The Redemptorist Hispanic ministry at St. Mary's began with a mission to create home based small Christian communities in 1998. The Hispanic Pastoral Office opened in 2000. Our pastoral team consists of two laity and two Redemptorists. We collaborate with other pastoral staff and Parish leaders in helping Spanish speaking members of the parish and in reaching out to new immigrants in the Annapolis area. This collaboration created the English as a Second Language program in 2002. Below is a list of Hispanic ministries. Each ministry has a representative on the Hispanic pastoral committee. Members of the pastoral team are listed together with telephone numbers for further information.

The Hispanic office is named after our lady of Guadalupe, and is located on the second floor of St. Mary’s Rectory. Ms. Amparo Harquail is administrator of religious education in Spanish.

The main focus of the Hispanic ministry at St. Mary’s is the small Christian communities. There are twelve groups that meet regularly in homes around the Annapolis area. They usually pray and reflect on the scriptures of the following Sunday. They welcome newcomers to the area, especially recent immigrant arrivals. Some groups are filled with missionary zeal going out to visit families encouraging them to become active in the parish. Catechesis: for children, youth and adults.

We offer Mass every Sunday at 1:00 PM at St. John Neumann Church. Nicolas Gomez coordinates the various ministries within the celebration of the Eucharist. Fredy García is the director of the music ministry. They rehearse on Tuesdays at 7 :00 PM at the same time as the weekly Rosary is taking place in the chapel. Mass is celebrated the 1st. Tuesday of the month, after the Rosary.

About 25 youth between the ages of 12 and 17 meet regularly at the Youth office at St. Mary’s on Thursdays at 7:00PM. The volunteer youth Minster is Wilson Martinez. Part of the program involves religious instructions as well as recreational activities. Some of our youth are involved in community activities such as Birth Right.

We celebrate our Lady of Guadalupe on December 12, with the singing of the “Mañanitas” at 5:30 AM at St. John’s church, followed by a traditional Mexican breakfast. We celebrate “ Las Posadas “ in December, nine days before Christmas. This celebrates the memory of Mary and Joseph searching for a place for the child Jesus to be born. Julia Fuentes organizes this wonderful Mexican tradition. During Lent, we have the Station of the cross on Fridays. On Good Friday we celebrate a live stations of the cross around the Carroll Gardens at St. Mary’s. Our youth group acts out the roles of Jesus, Mary et all. We also have retreats several times during the year for adults or youth or children. We participate in the Hispanic version of the Archdiocesan Church Leadership Institute. Father Lavin is one of the regular professors.

We offer English as a Second Language four days a week for any immigrant that wishes to attend. They are free and take place in our High School. There are four levels of classes depending on the knowledge and ability of the students. There is a fifth group that offers one on one tutoring. Ms. Bunny Wilson is the coordinator of the program, with Father John Lavin as the adviser to the ESL.

We offer assistance and referrals on Immigration issues. We have contact with local Immigration Lawyers and refer our parishioners to these attorneys if needed.

We are grateful to have Mr. Merle Maffei and Mr. Jerome May two local attorneys and parishioners who volunteer one morning a week to give free legal advice and assist the community.

Typically we enjoy meeting before and after Sunday mass. Many Sundays we come together in the Social Hall to share some food, coffee and conversation.

Coordinator Hispanic Office:
Hillevi Flores
phone: 410-990-4032

Administrator of Religious Education:
Amparo Harquail
phone: 410-990-4032

Pastoral Council:
Amaury Feo

Hispanic Pastoral Committee:
(Representatives of pastoral ministries)