Diocese Reaches Out, Helps ‘Strangers In a Strange Land’

WILDWOOD — While the immigration debate rages on in this country’s political arena, the church today and in the past has rooted itself in the Torah and the New Testament’s words which tell people to help the stranger in a strange land.
For the Lord, your God, is the God of gods, the Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who has no favorites, accepts no bribes; who executes justice for the orphan, the widow, and befriends the alien, feeding and clothing him. So you too must befriend the alien, for you were once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt. Deuteronomy, 10: 17-19.
Father Gustavo Agudelo finds his calling to minister to Spanish-speaking immigrants who come to live and work in this city and county in these principles.
“Ah yes — God said, ‘I, Yahweh give freedom to you. So now I ask you to treat stranger people well,’” he said. “This is the religious work.”
Father Agudelo, who jokes that his English will be perfect in about 20 years or so, ministers to a community of Spanish-speaking individuals, tending to their religious, spiritual, emotional and physical needs through the Diocese of Camden’s Spanish Center at 4401 Park Boulevard here.
The center offers support for body and soul for those who have little or nothing, or are in need of services the church can provide. Father Agudelo is the first Spanish priest assigned here from the diocese full-time to live in and minister to the Spanish community. He has been doing this work for about a year and a half with volunteers from the community.
The Diocese pays the rent on the Spanish Center and supports the operation with equipment and an office. But the services provided there and the maintenance is done by volunteers and Father Agudelo.
Agudelo conducts the two Spanish Masses in the county each Sunday, in North Wildwood at St. Ann Roman Catholic Church and in Ocean City, at St. Frances Cabrini.
His congregation grew from day one.
“When I came here the first time at mass there were 29 people (at St. Ann’s). The second time, because I invited people, the next Sunday were coming 56 people, and continued growing the community. Today we have about 80 people each Sunday,” he said.
St. Frances Cabrini in contrast is a smaller community of around 50 people, he said.
“So now the community knows there is a priest here. So they are happy with a Spanish priest here. And I see how the community is going,” he added.
He said each of the communities is slightly different; in Wildwood, because of more seasonal work, there are more people who show up on Sunday in the off-season months. In Ocean City, in contrast, the attendance is steady year-round.
“Each community is different. Here is more in winter time, because in the summer, all people are working,” he said. “In summer, Sundays, the majority are working in restaurants, in hotels, cleaning … in general people are busy in summertime. Majority of people have more time in winter, when restaurants are closed.”
Father Agudelo, himself, describes his work for the church in two ways.
“One is my pastoral work. In pastoral work I visit the families, I (conduct) religious services with the people, we pray the holy rosary, we make prayer groups, visit sick people, give Holy Communion with sick people,” Agudelo said.
“In social services, people come here (to the center) … because we have many activities here at the Center, not only for the religious community,” he said. “There are people coming for English services, I do not know from the church. But our service is to the Spanish community not only the Catholic community. We are happy serving and helping the people if we can.”
The center has a number of services it provides. One of the most important is English classes, along with a range of social services including family and couples counseling, and the typical range of social services the Catholic Church provides. The center helps families who need help when they first arrive and have nothing.
Many are too proud to ask for help, said Father Agudelo.
“At the beginning it’s so hard for these people when they move from one place to another place … Many times we visit the community in pastoral activities, and we discover this family is in need but they don’t ask for (anything). For example, I remember I asked one family from the church if they like to do the rosary at their home and they say, ‘But father we have no chairs for the people,’ and I say ‘No problem, I bring the chairs from the center.’ I go there and they not only have no chairs, children are sleeping on the floor, they have no kitchen (furniture), but they ask nothing … In general the Spanish community does not like to ask. They are working, working, working, so we need to go to people because they need a lot of things but they don’t like (to) ask,” he said
Agudelo is from Colombia. He served as a missionary in Venezuela for 20 years and then in Hartford, Conn. and Atlantic City and Millville before coming to Wildwood.
The center offers many services that government might otherwise find itself providing: social services, language classes, counseling services.
Agudelo describes the range of problems that appear on his doorstep.
“Somebody is coming to us to ask how they can receive help because they live without insurance and without legal rights for something; another is coming and asks, ‘What can I do because my children don’t like going to school; somebody’s coming they need pay the rent; somebody’s coming saying, ‘Father we need help because we work painting houses, and spend a lot on clothes,’ and we can answer with the service here (free clothes). Another says, ‘How can I go to the hospital because nobody can speak English with me,’ and we contact someone to go with the person to the hospital.”
Fr. Agudelo calls on people in his community to help each other.
“We have Spanish people who are Puerto Rican or Cuban and they speak English very well, or Mexican and South American and have children and now speak very well, or English or Spanish second generation who are born here, and speak Spanish. Help from the community for the community. Not one priest, one person, no. Our help is our Spanish community helping our community. And we have in turn a lot of American friends who help us, too.”
There are ESL (English for Speakers of Foreign Languages) classes at the Center. One is 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Monday through Friday, another Mondays and Wednesdays 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and another on Tuesdays, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
“It’s very satisfying for us, usually when the people first come, they are not saying nothing, then and in one year they can communicate a lot. It’s so beautiful,” he said.
Contact Avedissian at (609) 886-8600 Ext 27 or at: savedissian@cmcherald.com.