Catholic vicar to hone English skills elsewhere

By: Matt Chiappardi
   HIGHTSTOWN — He was once a seminary teacher, but he came to St. Anthony of Padua Roman Catholic Church as a student.
   Now, after four years as one of the church’s parochial vicars, an assistant pastor of sorts, the Rev. Miguel Valle has moved on to the next chapter of his spiritual path — once again as a student, sharpening his English skills in Toms River.
   The Rev. Valle, 45, said he came to St. Anthony’s to learn how to speak English. But his quiet, gentle nature and his skills as an educator leant themselves more to helping the Hispanic people in the parish, said the Rev. Patrick McDonnell, pastor of St. Anthony’s.
   The Rev. Valle left his position training new priests in the alpine metropolis of his hometown of Bogota, Colombia in 2002, he said, to minister to the growing number of Hispanic people in the United States.
   Catholicism has deep cultural roots in Latin America. As the number of Hispanics from south of the U.S. border continues to grow, so do the corollary numbers in the Catholic Church. The Rev. Valle said he recognized this opportunity for ministry and combined it with a desire to experience not only the Hispanic culture in the United States, but the Anglo culture as well.
   Landing at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Trenton, he spoke nary a word of English. And even after a year, the Hispanic community at St. Joseph’s was so dominant he decided to move elsewhere to effectively minister to people in a country where the overwhelming majority of Masses are said in English.
   So, in June of 2003, he packed his bags and moved to the largely Anglo parish in Hightstown in the hope he could inspire the borough’s Hispanic Catholics to worship at St. Anthony’s.
   "When he came, he could only say a few words in English," said the Rev. McDonnell. Nevertheless, the pastor said, he was quickly indoctrinated into the parish and began ministering in Spanish right away.
   "When I came (to St. Anthony’s) there were about 200 Spanish people at Mass on Sunday," said the Rev. Valle.
   After he began celebrating the Mass in Spanish on Sundays, that number grew to more than 600, he said. Now, with his help, the church also offers rosary groups, Bible classes and computer classes in Spanish.
   Assisting with St. Anthony’s Spanish ministries since the Rev. Valle’s departure is the Rev. Jesus Briones from The Society of the Divine Word religious order in Bordentown. The church has yet to have a permanent replacement for the Rev. Valle assigned to it, said the Rev. McDonnell.
   The Rev. Valle said his greatest success was not only bringing older Hispanics into the church’s fold but younger ones as well. The Catholic Church is sometimes called old-fashioned, perhaps lovingly so, by even its most ardent supporters. To bring young people to the pew in a country that normally celebrates the new over the old, the Rev. Valle said, "is a sign of faith and values in the Spanish community."
   Transitioning from the Spanish-speaking to the English-speaking world did not come without difficulties.
   "It’s not easy for me to be involved in a new culture," he said.
   From his perspective, the differences between the Anglo and Hispanic cultures in the United States are mostly in how each deals with time.
   "The American culture," he said, "is very disciplined, organized, and guided."
   He went on to describe Hispanic culture as honest and creative, but with "no plan for two years in advance."
   His goal is to combine the two cultures in order to help both, "discover the signs of God."
   And, according to the Rev. McDonnell, the Rev. Valle has met and exceeded that goal.
   "He would synchronize people together," he said, "so that they would all walk together in harmony."
   In order to reach his goals, the Rev. Valle learned English through classes and interaction with native speakers. He attained a communication level with which he was comfortable after about two years, but he found the learning process too slow for his taste.
   That’s what prompted the priest to make the "difficult choice" to request another move last month, this time to a different St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, in Toms River.
   "I made the decision to be in Toms River," said the Rev. Valle. "I need to concentrate on English," he said.
   While St. Joseph’s in Toms River has some Hispanic parishioners, the bulk of the worshippers speak English. And that’s exactly the type of immersion the Rev. Valle is seeking.
   Meanwhile in Hightstown, if tears were shed by the Rev. Valle upon his departure, the favor was returned in kind. The parishioners have been petitioning Bishop John Smith of the Diocese of Trenton for his return.
   But the chances of the priest coming back to St. Anthony’s are slim. As the Rev. McDonnell explains, such petitions are a common practice in the Catholic Church as a way for parishioners to express their love and admiration for their priests; seldom do they achieve their stated goal.
   For now, the Rev. Valle will be staying in Toms River, continuing his English education. A theologian in the fields of Christology and the Holy Trinity, he hopes one day the three scholarly books he has written will be translated into English.
   In the meantime, the Rev. Valle, while excited about his new adventure, said, "My heart is still in St. Anthony’s."