Most of the Main Street shops and cafes have closed as the sun sets on Friday night in Woodstock.
A few blocks away at St. John Bosco Church, things are about to come alive. It has the feel of a family reunion as members of the Nueva Esperanza (New Hope) group greet each other with hugs and laughter outside the Holy Family Center.
“This community has been together for many years,” said parishioner Esther Garcia, pointing to a man seated nearby. “I’ve known this guy for 20 years. We meet every Friday night to study the Scriptures for the Sunday Mass. It’s a great way to support each other and to increase our faith.”
Miguel Pinales has served as the volunteer Spanish liaison for eight years. He estimates there are at least 150 regular Massgoers for the Sunday Spanish Mass, while many more attend the English-speaking Masses and participate in other parish events.
“When you’re driving around, you cannot see how big the community really is,” said Pinales, 73, who retired in Woodstock in 2018 after a career as a physician’s assistant. “Most are from Central America and Mexico and many work in agriculture. Their biggest employer is George’s Chicken (poultry processing) in Mount Jackson, about 20 miles southwest of Woodstock.
A few minutes before 8 p.m., members of Nueva Esperanza move inside to begin the evening with praise and worship music. Moms stand next to children while others kneel, some lift their arms, alternating between singing and praying “in the spirit” as music fills the room.
It’s a warm, joyful, charismatic worship atmosphere, but Pinales is quick to point out that the people who spent the week working long hours in the fields and factories aren’t indulging in what is known as the “prosperity gospel” that has gained ground in some Hispanic communities.
“You have to be careful because there’s a lot of misguided and self-fulfilling people who are out to take advantage of others,” said Pinales. “When you say, ‘We’re going to make you rich,’ that’s not what Christ teaches. Taking up your cross means that we deal with adversities and we deal with them in the Christian way. We take care of the brethren and share with the less fortunate. If you follow the Gospel, you take care of the elderly, clothe the naked and feed the hungry. It’s not about achieving success.”
Pinales credits Father Augustine M. Tran, pastor, who has become proficient in Spanish as a third language, for his strong support of the Hispanic community and its traditional cultural events. The two biggest celebrations occur on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe Dec. 12 and the Feast of Corpus Christi. Parishioners begin work at sunrise and spend hours decorating the sidewalk for the Corpus Christi procession, celebrated this year June 7.
“Father Tran hasn’t just kept things going, he’s made it stronger,” said Pinales. “He supports our entire culture. There’s so much enthusiasm and participation and he’s been good about integrating the Hispanic and American communities, coming together for potlucks and just spending time with each other.”
“The Hispanic ministry is very important to help our brothers and sisters who arrived in a new environment where the language and cultural differences are an obstacle to practicing their faith,” said Father Tran. “As a refugee myself, I understood what that meant. My dad used to be the Vietnamese church leader to help our family and many other Vietnamese people to assimilate into mainstream parish life in New York City. For the Hispanic ministry, I see many new faces and those familiar ones who gathered to support one another and to help each other to grow in the faith. Our parish community is blessed and enriched to witness many ways of the practice of our faith from different cultures and walks of life.”
As the community grows, Pinales said his prayer is to have a bilingual deacon on staff to help Father Tran “navigate the challenges of the church, because it’s not easy for him.”
Garcia is certain that the prayers offered by Nueva Esperanza on Friday nights will continue to sustain her faithful community. “We’ve been here such a long time, working and praying together,” she said. “Some do come and go, but not us. We’re going to be here a long, long time.”
