of our identity,” said Deacon Asterio Velasco, director of the Archdiocese of Newark’s Hispanic Ministry. “We invite all Spanish speakers to attend so they can take pride in their culture, enjoy the festivities, and embrace the Eucharist. Our goal is to fill them with so much joy that by the time they leave our beautiful mother church, they will be eager witnesses of the Lord in their everyday lives.”
According to Hispanic Ministry statistics, Hispanics make up about 40% of the Archdiocese’s Catholics. That number is expected to increase, considering national data. Per the 2020 U.S. Census, the Hispanic population rose from 50.5 million in 2010 to 62.1 million a decade later, accounting for 51.1% of the country’s total growth. That makes Hispanics the second-largest ethnic group in the nation after Caucasians.
To engage with this major demographic, the Hispanic Ministry partners with archdiocesan offices and parishes to ensure all Spanish speakers seeking help from the Church receive the assistance they need. It also offers Spanish-language events, programs, and services throughout the Archdiocese’s four counties: Bergen, Essex, Hudson, and Union.
In September, the Hispanic Ministry will launch a two-year educational program that will train Spanish-speaking lay Catholics to become leaders or enhance their existing leadership within the Church. It is also exploring ways it can bolster its existing efforts using the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ new National Pastoral Plan for Hispanic/Latino Ministry. And once the Synod on Synodality comes to a close this October, the ministry plans on reviewing the Synod’s findings to understand how it can better connect with Hispanic youth and invite more people to parishes.
“The Hispanic population continues to grow, which means our significance to the U.S. Church is increasing,” Deacon Asterio said. “It is our responsibility to use this influence to benefit the Church. That’s why the Hispanic Ministry is preparing Hispanic Catholics in the Archdiocese to play a larger role in the Church’s future. We all have the power to make a difference.”
To learn more about the Archdiocese of Newark’s Hispanic Ministry, visit www.rcan.org/ministerio-hispano/.
Featured image: Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin delivered a homily celebrating Hispanic culture and faith during the Archdiocese of Newark’s annual Hispanic Heritage Mass in Newark’s Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart on September 8, 2023. (Photo by Archdiocese of Newark/Julio Eduardo Herrera)
