Fr. Irwin returns from Mexico after taking part in month-long Spanish immersion program

August 11, 2023

By ROB HERBST
The Catholic Week
Fr. Den Irwin sought how to better serve his Spanish-speaking parishioners at St. Joseph Parish in Prattville.
In order to do that, Fr. Irwin went back to class in Mexico.
Fr. Irwin recently returned from participating in a nearly month-long Spanish immersion program in Cuernavaca, Mexico. Fr. Irwin, who is pastor at St. Joseph Parish, roughly estimated that one-fifth of his parishioners consider Spanish their primary language.
“If I am going to be the pastor of my parishioners, then I have to do what I can to be the pastor of all my parishioners, even those who speak Spanish,” Fr. Irwin said.
Fr. Irwin had already been ministering to his Spanish-speaking parishioners by celebrating a weekly Sunday Mass in Spanish. He also attempted to hear confessions in Spanish.
But Fr. Irwin, who rated his Spanish as “very, very basic” before taking part in the program, and said he could read it on a fourth-grade level, wanted to be more available.
“I don’t just want to celebrate Holy Mass on Sundays in Spanish, but be able to hear confessions, counsel people and just have basic conversations with them,” he said.
Fr. Irwin was one of 14 who took part in at least a portion of the program. That included Archdiocese of Mobile seminarian Edward Charnock as archdiocesan seminarians routinely take part in the program as part of their formation.
In all, four priests and 10 seminarians participated.
Fr. Irwin stayed and studied on the property of a Benedictine Monastery – Monasterio Benedictino de Nuestra Senora De Los Angeles (Benedictine Monastery of Our Lady of the Angels). After 7 a.m. Mass and breakfast, the group took part in four hours of class. A portion of the morning session was 1-on-1 tutoring that focused on conversation and grammar. Another portion included small-group sessions that focused on subjects centering on Mexican history or culture.
Participants continued their studies and socialization after lunch and they were encouraged to speak Spanish during their meals.
Fr. Irwin was assigned as pastor of St. Joseph Parish about a year ago and figured he’d need to improve his Spanish.
“I knew that my inability to speak and understand Spanish would be a hindrance at a parish with so many Spanish speakers. … I knew that I would need some real help if I was going to be able to preach, hear confessions and counsel parishioners in Spanish,” he said.
But Fr. Irwin also needed help in taking part in the program.
He’s the lone priest assigned to St. Joseph Parish.
Along with celebrating a Saturday evening Vigil Mass, he celebrates three Sunday Masses as well as weekday Masses.
“Realistically, I thought that there was almost no way that I would find coverage for all my Holy Masses. I thought to myself ‘Lord, if You want this to happen then You are going to have to make it happen,” Irwin said. “I just didn’t see any way of getting three Masses in English and one in Spanish covered for three weeks in a row. However, as I started asking around, I found help for all those Masses plus four of my five Masses during the week. So off I went.”
“We (also) have a great staff at the parish, so they made it doable. I felt confident in leaving for a month because of them.”