New England Catholic Biblical School Launches First Spanish Program

Story by Shelley Wolf

It’s summer and every Tuesday night from 8 to 9:30 p.m., the parish hall at St. Francis of Assisi Church in New Haven is filled with Catholics of all ages. Parents bring their children, who play and eat, while the parents themselves pore over Sacred Scripture.

The adults also gather in small groups for discussion, while seven high school students and young adults help guide the conversation, keeping the adults on topic.

It’s the first-ever, Spanish-language Bible study program for New England Catholic Biblical School. The curriculum is being taught by Father Hector Rangel, pastor in solidum for Blessed Michael McGivney Parish, along with Father Elmer Ramirez, parochial vicar.

After three years of Spanish Bible study in his parish, Father Rangel decided his parishioners were finally ready to step up to the more challenging curriculum of the New England Catholic Biblical School. In April, 67 of his parishioners began the journey toward a two-year Archdiocesan Certificate in Basic Bible Studies from the Biblical School.

“This is the way that God reveals himself to our people of today,” Father Rangel says of Sacred Scripture. “That is my main conviction. With the Bible we are able to nourish our people and give them what they need to be real Catholics in today’s world.”

Judy Kostelni, director of the New England Catholic Biblical School, says she could not be happier to see a Spanish-language Bible study program finally made available. Her office has had requests for Spanish for more than a decade, but there was no one to teach it until Father Rangel agreed to do it.

“We do have a lot of immigrants coming in, and English is not their first language. Many of the parishes that are growing today are Hispanic. We do need to meet people where they are,” Kostelni says.

While children quickly become bilingual, adults often find it more challenging to learn a new language. “A lot of Spanish speakers want to study in Spanish,” she explains.

According to Father Rangel, formerly a high school teacher in Colombia before he was ordained a priest, his students also attend daily Mass before each class. “They come to Mass at 7 p.m., then go downstairs for formation.”

Students, he says, are a mix of choir members, Eucharistic ministers and lectors, and parishioners from the pews. Some high school students attend with their parents.

“So many people signed up the first weekend,” Father Rangel says, “we could not open it up beyond the parish. Maybe someday.”

The sizeable first cohort of the Biblical School’s Spanish program is likely due to the foundation laid in the parish, the priest says. With a little instruction in “how” to read the Bible, parishioners’ hesitancy disappeared and their enthusiasm grew. “We’ve seen beautiful results very quickly,” he reports.

“When people open the Bible, they are able to see what God has done with past generations, and also what he can do with us right now,” Father Rangel notes. “We can see that he is still with us, he’s walking with us, his presence. We are not alone. And people can find that hope, that faith, that expectation from Holy Scripture.”

According to Kostelni, year one of the two-year program introduces the Old Testament, from the Book of Genesis through Kings. In year two, students delve into the New Testament.

Topics are covered in 30 classes, and involve reading homework as well as questions to answer. It represents a real commitment on the part of the students, she says.

“The numbers surely show they wanted it,” Kostelni adds. “You’re talking salvation of souls.”