Immaculate Conception Embraces Diversity of Hispanic/Latino Community

Cultivating a united community of faith with the Hispanic population has been an ongoing work within the Diocese of Baton Rouge for more than 40 years. On May 19, Pentecost Sunday, the Diocese of Baton Rouge promulgated a diocesan pastoral plan for Hispanic/Latino ministry, which is based on the United States Conference of Catholic Bishop’s National Pastoral Plan and the Encuentros movement. Bishop Michael G. Duca authorized the plan, which is themed “Missionary Disciples: Forward, Together in Hope.”

­­­For parishes such as Immaculate Conception Church in Denham Springs, evangelizing the Hispanic population has helped them grow as a diversified community of missionary disciples.

Around 2019, ICC parishioners noticed that a large group of Hispanic people were attending services at a non-denominational church down the street from the parish.

“Knowing that many Hispanics are Catholic, we approached (then ICC Pastor Father Frank Uter) and asked, “Do we have anything that we feel like we could offer to the Hispanic community?’” said Rozalyn Duplantis, director of religious education at ICC. “Father Frank began researching and he decided that he was going to try to make a way to have Spanish masses offered here at Immaculate Conception.”

Father Matthew Graham, ICC pastor, said, “We're very grateful for the Redemptorist priests who cover a majority of our masses.”

He added that Father Joseph Bresowar, parochial vicar at ICC, has been celebrating the Spanish Masses once a month.
In addition to the 7 p.m. Vigil Masses, ICC is striving to build into its Mass schedule Masses offered in Spanish during holidays and holy days of obligation and special liturgical seasons. Father Graham noted ICC hosted Spanish Masses during Ash Wednesday, Holy Thursday, and Good Friday this past year.

As more Hispanic people started attending the Hispanic Masses, they also enrolled in the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (OCIA) and Order of Christian Initiation for Children (OCIC), according to Tammy Jackson, director of OCIA AND OCIC. 

Within the past year, ICC saw the need to translate documents in its Parish School of Religion from English into Spanish.

While many of the youth at ICC speak English, their parents often do not, Duplantis pointed out. The children would translate for their parents.
The parish had also been using an online Spanish translation service, but it sometimes did not interpret correctly, stated Duplantis.

With the help of the Hispanic Apostolate of the Diocese of Baton Rouge and volunteers who speak and write in English and Spanish, ICC is breaking that language barrier.

“It’s been a really beautiful partnership. Our teachers are having so much fun with it. We have high school teachers that are teaching the basic prayers in English and then they're allowing the students to teach them the prayers in Spanish, so the whole class is learning English in Spanish, and they're having so much fun,” said Duplantis.

When it comes to OCIA, OCIC, and PSR classes, Hispanic families are kept together by arranging for them to come on the same night, according to Jackson and Duplantis.

ICC uses the Word of Life Catechism Program, which is a bilingual curriculum. While the children receive an English version of the curriculum, parents who are not English speaking can go online, click on the Español portal to see what their children are learning, and be catechized themselves.

For parents and people who feel they cannot speak English, the office staff encourages them with a “yes you can, let’s try,” outlook.

“A lot of times they know more English than they think,” said Duplantis. “We work through it and there’s always a hug at the end of it.”

She added, “Our Spanish population was very patient with our inability to communicate properly. They have this great desire to educate their children.”

Father Bresowar noted that the Hispanic faithful have a reverent devotion to the Eucharist and the sacraments that is inspiring. The Hispanic people are committed adorers, filling in those hours where adorers are needed in its perpetual adoration chapel. And their  Eucharistic processions during the Feast of Corpus Christi into the church are “eye opening.”

“They have the gift and perspective of worship,” said Father Bresowar.

Each month the Hispanic population hosts a Mass and holy hour with praise and worship music, and in August it hosts a healing Mass, which fills the church with people attending Mass and going to confession.

Volunteers, such as Hispanic choir leader Cinthia Bautista, help provide these vibrant worship experiences so people can come to ICC instead of having to travel to St. Pius X Church in Baton Rouge.

“It’s good to have these opportunities closer to home with our own language,” said Bautista.

Marily Rivera, a liaison between ICC and the Hispanic Apostolate, pointed out that Hispanic people are also hard workers.

“Anytime that the church has a need or has a task to complete, they will do it,” stated Rivera.

She said they do it in gratitude because the ICC has faithfully accompanied them as part of the Catholic Church.

Father Graham and Father Bresowar noted the outreach efforts to the Hispanic population are part of ICC’s desire to incorporate them into the church.

“They are our parishioners, and they are our family,” Father Bresowar said.

Julia Scarnato, Director of the Hispanic Apostolate of the Diocese of Baton Rouge, commended the parishes in the diocese, such as ICC, who are welcoming their Hispanic/Latino brothers and sisters into their fold.