Hispanic Ministry at St. Peter's, Oxford
Welcoming the Stranger in Our Midst
A Ministry of Hospitality and Friendship
Have you ever lived in a foreign country? Have you ever struggled to understand what was going on around you because you did not understand the language that everyone else was speaking? Have you ever lost a baby in a foreign country and had no place to bury your baby? Have you ever made payments on a new truck only to learn, when you went to pick it up after the final payment, that the truck did not belong to the person from whom you were "buying" it? Have you ever had your spouse killed in a foreign country and had to deal with an unfamiliar funeral home, unfamiliar laws, and the "red tape" involved in shipping a body across the border between two countries? Have you been physically abused and had to flee to a Domestic Violence Shelter in a foreign country? Have you ever felt isolated and lonely? Have you ever wanted to get married but did not understand the legal requirements or how to make arrangements for the blood tests? Have you ever had your prescription expire for your important medications while you were living or traveling abroad?
These are a few of the problems facing Hispanic immigrants in the U. S. today. These are just a few of the problems that the ministry at St. Peter's, Oxford, has tried to address in serving the Hispanic community in Oxford and Lafayette County.
St. Peter's offers the Eucharist in Spanish every Sunday evening at 7 p.m. Following the Eucharist a light dinner is served. ESL classes are offered every Sunday evening at 6 p.m. We have celebrated Holy Baptism, Confirmation, Presentation of a 3-year old, Quinceañera, and Holy Matrimony in Spanish for the Hispanic community. We have also held funerals in Spanish. We offer legal workshops and health workshops when needed. We actively facilitate access to Oxford-Lafayette County community services. We have been supported by the Mississippi Arts Council, the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council, and the Mississippi Humanities Council as we have offered Bi-lingual Family Literacy programs during the summer. Several parishioners offer their services as interpreters in the community.
The Rev. Penny Sisson
Deacon
