Four new bilingual priests join Diocese of Yakima

YAKIMA, Wash. — The Rev. José Herrera is still getting used to his new title.

Friends and family members who once called him by his nickname "Gordo" -- Spanish for "fat" -- are now calling him "Father." It still feels a bit strange.

"It's weird," the new priest said. "They call me 'Father José.' People that used to call me 'tú' are calling me 'usted,'" the formal version of "you" in Spanish instead of the familiar form of the pronoun.

"It's the respect that comes with ordination," said Herrera, one of four priests recently ordained in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Yakima. Each has ties to Mexico -- three were born there -- and all are native Spanish speakers.

According to church officials, the new clergymen will help fill a growing need in the diocese for priests who are fluent in both English and Spanish.

"I would say the need is great," said the Most Rev. Carlos Sevilla, bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Yakima.

And the demand is expected to continue to grow.

Given the changing demographics throughout Central Washington, the diocese faces both great opportunity and great challenges. It's likely to see more Spanish-speaking people joining local parishes, but at the same time it's struggling to enlist new priests.

"A good number of our priests now are over 65 and over 70," said Sevilla, who is 73. "We have a few parishes that have one pastor with two churches, and we could see that increase in the not-too-distant future."

Fewer men are taking the vows of poverty and chastity, and dedicating their lives to the church. And of those newly ordained in the United States, nearly three-quarters are white.

A third of U.S. Catholics, an estimated 34 percent, are Latino. But Latino priests -- including Herrera and the three other men who were ordained at Yakima's Holy Family Church on May 22 -- make up only 12 percent of the ordination Class of 2009.

More native Spanish-speaking priests are on their way to Central Washington. Of the diocese's remaining 10 seminarians, seven are native Spanish speakers. But it might be a while -- perhaps five years, Sevilla said -- before the next wave of new priests is ready to be ordained. The studies to become a priest can take six to 10 years, depending on the individual's educational background.

"We may have one or two next year," said the Rev. Robert Siler, chief of staff for the Diocese of Yakima. But, "This is our last big group of priests for several years."

The latest estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau put Yakima County's Latino population at 41.4 percent in 2008, up from 35.9 percent in 2000. Statewide and across the country, Latinos make up the largest and fastest-growing minority group.

The Diocese of Yakima, founded in 1951, covers almost 18,000 square miles and seven rural counties in Central Washington: Yakima, Kittitas, Klickitat, Grant, Douglas, Chelan and Benton.

Sevilla estimates there are roughly 90,000 Catholics in the diocese, or about 15 percent of the approximately 600,000 people who live in that region.

And 70 percent to 75 percent of those Catholics, anywhere from 63,000 to 67,500 people, are Latino, Sevilla said.

"They're not all monolingual or bilingual," he said. "But even those who speak English fluently or may have been educated here (in the U.S.) prefer to pray in Spanish."

Newly ordained Herrera, 36, said he's looking forward to serving local Catholics in both English and Spanish.

"I think being bilingual is a great, great advantage in ministering to the people in the Diocese of Yakima," he said. "My plan is to work with both communities. I would like to hear what they have to say and help them express how they feel. I'll try to do my best to help them."

A former farm worker, Herrera was born in California and raised in Mexico and Sunnyside. Soon, he will return to the Lower Valley to serve at Blessed Sacrament Parish in Grandview and Immaculate Conception Parish in Mabton. Both offer Mass in Spanish.

Thirty-two of the 41 parishes in the diocese offer Mass in Spanish, Siler said. And two parishes offer bilingual Mass, celebrated in both English and Spanish.

About half of the approximately 60 priests in the diocese -- including Siler and Sevilla -- are bilingual. Including the four new priests, 23 are native Spanish speakers.

In the Diocese of Yakima, seminarians "have to have some Spanish," Sevilla said.

"It's a requirement that they study Spanish, but how much is actually learned might be different from what can be retained, and I think the men realize that," he said. "Not everyone can learn a foreign language."

But language isn't the only issue. Bilingual priests who were born in or have ties to Mexico or other Spanish-speaking countries can help immigrants practice their faith within the context of their culture, even though they might live thousands of miles from their homelands.

This year, one quarter of new priests in the United States are foreign-born, with most coming from Mexico, Vietnam, Poland and the Philippines. Five percent are from Mexico, according to "The Class of 2009: Survey of Ordinands to the Priesthood."

The national survey is conducted by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, a Georgetown University-based research center, and commissioned each year by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Sevilla is a member of the conference's Sub-Committee for Translation of Liturgical Texts into Spanish. He also serves as a consultant for the National Catholic Conference of Bishops Committee on Hispanic Affairs.

"A lot of our vocations in the 12 years I've been here have been from Mexico or Colombia, very few Anglos," he said. "They have friends who are among the priests or among the seminarians or they have family here."

Foreign-born seminarians who are studying to be diocesan priests in the United States must learn English, Sevilla said.

"They must learn English because they are trained to serve the entire population," he said. Plus, "They have to have a certain level of English competency before they're admitted into a North American seminary because all the classes are in English."

By mid-June, all four new priests will be working as associate pastors in parishes throughout the diocese. The Rev. Tomás Vidal, 33, a native of a small town near Mexico City, will serve at Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Moses Lake and Queen of All Saints Parish in Warden, Wash.

"I'm open to the challenges that are coming," he said. "I'm open to both communities -- the English-speaking community and the Hispanic community, as well -- and to learning how to become a pastor."

"I really want to practice my English skills," he added. "I never thought I'd be here in the United States as a priest, even as a seminarian. But I'm here. This is the way God works."

The Rev. Rafael Hinojosa, 34, a native of Colima, Mexico, will serve at St. Paul Cathedral in Yakima, and assist with Hispanic ministry at Holy Rosary Parish in Moxee.

And the Rev. Rogelio "Roy" Gutiérrez, a native of Michoacan, Mexico, will return to St. Joseph Parish in Wenatchee, where he interned during his studies to become a priest. He will also serve as administrator of St. Joseph Parish in Waterville.

Gutiérrez didn't speak English when he came to Sunnyside at age 19. Now 40 and bilingual, he'll lead Mass in English and Spanish as one of his first duties. And he implores immigrants to learn English.

"For the people of God, we say there are no boundaries," Gutiérrez said. But, "We need to understand we are not in our (native) country. Anglos learn Spanish. I would encourage also Spanish (speakers) to learn English. It's the language of the U.S."

"It's good to bring our culture here," Gutiérrez said. "It's good to share. But it will be better if we share in English."

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