Booming Hispanic ministry in Lansdowne adds to pastorate

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LINTHICUM – More than 600 gathered Aug. 22 to celebrate 100 children receiving their first holy Communion. The Mass, offered in Spanish, was held at St. Philip Neri Church. Its pastorate includes St. Clement I in Lansdowne, home to a burgeoning Hispanic ministry.

“I believe the Hispanic community is so strong because of their ministries,” said Father Andrew Aaron, pastor of the pastorate of St. Philip Neri and St. Clement I.

That includes a prayer group, four different choirs, Legion of Mary for adults and kids, a couples’ group, consecration to St. Mary and St. Joseph, and the  Cursillo movement. Mass in Spanish regularly draws 300. According to Guadalupe Barradas, St. Clement’s secretary, the congregation has doubled since 2016, as Father Aaron continues the work of evangelization done by his predecessor, Father Michael DeAscanis.

With the support of ­Peru-based Operation Mato Grosso, St. Clement I partnered with Our Lady of Pompei in Highlandtown to prepare children for first Communion. The program is tailored to first-generation Americans, who are taught catechism in English and recite prayers in Spanish.

Retired Bishop Denis J. Madden presided at the first Communion liturgy. Concelebrants included Father Aaron; Fathers Claudio Piccolongo and Giuliano Gargiulo of Our Lady of Pompei; and Father Roger Brito Fernández.

In addition to St. Clement I and St. Philip Neri, Father Brito also ministers at St. Gabriel in Woodlawn. Several of his parishioners refer to him as a “priest of the people.” A native of San Javier de Alpabamba, Peru, he was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Huari, Peru, in 2011, and two years later came to the United States with Operation Mato Grosso, which serves the poor.

It was founded by Father Ugo de Censi Scarafoni, an Italian priest who brought it to Peru in 1976.

“He (Father Brito) was a kid rescued from poverty by Father Ugo,” said Matteo Santi Amantini, an Operation Mato Grosso lay missionary in Baltimore.

Barradas, the parish secretary, recalls her first interaction with St. Clement I Parish.

“I called the parish office, asking for someone to pray a rosary for a family member,” she said. “Father Roger asked for my address and came to my house to pray the rosary with me.”

The Hispanic community based at St. Clement I is dominated by people from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico. It includes families from Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador and Peru. The parish acknowledges unique devotions, such as Our Lady of the Cloud (Ecuador) and the Black Christ of Esquipulas (Guatemala).

Catechists distribute handmade embroidery bags, and banners with song lyrics and responses for the congregation are displayed at liturgies. The community is known for serving the Lord by donating time and talents.

“Families are not only devotional, but they also participate with their children,” said Deacon Carlos Dutan. “Parents are seen at the parish cooking and cleaning bathrooms while their children are at catechism classes.”

At the Aug. 22 liturgy, Father Aaron assured the congregation, “This is your home, and the doors are always open.”

Email Priscila González de Doran at pdoran@CatholicReview.org

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