Pastor at Hawarden parish sees many positives in Hispanic community

By KATIE LEFEBVRE, Globe staff reporter
October 26, 2006

HAWARDEN - Sioux County has recently been on the receiving end of some bad publicity, but the local pastor wanted to stress that there are many positive things happening in the Hispanic community there.

According to Father LeRoy Seuntjens, pastor at St. Mary Parish in Hawarden, there are different things happening at the churches in Sioux County in ministry to the Hispanic community.

"I celebrate Mass in Spanish every Sunday," said Father Seuntjens. "The first, third and fifth Sundays of the month, I have Spanish Mass here (Hawarden). On the second and fourth (Sundays) I celebrate in Sioux Center."

Father Seuntjens added that Father Doug Klein, pastor at Christ the King in Sioux Center and St. Mary Parish in Rock Valley, celebrates Spanish Mass on the first, third and fifth Sundays in Sioux Center and on the second and fourth in Rock Valley.

"It is so important to celebrate and sing in Spanish, especially for the first generation," said Father Seuntjens. "We don't want them to lose their culture and that richness."

Other than Spanish Mass, Father Seuntjens pointed out that he does baptisms, marriages and funerals for the people in the Hispanic community.

"We do a lot of baptisms. They have a lot of children," said Father Seuntjens. "I do 30 to 40 baptisms a year just here in Hawarden and it is a small parish. Sioux Center has more than that now. I have baptism class after Mass every first and third Sunday."

The children are in the religious education program with the Anglo students. Some of the Hispanic children, however, "have fallen through the cracks, are new in the community and don't know English well enough," noted Father Seuntjens. Those students are in a special class taught by a Hispanic woman from the community.

The priest also helps prepare young women for their quincinera, a celebration for their 15th birthday.

"It is a commitment to be a responsible young Christian woman," said Father Seuntjens. "It is almost a commitment like confirmation. I give them some classes and insist that they know a little bit about the faith. There is a reason why we celebrate it in church."

For marriages, he gives couples the Spanish version of the FOCUS inventory. There are also a few videos that he uses for the couple's marriage preparation.

"Since they don't know English, they can't go to Pre-Cana or Engaged Encounter," said Father Seuntjens.

One story he told was about a validation of a marriage in the church.

"In Mexico, they had all the pre-marital instruction. They got married civilly and then they get married in the church," said Father Seuntjens. He continued that the couple did not end up validating their marriage in the church before coming to the United States.

The man got his green card and came to Hull to work, but for his wife and children to get papers to come and join him would take three to seven years.

"That woman took a baby in arms, a 2- or 3-year-old child and a satchel of clothes and food and snuck across the border," said the priest. "She hooked up with someone who was bringing those people up here."

Once the wife was in Iowa, Father Seuntjens married the couple in the church. Along with the marriage, one of the couple's children was baptized during Mass.

"I'll do that any day," said the priest. "I am trying to encourage them because there are so many who need to validate their vows."

The Hispanics in the community also celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe along with saying the rosary and prayers the 49 days before the feast. After saying Mass on the feast for three years in Hawarden, women from Sioux Center and Rock Valley approached Father Seuntjens about saying Mass in Sioux Center. They prepared the church and he went and presided over the Mass.

He also commended the strong pro-life stance of the Hispanic people.

The priest recounted stories of Hispanic couples in the community and their families and babies. He noted that the parents love their children and take good care of them.

"They know how to make babies and they have their babies," said Father Seuntjens. "They love their babies. They are good family people."

Many of the Hispanics do not want to register at the church or talk to the police about the investigations going on, mentioned Father Seuntjens. They do not want to put their names down on paper. Some are afraid that there might be danger in doing so.

"Many are illegal. To me as a pastor, I don't care if they are illegal or legal as far as my ministry is concerned," said the priest.

In light of the recent deaths in Hawarden, there was a prayer on Oct. 21 for Alonzo Pena, 20, and Jose Cruz Topete, 18.

"I think there is a little bit of shock, so everyone is hesitant to say anything," said Father Seuntjens. "This is our opportunity to really be Christian. This is a time to not make judgements and to reach out. Our Anglos in the parish want to do something."

The Hispanic community waked the body of Alonzo in St. Mary's Church Hall in Hawarden. The Hispanic tradition is to stay up with the body all night. The women of the church had coffee and bars for those gathered.

Father Seuntjens noted that he has set up accounts at both banks for the families of the victims of Oct. 15. He encourages people in the community to contribute to that.

The priest invited children and families to the church on Oct. 23 to talk about what has happened in the community including prayer and the mystery of life and the mystery of the cross. Father Seuntjens and a Catholic Charities counselor were on hand for one-on-one discussion as well.

"These are our brothers and sisters in Christ. They are part of our community," said Father Seuntjens. "They are contributing in our community and we are going to support them in the way that we can."