Serving God, Helping the Church and the Community: Agapito's Words

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Agapito Casanova, standing in front of the altar.

Born and raised in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico, Agapito moved to the United States in 1987. He first arrived in Florida where he stayed for ten years before he decided to move to Minnesota. Though Agapito may seem very serious and quiet at first glance, once you start a conversation, he is all laughter and smiles. Agapito volunteers every Sunday as an assistant to the priests. Agapito began volunteering with the priests around the time that Father Sauer began (2008). Eight years later, Agapito continues to be present as a volunteer for every service, committed not only to help the priests but also to serve God:

"I always liked being involved with the church and the community because I receive a lot of blessings by being a volunteer and being a part of the service. I like to help the Fathers because I feel like it helps me learn a lot more about them and God, but I also like to do it because I feel like they learn a lot from me too."

The Community and The Priests:

Because of his active involvement with the church, Agapito knows a lot about the Hispanic community and its traditions. Since he has been a member of the community for a while now, he is able to attest to the many changes that the church has seen within the community. According to him, the community has changed a lot because of the Hispanic people who are in the area. There have been a lot of people who have come to Sacred Heart, and there are also a lot of people who have left and joined other communities. One of the interesting things he said pertained to the Texan migrants who come in the summer:

"There are a lot of migrants who come from Texas in June and they are here for about six months. We [the Hispanic community] try to make sure they become a part of our community so we go visit them. We visit them, take them food, invite them to church. Many of them are Hispanic people and a lot of them are people who have come in past years."

"I imagine the church being full, full and overflowing with people."

Even though the community reaches out to those migrants who come, Agapito, similar to the priests, wishes that the community in Owatonna would come to church and the services more frequently. "I imagine the church being full, full and overflowing with people," he declared, laughing and smiling. But for Agapito, the difference in the community has been more noticeable since Father Ubaldo has been there. When I asked him about how the Priests have made an impact on the church, he responds:

"Father Sauer has been very supportive with us. He went to San Antonio and took a small course on Spanish just so he could try and connect with the community better. He has been amazing. Father Ubaldo though, he is wonderful. He has blessed all of us a lot with the way that he is. He is a very charismatic man, but he also says things powerfully and the way they are. I think that is what a lot of us need. We need people to tell it like it is."

As he continued, he spoke more about how the community has been stronger now that Father Ubaldo has arrived:

"The community is strong, but it became stronger when Father Ubaldo came. Why? Because people would complain about the way Father Sauer gave the homily and would read the readings. Even though he learned Spanish and we are very grateful for everything he has done for us, a lot of the community did not connect with what he would say. Father Ubaldo, on the other hand, makes us understand it more and connects it to life. He speaks from the heart and makes us want to listen. The words he says are so important, and like I said before, he tells it like it is."

The community grew stronger because now they had a reminder of home. Someone who understood them and their religious as well as traditional needs and beliefs. "It is harder to connect with someone who does not understand your culture because they did not grow up the way you did."

It was wonderful hearing how much the community has changed because of Father Ubaldo, especially hearing it from one of the community members who has been there for quite some time. Before we concluded the interview, Agapito had some final thoughts:

"We are growing in faith. And I say 'keep moving forward, and forward, and forward.' Our faith continues to grow. We wait and have faith that we will continue to grow as a church. Life is hard in the United States, but we have a pillar. And it is Father Ubaldo. And we hope he stays with us for a long time."1

  1. Casanova, Agapito. Interviewed by Adriana Castillo. Personal Interview. Sacred Heart Parish, Owatonna, Minnesota. May 15th, 2016.