Recognizing that almost a quarter of St. John’s University students are Latino, the school’s campus ministry has added a biweekly Spanish Mass at the St. Thomas More Church on campus. 

The Mass, held every other Wednesday, is the first of its kind at the school.

The initiative was kickstarted by the university’s Hispanic Catholic Ministry, which was formed last fall and is led by University Chaplain Father Hugo Medellin and Elvira Garcia, associate director for campus ministry leadership and community development. Both trace their roots to Mexico — Father Medellin is a native of the country, and Garcia is a first-generation Latina raised in New York. 

They said the incorporation of a ministry that focuses its attention on the needs of the Hispanic Catholic community was a necessity, and the pair did not take the responsibility lightly. 

“We want to leave a good foundation to receive [Hispanic] students,” Father Medellin said. “They come with different needs because of their own culture and their own background. Some [have] needs for a sense of belonging, especially to a community.”

The first two Spanish Masses at St. Thomas More were celebrated on Feb. 26 and April 9, with the final one for this school year scheduled for April 23. Father Medellin celebrates the Masses, which have drawn a few dozen students and faculty, followed by a gathering in the church’s conference room, to which all students are invited. 

Father Medellin emphasized that even though the Mass is held in Spanish, it is not just for Latino or Spanish-speaking students, and neither are other events held by the Hispanic Campus Ministry. He noted that they are for all St. John’s students. 

Dylan Padilla, a sophomore at St. John’s, is among those benefiting from the Spanish Masses. A “proud Latino,” the Elmhurst resident’s home parish is St. Bartholomew, which offers several Spanish Masses throughout the week and boasts a large Latino community.

The sense of community he finds at St. Bartholomew was lacking at St. John’s, he said, because before the Hispanic Catholic Ministry, there was no campus organization focused on the ever-present Catholic faith within his culture. 

“It makes your day better, being able to enjoy Mass and be part of the experience,” Padilla said. “I can tell that firsthand because I see it every time at my own parish.” 

Padilla, alongside fellow St. John’s students Megan Sical and Yordalys Garcia, helped found the Hispanic Catholic Ministry, and all three are now student leaders within it. 

“It feels great, and we’ve noticed the changes,” Padilla said. “There’s been more people coming to Mass as the weeks have passed by, and it is a great feeling altogether to know that we’re making something happen.”

Father Medellin said that next school year, he hopes to hold a Spanish Mass every Wednesday, which is a desire echoed by Padilla. 

The population of Hispanic students at St. John’s is growing, Garcia noted, by upwards of 1% annually. Currently, approximately 24% of undergraduate students are Latino.

“[We’re] thinking about how we are creating those spaces, opportunities, and resources for them as the institution keeps growing in the number of students,” Garcia said.