News

A minority, but Crossett Catholics witness to their neighbors

Though few in number, RCIA brings one or two into parish each year

Published: April 7, 2007   

By Linda Webster
Monticello Correspondent

Tara Little

Kathy Mahew (left) testifies that RCIA candidate Kashaunna Altorre-Olmos is ready to be received into the Church at the Rite of Election at the Cathedral of St. Andrew in Little Rock Feb. 25.

Tara Little

Kathy Mahew (left) testifies that RCIA candidate Kashaunna Altorre-Olmos is ready to be received into the Church at the Rite of Election at the Cathedral of St. Andrew in Little Rock Feb. 25.

CROSSETT -- Located only about 10 miles north of the Louisiana border and just west of the Mississippi River, this small town of 6,000 is home to the 50 Catholic families of Holy Cross Parish.

The church is south of the big Georgia-Pacific mill on Highway 133, tucked into a residential area near the new library. Most days, the parking lot is empty, the new swing set and play area without children.

"It's hard," said parishioner Pat Hubbard. "It's hard not having a resident pastor. Things just aren't the same."

Previously served by the Glenmary Home Missioners, the parish was turned back over to the Diocese of Little Rock in 2003. At first Holy Cross became a mission of Holy Redeemer Church in El Dorado. Now it is one of three mission parishes under Our Lady of the Lake Church in Lake Village, which is 45 miles away. The other two parishes are St. Mary in McGehee and Holy Spirit in Hamburg. There are two priests, pastor Father Theophilus Okpara and associate pastor Father Dominic Agbara, to serve all four parishes.

There are 680 Catholics in Ashley County, split unevenly between Holy Cross and Holy Spirit parishes. This is about 3 percent of the county's population, which is less than the 5 percent reported in the 2000 census.

"I'm afraid we're losing parishioners," said parishioner Kathy Mayhew. "With just the one Mass each week, people aren't connected like they used to be."

"We've got an elderly parishioner who is very concerned about whether a priest would be able to arrive in time should she die," Hubbard said. "Others are concerned about whether Father will have time for hospital visits or spend time with shut-ins. And some people are now attending Mass in Bastrop, La., or going to the Methodist church."

Hubbard normally directs the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults process for the parish. Currently she is taking time off to care for her daughter in Houston who is being treated for cancer. Hubbard spoke with Arkansas Catholic by phone. Mayhew, who assists Hubbard with RCIA, stepped up to lead the process in Hubbard's absence.

Because Catholics are such a minority in the Crossett area, Hubbard said the parish has made efforts to become more visible through the years.

"Our pastors have always made a huge effort to get involved in the community," she said. "And we've always had joint youth activities with the Episcopal, Presbyterian and Methodist churches."

Hubbard said one or two people inquire about RCIA each year. "Almost every one of them was impressed by someone they'd met who turned out to be Catholic."

"In Crossett, we're more accepted as Catholics because of the interaction of our churches. Sure, there are some individuals who have bad information about the Catholic Church, but if they have questions, that's OK."

This year, two people will enter the Catholic Church on Easter at Holy Cross Church. They are Kashaunna Altorre-Olmos and Beverly Vincent.

"I wanted us to be a one-religion family," Altorre-Olmos said. "I was raised Baptist, but I don't want my son to be confused about where he goes on Sunday morning if his parents go to different churches."

Her journey had a bumpy start, but she said she feels stronger for having to work at her faith.

"I came to Mass once or twice in 2005, but I felt out of place. I didn't know what to do and I didn't know who to ask," she said.

Altorre-Olmos met her husband, Fernando, while working at the Fiesta Linda Restaurant in Crossett. Fernando is from the State of Jalisco in Mexico. He took Kashaunna and son, Kaden, to meet his family in January 2006.

"It was so interesting to watch the older women approach the church on their knees," she said, referring to her experience in Mexico. "The church was right on the village square and everyone went to Mass. At the house, there was a picture of the Virgin over every bed. If a room had three beds in it, there were three pictures of the Virgin."

Like many non-Catholics, Altorre-Olmos did not understand the role of Mary, so she asked her husband for an explanation.

"He didn't know," she said, laughing. "He believes and practices the religion, but sometimes he can't explain why Catholics do certain things."

She said for Catholics, religion seems to be much more public and much more a part of daily life.

"Fernando said that one of things he's always liked about being Catholic is that he knows what the priest is going to say. I couldn't understand that for a long time because when we prayed in the Baptist church, the preacher said the prayer and we bowed our heads," she said. "Here, we pray along with the priest and we do the prayers in the same order every Sunday."

With the help of the RCIA team at Holy Cross, Altorre-Olmos said she now feels very comfortable at Mass.

"I really enjoy asking questions and going deep into the faith," she said. "That's what I was missing before -- understanding why we believe."

Beverly Vincent has been married to Rodney, a cradle Catholic, for 10 years. "He never asked me to convert and when I told him I wanted to go through RCIA, it was totally my decision," she said.

Vincent's father died 13 years ago after spending time at St. Vincent Infirmary Medical Center in Little Rock.

"There were nuns and priests around all of the time and I started to feel closer to the religion. I'd tried other churches over the years and I didn't feel like I had a place. I saw Holy Cross being built, so I started attending Mass when Father Neil (Pezzulo, GHM) was here," she said. "Then, when Eleanor Henley retired (former RCIA director), I stayed away for a while. I just got frustrated."

Vincent said she started talking with Mayhew, her co-worker, and returned to Mass, and eventually made the decision to join the Catholic Church.

"It's much more difficult without a resident priest," Mayhew said. "Who does someone contact if they have a question?"

"Things changed," she said. "We'd always been a Glenmary parish and we're so far away from Little Rock that many parishioners had no way to identify with the diocese."

Twenty years ago, she said she remembers her daughters were two of only four Catholic children in Crossett.

"We had a resident priest, though, and they could discuss anything with him that they found confusing or frustrating," Mayhew said. "They might hear from a teacher something about the Catholic Church that didn't seem right, so they could call Father and ask him."

"While it's different not having a resident priest, Holy Cross is still my family and always will be," Hubbard said.