iAprenda Español!

members of diocese complete Spanish language and cultural immersion course held this summer

New Ulm - iAprenda Español! (Learn Spanish!), a five-week long Spanish language and cultural immersion course offered by the Diocese of New Ulm, concluded on August 3 with a fiesta dinner of chicken mole, frijoles with chorizo (sausage), rice, beef chili, tortillas, and mango ice cream for dessert all prepared by Fathers Tony Stubeda and Joe Steinbeisser of St. Mary parish in Willmar.

Priests and Pastoral Administrators from the New Ulm diocese receiving Certificates of Completion are: Fr. Eugene Brown (Ivanhoe), Fr. Jeffrey Horejsi (Kandiyohi-Lake Lillian), Fr. Joseph Steinbeisser (Willmar); Don Clasemann (Hector), Sr. Carole Freking, OSF (Clara City), Sr. Jeanette Homan, OSF (Sanborn), and Sr. Donna Wermus, SSND (Faxon Township). Parish staff completing the course are: Lori Clasemann (Hector), Sr. Elizabeth Gruenes, OSB (Glencoe), Joanne Pohland (Glencoe), and Sr. Rita von Holtum, SSND (Litchfield). Two diocesan staff also participated: Mark Kemmeter and Christopher Loetscher. Sr. Janice Hoffman, OSF, from Cherokee, Iowa heard about the course from members of her community and asked to participate so that she could better serve the Hispanic community in her parish.

The course was conducted at the St. Alphonsus Retreat House in New Ulm as a joint venture of the Diocese of New Ulm and faculty from the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul. Dr. Stewart James-Lejarcegui, from the Spanish department at St. Catherine and fluent in a number of languages, directed the academic program. He teamed with Sr. Joanne O’Connor, SSND and Mr. Steve Johnston.

Sr. Joanne O’Connor, a visiting professor of Spanish at Western Carolina University, is an accomplished language teacher and Hispanic minister, having taught at the Mexican-American Cultural Center in San Antonio, Texas and ministered in Puerto Rico, Guatemala, and St. Mary’s, Willmar, where she served in Hispanic Ministry. Sr. Joanne coordinated the pastoral aspects of the course which included preparing the daily Masses in Spanish, working with the presiders, lectors, and musicians, and familiarizing participants with the vocabulary and cultural background that is needed in a parish setting.

Steve Johnston also from the College of St. Catherine, brought some innovative language learning techniques to the group. For example, one of his methods made it possible for students to quickly engage in conversation.

The students were divided into three learning groups based on assessments that were conducted the first morning of the course. Students became familiar with videos, CD’s, and websites that may assist them with the development of their language skills.

Fr. Tony Stubeda, diocesan Director of Hispanic Ministry, was actively involved in providing cultural background and sharing his ministerial experience. Since the diocesan Migrant Ministry was also in full swing out of Clara City, some of the course participants were given the opportunity to join Fr. Tony as he visited migrant families. The entire group was invited to the Migrant Fiesta which was held at St. Mary in Willmar on July 25.

Students will soon be offered several opportunities to improve their conversational skills during the year. The opportunities under consideration include language mentors and weekly Spanish-only lunches. Other pastoral leaders will be invited to join these dialogues.

The goal of the course was to increase the number of Spanish speaking ministers in the diocese. iAprenda Español! represents a first initiative toward that goal. Planning is already underway for another intensive course next summer that would also include some tutorial components which may make it easier for some students to work on specialized needs with the professors and also fit these sessions into busy parish schedules.

iAprenda Español! was made possible by a grant from the USCCB Home Missions Committee. Additional funding was provided by the diocesan Continuing Education for Clergy Spanish-Language study fund.