Deacon lays groundwork for expanded Hispanic outreach in Alaska

CatholicAnchor.org
Catholic outreach to Hispanics in the Anchorage Archdiocese is about to undergo a dramatic shift.

Three members of the Congregation of the Mission, popularly known as Vincentians, will soon be serving the growing number of Southcentral Hispanics. Two of them are priests, and their arrival from Columbia will be determined by how quickly they receive their religious workers visas.

But Deacon Arnold Hernandez is already in Anchorage, laying the groundwork for the mission by studying the needs and immersing himself in the local Hispanic culture.

Deacon Hernandez, an energetic 78-year-old with extensive experience serving Hispanic communities, is the only permanent deacon serving with the Vincentians in the United States.

He was originally ordained for the diocese of Gallup, New Mexico, but was born in the arid west Texas town of Del Rio. He has spent a lifetime traveling the country, first as a carpenter, and after his ordination, as a deacon.

“I’ve been involved with farm workers, prison ministry, divorce support groups, the Charismatic movement and Retrouvaille, (a program to heal and renew marriages),” Deacon Hernandez told the Catholic Anchor. In most of these programs, his emphasis has been on working with Hispanics.

His most recent post was in the Diocese of Little Rock, Arkansas, where he served with migrant workers and prisoners.

Neither Deacon Hernandez nor the expected priests have been assigned to an Alaska parish, but are leaving the door open to serve wherever they are most needed.

“First of all, we’ll be making an assessment of the local Hispanic needs, including housing and other social justice issues,” Deacon Hernandez said. “I’m in the process of getting to know community members.”

As he awaits the arrival of the two priests, his goal is to better understand the needs of the Hispanic community and to put together short-term and long-term pastoral plans to present to Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz.

Deacon Hernandez was ordained in 1981. He’s a father, grandfather and great-grandfather, although his marriage was annulled in 1976.

As a carpenter, he traveled to find work. This caused disruption in his diaconal training, since he was studying to be ordained for a diocese, and his frequent moves meant he often had to start over. But this resulted in extra classes, which he said, came as a blessing.

“I received about eight years of training and theology before I was finally ordained.”

After ordination, Deacon Hernandez felt drawn to religious community life and in 1999 he took vows with the Vincentians, a religious order with a long history of service to the poor and marginalized.

Founded in 1625 in France by Saint Vincent de Paul, the order now has 4,000 men serving in 86 countries worldwide. Additionally, a community of women, the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, was founded in 1633. And most Catholics are familiar with the St. Vincent de Paul Society, which has a local group in Anchorage. This organization of Catholic laymen and women is dedicated to serving the community’s poor.

The Daughters of Charity have had a presence in Anchorage since 1999, and Sister Mary Peter Diaz has served in Anchorage, in both Hispanic and Native Alaskan ministry, since 2007. She said she is “absolutely happy” with the arrival of her brothers in community.

“The Hispanic community here is growing and growing and growing,” she said, “and they need to be able to celebrate the sacraments in Spanish. I have been talking to my superior about the need here.”

Nationally, Hispanics comprise the largest-growing Catholic group in the U.S. The Alaska Department of Labor reports that in the 2010 census, the Hispanic population of the state was 5.5 percent — lower than the national percentage of 16.3 percent — but still 52 percent larger than it was 10 years earlier.

Commenting on the growth of her own order in Alaska, Sister Diaz noted that it is mission minded.

“Vincentian charism is always missionary,” she said. “It’s always service to the poor no matter what.”