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UST Offers Mass in Spanish Every Thursday
10/27/2009
 Nearly 40 percent of University of St. Thomas undergraduates are Hispanic. Recognizing this enrollment trend, a new Campus Ministry student-led initiative seeks to meet the spiritual needs of the growing Hispanic campus demographic by offering Mass in Spanish at 12:30 p.m. every Thursday in the Chapel of St. Basil.
Campus Ministry student workers Alena Acosta, a sophomore accounting major and Jesse Martinez, a senior international studies major, collaborated with Fr. Michael Buentello, CSB, to introduce a Spanish language Mass on campus. Martinez is currently in Washington D.C. for an internship. Acosta assists Fr. Mike by maintaining a schedule and training Spanish-speaking Catholic students to be lectors and extraordinary ministers (more commonly known as Eucharistic Ministers.)
The students were prompted by the results of a Hispanic student survey, which was sent out last spring, and indicated “tremendous student support of a Spanish Mass, feast days and other events such as the Posada,” Acosta said.
 “This is another way to celebrate our cultural diversity on campus and reach out to the Hispanic community,” Acosta said.
The Spanish Mass debuted on campus on Sept. 10. Acosta, who commutes to UST every day from Katy, said there was a concerted effort to hold the Spanish Mass on a weekday for Hispanic commuter students, who would not attend a weekend Mass on campus.
Fr. Mike said he hopes to offer an additional Spanish Mass during the weekends some time in the future, so more parents and community members can attend.
For more information, or to sign up to be a lector at Spanish Mass, contact Father Mike at 713-525-6981 or e-mail Campus Ministry at campusministry@stthom.edu.
Shown at top, UST student Monica Aleman gives a reading in Spanish at Mass. Above, Fr. Michael Buentello, CSB, gives the homily in Spanish.
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