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Hispanic
Ministry Program
It is an optional program that has
as its main objective to fulfill the need of dioceses and religious
congregations of training their students of theology to minister in
a Hispanic setting.
Seminarians can prepare for
Hispanic ministry through courses and experiences offered at Notre
Dame Seminary. This program is also open to non-degree students and
non-seminarians who can become bridges between the Anglo and
Hispanic cultures.
The program for certification requires the completion of 15
credits consisting of:
- Eight credit hours of basic, intermediate and
advanced Spanish.
Two credit hours in Hispanic Culture.
Two credit hours of a Theology elective from
Hispanic perspective.
HSP 301 Homiletics Practicum II (two credit
hours) plus one credit hour of Homiletics in Spanish.
PT 302 Liturgy and the Celebrations of the
Sacraments (3 credit hours) plus one credit hour of PT 302 in
Spanish.
PT 402 Eucharist and Penance Practicum (one
credit hour) plus one credit hour of PT 402 in Spanish.
Notre Dame Seminary gives the Hispanic Ministry Program students
the option of completing their required ministerial experiences in
Hispanic settings.
One of the special features of
the program of priestly formation at Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans
is the Hispanic Studies Program. This program is designed to prepare
seminarians to minister to the growing Hispanic communities in the
United States.
Notre Dame Seminary offers a
comprehensive approach to Hispanic ministry, including the study of
language, culture, theology from a Hispanic perspective, celebration of
the sacraments, and homiletics training. In addition to this, we offer
a four-weeks immersion program during the summer, in a faith-conducive
context developed for seminarians, priests, and religious. This program
includes prayer, daily mass, and pastoral opportunities.
The language component of the
program offers a fulltime Spanish teacher and a tutor for those students
who would like to dedicate extra time to the learning of the language
while working on specific skills.
Our Spanish teachers are
certified by the State of Louisiana to teach the language at a college
and graduate level. They are also practicing Catholics and
knowledgeable of the Church’s teachings and traditions.
The language component is
meant to familiarize the seminarian with many traditional prayers and
texts that will be necessary for priestly ministry in the Catholic
Church. The language component covers four (4) semesters of study with
four levels of competency. Students can test out of the more basic
levels, while earning credit and advancing to their level of
proficiency. There are a total of eight (8) credit hours in the
language, not including the hours that could be earned through the
tutoring sessions.
The course component of the
program includes a basic pastoral course on Hispanic ministry, and an
elective in a theological field from a Hispanic perspective, for a total
of four (4) credit hours. Also the following classes include an extra
credit hour per semester per class in order to learn the celebration of
the sacraments and preaching in a Hispanic context:
1) Homiletics Practicum (3rd
Year Theology)
2) Liturgy and the Celebration
of the Sacraments (3rd Year Theology)
3) Eucharist and Penance
Practicum (4th Year Theology)
The total number of credit
hours in the program is fifteen (15), eight (8) of which can be counted
as part of the normal Master of Divinity degree, while the other seven
(7) are over and above the required hours for the degree.
These seven (7) credit hours
typically include four (4) credit hours of language, and three (3)
credit hours as part of the sacramental and homiletics components.
Notre Dame Seminary in New
Orleans, Louisiana, also offers a great setting to practice the Spanish
language. Historically New Orleans has always been a center of Hispanic
culture in the country, in part due to its historical connection with
Spain, and also due to its connections with Central America, Mexico, and
the Caribbean.
Notre Dame Seminary offers
Mass in Spanish twice a month so that the seminarians can familiarize
themselves with the Roman Missal in Spanish, and also learn Spanish
hymns and other traditions.
The Pastoral Department also
helps with placing students interested in ministering to Hispanics, in
parishes and pastoral settings where they can develop those skills.
Upon completion of the
program, Notre Dame Seminary will award a certificate in the Hispanic
Studies Program. Seminarians completing the program will be recognized
during the commencement ceremony.
Several of our graduates have
completed the program and are currently ministering to Hispanic
communities in their dioceses. Many bishops have required this program
for all their seminarians, while others have made it a matter of
personal choice.
This program is designed for
seminarians that are beginning their first year of theological studies.
Students beginning the program in their second year of theology would
still have sufficient time to complete the program. Those students in
philosophy would have the best possibility of having ample time to
complete the program, and also securing the most opportunities of
combining the program with pastoral experience.
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