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Bilingual religious ed helped by CSA

DETROIT — Lupita Villagrana is happy that her Hispanic Catholic traditions are being passed on to her daughter in the bilingual religious education program at Most Holy Redeemer Parish in heavily Hispanic southwest Detroit.

"The culture – posadas and other special Christmas events, the Feast of the Three Kings, and devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe – are being passed on so they can continue to be observed and not die out. For us Mexicans, it is an important thing to have these traditions taught and that we don't lose our culture," she says through an interpreter.

Villagrana's daughter, Viridiana, 11, is among 360 children in the parish's religious education program, which is coordinated by Sr. Nina Rodríguez, SSJ. The program is one of many ministries funded by the Catholic Services Appeal, which officially kicks off the first weekend in May.

Viridiana says she likes the classes. "I enjoy being taught more about God," she says, adding that she looks forward to the day when she can help with the younger children.

And Sr. Rodríguez, who says she uses teens as teacher's assistants in the program, will be glad to have her help. "I encourage senior citizens to work with us, because what they add is a lot of love; I encourage youths, because they add energy. Their witness is very important, and the fact they are willing to come every Saturday is a wonderful example for the younger children," she says.

Most of the class sections are taught in Spanish, but some are taught in English, although there are bilingual aspects to the entire program. Martin and Marcella Solis have a son, Diego, 12, who is in one of the English-language sections, but Marcella says she likes the bilingual textbook used, "because I can read what he's learning."

Martin Solis says his son is doing well in his class. "He's learning about God," he adds.

Marcella Solis points out that the children also learn Spanish-language songs, go on a retreat, and traveled out to Bloomfield Hills last year to put on a play about Mexican Catholic traditions at St. Hugo of the Hills Parish.

For Sr. Rodríguez, these last nearly five years at Most Holy Trinity have been a return to her old neighborhood after years of ministry in other parts of the United States and 14 years in Peru. Herself the daughter of Mexican immigrants, she was baptized in Most Holy Redeemer Church, and attended grade school and high school at neighboring Ste. Anne de Detroit Parish.

She is helped by about 40 volunteers, of which Marcella Solis is one. "We are very blest – there's no doubt about it. I'm very grateful for the staff we have," Sr. Rodríguez says.

The traditions she is helping to pass on to the children in the program are the ones she learned from her own parents. "Someone once said religion is not taught, it's caught. There's a richness in what my parents gave me and my brothers and sisters, and that's what the parents want for their children today," she continues.

Besides the first Communion and confirmation classes, Sr. Rodríguez also coordinates the Amigos de Jesus program for young children, who leave Mass at the Liturgy of the Word for instruction in the breezeway that connects the church to the rectory.

Her current assignment is vastly different from her former work in Nazca, in a desert area of Peru, which was twice assaulted by Sendero Luminosa (Shining Path) Maoist guerillas. One of those times they took Sr. Rodríguez captive at gunpoint while they looted the town.

"I took my Bible with me – the same one I have on my desk today – and I could feel the power of God flowing from it into me. I was not terrified for the hour-and-a-half or so they held me, only later when I thought about it was I terrified," she says.

The insurgents released her unharmed, but she had reason to be fearful – when they raided another town about eight miles away, they killed the nun working with the people there.

But her experience working in Peru showed Sr. Rodríguez the importance of the work of Catholic Relief Services, and she says she can speak from personal knowledge when she encourages the children to take part in Operation Rice Bowl. "They've already turned in more than $1,700, and its not all in yet," she says.

Sr. Rodríguez says she is grateful for the support provided by the CSA, enabling her ministry at Most Holy Redeemer. "I just want to say 'thank you,' because I think my presence as a Hispanic woman is important here," she adds.