Bridging the language divide for Spanish-speaking elders

By Christina Galeone
CFP Correspondent
  
 
“They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim. … each one heard them speaking in his own language.” 
– Acts 2:1-11
 
Although what happened at Pentecost was a miraculous gift of the Holy Spirit, miracles aren’t always necessary to create interactions that foster understanding and peace. 
In the Diocese of Worcester, some people have been dedicated to doing just that with local people – mostly seniors – who are homebound, hospitalized or in nursing homes. With thoughtfulness and consideration, they’re being led by the Holy Spirit to minister to people in their primary language.  
 
Ivonne Lasso, a lector and eucharistic minister for Masses and the Homebound Ministry at St. Luke the Evangelist Parish in Westborough, was born in Panama and immigrated to the United States at a young age. She’s been at St. Luke’s since 2022, but she began serving in ministry to people who are homebound around 15 years ago when she lived in Washington. She believes that homebound people who request to receive the Eucharist are devout Catholics, and she loves ministering and talking to them.  
“It’s an honor to bring Jesus to someone; it’s so incredible to receive the Body of Christ,” Mrs. Lasso shared, noting that she finds it to be a beautiful experience. About being a eucharistic minister to the homebound, she added, “It’s something very special you feel in your heart.”  
Because she speaks Spanish and French, she’s notified by Julie Basque, the pastoral associate who runs the ministry, when someone speaks one of those languages. Recently, she visited a gentleman who moved to a healthcare facility. Since his mother was born in Panama and his dad was born in Spain, he speaks Spanish fluently. She’s been enjoying reading aloud in Spanish from the book he’s been reading, and they’ve both been enjoying having long conversations in Spanish. She also loves seeing him smile at the realization that she brought him Jesus.  
Another recent experience Mrs. Lasso had that she described as beautiful and joyful was with a Portuguese-speaking patient at a nearby hospital. 
“As Portuguese has some similitude to Spanish, I spoke slow in Spanish,” she recalled. “She looked at me as I started the 'Our Father’ in Spanish. She follows in Portuguese. Then, we continue with the ‘Hail Mary,’ her eyes light up, and my heart was jumping with joy.”  
Nancy Cuba, the Memory Care unit activities assistant at St. Mary Health Care Center in Worcester, is vastly familiar with that feeling. Born in Puerto Rico, she also moved to the United States when she was a child, and she continues to speak both English and Spanish. Once or twice every week, she visits with each St. Mary patient who primarily speaks Spanish.  
The warm reception she receives includes many enthusiastic hugs.  And the patients frequently ask her questions about their care.  When needed, she acts as an unofficial liaison for them.  
“They feel I am one of them,” she explained.  “They love when I go to see them because … the communication is there.  I feel connected to them.”  
Her actions have inspired her coworkers to want to learn Spanish. They can see how meaningful the interactions are for both her and the patients.
“Doing what we love helps us feel alive; it gives me joy,” she shared.  “I feel good, happy due to working with them.”
The Elder Outreach Ministry at St. Paul Cathedral is committed to providing services for Worcester seniors, regardless of their religion. Due to the growing Spanish-speaking population, it has a part-time staff member who is bilingual in English and Spanish. The ministry provides seniors with emergency food, household and personal care items. And it helps them with emergency prescription refills and transportation for medical appointments.
Because it has a bilingual staff member, the ministry can also listen to the comprehensive needs of the people it serves. It can connect them with organizations that can assist them when the ministry doesn’t have the resources, said Mavoureen Robert, the ministry’s director,
“When called upon, we’ll also visit seniors in rest homes or nursing homes, which is particularly important to Spanish-speaking seniors who may not have other means … in staying connected to any family members, or to their community, or in resolving concerns with the facility,” she said.
The ministry also provides a home falls risk assessment. And it provides items such as lighting, non-skid rugs and walkers to seniors who need them. 
“The senior population in Worcester is growing, and so many members of this population have little in the way of financial resources, family members, or friends to help them, and the Spanish-speaking senior population is growing as part of our community.” Mrs. Robert said. “We work at finding ways to help any Worcester senior, whether that senior is fluent in English or not.”
The deep satisfaction that these people and organizations receive from bridging a divide and fostering peace and understanding fuels their hope that more people will follow in their footsteps. In the meantime, Mrs. Lasso would like people to think about other footsteps as well. When thinking about the hospitalized woman whose English was limited, but she found great joy in being able to pray with someone, Mrs. Lasso suggested, “Just put yourself in her position.”