The Academy of the Holy Cross in Kensington, Maryland celebrated its annual Hispanic Heritage Month Mass on Oct. 4, 2023, led by guest celebrant, Washington Auxiliary Bishop Evelio Menjivar.

Each year, the academy hosts the special bilingual Mass to honor and uplift the voices, cultures and contributions of Hispanics and Latinos in America, including the significant Hispanic/Latina population and presence within the school. This year’s Mass coincided with the feast of St. Francis of Assisi.

Bishop Menjivar began by acknowledging the timeliness of his visit to the all-girls school also coinciding with the opening of Pope Francis’s Synod on Synodality, given the first-time voting ability of women in that three-week gathering of the world’s bishops, clergy, religious and lay people.

“You are the leaders of the future – in the nation, in the world and in the Church,” Bishop Menjivar told the Holy Cross students.

He then drew correlation between St. Francis’ life, story of conversion and ministries and the long history of Hispanic and Latino people in the United States of America.

“As we celebrate St. Francis of Assisi and Hispanic Heritage Month,” said Bishop Menjivar, “let us learn from this great saint to be in peace and harmony with one another – with people of every culture, faith and religion.”

Bishop Menjivar also took the opportunity to quote and stress a passage from President Joseph Biden’s 2023 proclamation on National Hispanic Heritage Month:  “America can be defined in one word: possibilities. The Hispanic community has always embodied that ideal. It lives in the dreams of those who have only just arrived here and in the legacy of families who have been here for centuries. Latinos have helped chart America’s course since our start — as doctors and engineers, artists and entrepreneurs, and leaders in science, business, labor, government and military, and across grassroots movements.  Their faith and drive have pushed our country to grow, prosper and pursue its highest ideals.’”

The bishop, who immigrated to the United States from El Salvador, said that since most Hispanics and Latinos are Catholic, their presence and dynamism is now part of the fabric of life at Catholic parishes and schools across this country. He went on to say that just like St. Francis, they are keeping the Church young and vibrant and living the faith with simplicity of heart, joyfully and passionately.

As the Mass drew to a close, Holy Cross President & CEO Katy Prebble and Student Council Executive Board President Gabi Lopez of the class of 2024 offered thanks to Bishop Menjivar and visiting Deacon Bill Vita.

“It is a great honor for us today to be gathered in appreciation of Hispanic Heritage Month,” said Prebble.  “Today, as we celebrate the great diversity within our school family, we pray that we can all be moved by the great love of Jesus and by the words of Your Excellence this morning, so that we may be moved more closely to one another and the community infused with the values of courage and compassion that are so dear to our Holy Cross family.”

Lopez offered thanks to the bishop for celebrating the Hispanic Heritage Month Mass for the school community. 

Bishop Menjivar met the thanks with light-hearted humor about prospectively returning in the school colors of the Academy of the Holy Cross.  “Hopefully, you will invite me back for Advent or Lent, so we all can wear purple,” he said.