I am truly your merciful Mother, yours and all the people who live united in this land. … Here I will hear their weeping, their complaints and heal all their sorrows, hardships and sufferings.”
– Our Lady of Guadalupe
Newman University’s first Viva La Virgen event, which honored the Nativity of Blessed Virgin Mary, was celebrated by more than 50 attendees on Sept. 8.
A Mass was held in St. John’s Chapel with a special Spanish blessing and dedication of a mural of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The mural was purchased by Newman University Chaplain Father Adam Grelinger.
A group of Matachín dancers, Danza San Juan Diego from Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish, performed a dance that represented the battle between God and the devil, which God always wins. Grelinger held the newly blessed mural high into the air and led an outdoor procession, followed by the dancers and ceremony guests.
The dance, which included the thundering sound of drums, came to a close and Los Compadres Mexican Grill catered an authentic Mexican dinner for all to enjoy in the Tarcisia Roths ASC Alumni Center.
Creating a new tradition at Newman
Over the summer, Newman senior Jose Morales, who works full time with the Office of Hispanic Ministry of the Diocese of Wichita and is actively involved in Campus Ministry, organized a meeting on campus to discuss the increase of Hispanic enrollment at Newman and how to best serve the growing Hispanic student population.
The meeting involved members of the diocese, Newman Student Affairs, Campus Ministry as well as Dean of Students Sara Mata and Assistant Professor of Spanish Sonja Bontrager — co-directors of the Hispanic/Latinx Initiatives at Newman.
“Being that Hispanics are known for having strong devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, we immediately thought of Our Lady of Guadalupe,” said Morales.
A flow of ideas poured out of the group discussion, and it was decided to celebrate both the birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary — “Viva La Virgen,” meaning “Long live the Virgin,” — and the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
“We thought this was a beautiful way to merge our mutual faith and our diverse cultures into one,” Morales said.
Mata said she is thrilled that the Newman campus now holds a devotional space with representation of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
“Our Lady of Guadalupe’s celebration is toward the end of the semester when most of the students are not here, but it’s really meaningful so we wanted to find a way to celebrate her,” Mata explained. “I worked a lot with our indigenous communities when I was in Oklahoma. To see the merging of our indigenous background and then our Latino culture expressed in such a beautiful way was really moving.”
Mata and the Student Affairs team have worked together to help Newman become a Hispanic-Serving Institution, a federal designation, through initiatives such as Elevate to Excellence, which took place in July. She was also recently selected as one of 50 fellows for La Academia de Liderazgo, the fourth cohort of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities.
“I’ve heard from a lot of students who attended the Matriculation Mass that they appreciated having it both in English and Spanish, so we’re looking at more ways to incorporate more of the Latino culture on campus,” Mata added.
Morales and Mata agree that there are many avenues through which Newman University and the Hispanic Ministry of the diocese can work together again in the future.
“The work that we’re doing is really important, and to me, community is essential. I think the more connected we are, the more likely others will see us as an institution for them to attend where they will be represented and their culture celebrated,” Mata said.
This was a beautiful way to merge our mutual faith and our diverse cultures into one.
Jose Morales
For Morales, finding broader ways to connect the Newman campus to the diocese means “to reach our highest potential as leaders who seek to serve the Hispanic population of Wichita.”
“This potential is summed up in love for God and for our community,” he added. “We accomplished this by enriching the culture of Newman through an event that highlights Mexican tradition and celebrates the Catholic identity of Newman.”
