For four months, the young Nicaraguan Felix Navarreteholds the position of Archdiocesan Coordinator of the Hispanic Ministry in the Catholic Church of Indianapolis, Indiana in the United States.
Something that characterizes this pinolero who is in charge of this office is his dynamism in the different parishes, because he is also Catholic preacher and singer-songwriter.
According to Navarrete, the Hispanic Ministry office serves as a link between the Spanish-speaking community and the church authorities in that state. “In this case, with the authorities of the archdiocese of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, it is to connect the laity with the church and execute a pastoral plan together, see the needs of the communities,” he says.
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He explained that there are many projects and challenges, above all because the community is growing a lot and responding to all the demands is becoming a bigger challenge, says the now representative of the Latino community.
Unique presence grows in Indiana
Due to the sociopolitical crisis that Nicaragua has experienced in recent years, the presence of the Nicaraguan community in the Archdiocese of Indianapolis is increasingly visible, especially in the west of the city. “It is more remarkable, and we can see it when they gather for religious services in the San Gabriel parish and the Santa Mónica parish,” confirmed Navarrete.
When asked if the presence of a Nicaraguan priest among the community is possible, Navarrete assured that it would be a phenomenal idea and that could raise that request to the authorities of the Church, who have the last word.
Given the persecution suffered by the Catholic Church in Nicaragua, he maintained that it is “very unfortunate.” “Throughout history the truth has been persecuted, unfortunately this dictatorial government has come to create chaos at a social, cultural and religious level, the fact of seeing that so many religious congregations have been expelled from the country, when they only did services of charity, also the imprisonment of Monsignor Rolando Álvarez, all are unfortunate events, “he added.
“That leader of the Catholic Church (Monsignor Álvarez) is taking up the cross and is taking the place of Jesus, receiving all that hatred and all that persecution, and we must unite in prayer so that the Lord gives him strength and that he can move forward and in the not too distant future, that may change. Prayer is the response that we must have in the face of this persecution, because divine justice always arrives, “he sentenced.
With the presence of a Nicaraguan as a representative of the Latinos in the archdiocese of this State, hopes are raised for greater openness of the parishes towards Nicaraguans.
By United Voices
