By Miriam Martínez
Because I am Catholic!
Dear Diocesan Community,
My name is Miriam Martínez. I work as the coordinator of the Hispanic Ministry at St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Dale, Indiana.
For as long as I can remember, the Church has always been my second home. During the most important and crucial stage of human life — childhood — I grew up surrounded by a family in which faith and Christian life were the compass guiding us.
My early years were filled with joy, even without fully understanding the liturgical rites, prayers and celebrations. That joy came from watching my grandma, my mom and my aunts share their gifts in service to their respective ministries.
In my adolescence, I went through a difficult stage, like many immigrants who come to the United States with the hope of better opportunities. Although my spiritual identity was very clear, my personal identity was the opposite. I found myself in a sensitive stage where physical and mental development were constantly changing, and at the same time, I was exposed to adapting to a lifestyle with a different language, different traditions and very different ways of working.
During those years, I found a very valuable treasure — the only place that made me feel at home and not miss the life I had left behind. Yes! It was that building full of pews where we gather every Sunday as a community to celebrate Holy Mass.
At that moment, at the age of 14, I understood that our Catholic Church truly is universal. No matter what part of the world you are in, arriving at Mass or entering a Catholic church is arriving home. That experience shaped the rest of my life. As I became more involved in parish life, retreats and conferences, I realized that I didn’t want to be just another Catholic by tradition. I wanted to be Catholic by my own decision, because I found love, tenderness, refuge and compassion in the merciful God who gives himself to us in the Eucharist.
Without a doubt, the most beautiful inheritance my family could have given me is the Catholic faith. I came to the United States in search of the “American dream,” without knowing that it would be fulfilled by feeling the presence of God in the tabernacle and contemplating the glow of the light shining through the stained-glass windows of the church. Through my faith, I have grown as a person; I found a career and an industry thanks to the inspiration of my parish life; and as an immigrant, I have met such wonderful people in the community who became family.
Not long ago, we celebrated the birth of the baby Jesus. Now let us prepare ourselves to soon celebrate the true birth into resurrection and eternal life that Jesus gives us through His Resurrection at Easter. Blessings!
Miriam Martinez serves as Hispanic Ministry Coordinator for St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Dale.