Father Rex Hays, CM, (center) with fellow Chinelo dancers at Holy Trinity Church in Dallas.

On a Multicultural Mission

On a chilly January afternoon earlier this year, Father Rex Hays, CM, could be found at Holy Trinity Church in Dallas, Texas, wearing a large, feathered hat and velvet robes. Practicing dance steps. And having the time of his life with parishioners preparing for their first performance as Chinelo dancers.

Fr. Hays first encountered the Chinelo tradition a few years ago while serving in the Xochimilco neighborhood of Mexico City. There, elaborately-dressed dancers, called Chinelos, are a special part of a lengthy devotional ritual that venerates the Christ child, called Ninopa. He felt inspired to learn the traditional dance and is now passing that knowledge on to parishioners at Holy Trinity Church, who were eager to learn about the tradition.

About 40 parishioners, ranging in age from three to 50, volunteered to learn the dance and raised funds to cover the cost of the costumes. The group debuted the devotional dance at the Feast of Candelaria in February.

“Part of our mission at Holy Trinity is to support cultural traditions,” Fr. Hays said in a local news article about the event. “In Xochimilco, families are very close and the Ninopa ceremony includes everyone. Here, too, the most important part of our celebration is the family. We are promoting the sanctity of family life through this traditional ritual.”

Introducing Chinelos to the uninitiated is just one of Fr. Hays’ most recent activities in many years of service to a Hispanic ministry. Since 2001, he has served as Parochial Vicar at Holy Trinity Church, celebrating sacraments, working with the Worship and Spiritual Life Commission and serving as the Director of Hispanic Ministry. As the Asesor Espiritual (Spiritual Director) for the Diocesan Movomiento Familiar Cristian (Christian Family Movement), he works with lay leaders from several parishes in the Dallas area.

“All of my training as a priest, counselor and Spanish-speaking minister come together in my work with the Movomiento Familiar Cristiano. I am so happy to work with a group that supports family life and promotes what really are Vincentian values,” says Fr. Hays.

Holy Trinity Church has a long Vincentian history, over 102 years, and the parishioners are proud of their heritage. “We have a dynamic Society of St. Vincent de Paul, our Holy Trinity Center is an impressive outreach ministry to the most marginalized members of society, we have a quality multi-ethnic parish school, and a great, diverse, and supportive parish community,” says Fr. Hays.

Fr. Hays’ Hispanic ministry started before his arrival at Holy Trinity Church, however. During seminary and after his ordination in 1993, he spent several stints in Guatemala, learning Spanish and working in remote areas. His Spanish-language skills prepared him to work with the Hispanic community just as immigration exploded in the early 1990s.

Fr. Hays was one of several Vincentians who began the Hispanic ministry in the Diocese of Arkansas, with which he worked from 1993 until 2001. “Our mission was to celebrate sacraments and minister to Spanish-speaking residents of the northwest region of the state. When we started, there were few parishes that even offered Masses in Spanish,” Fr. Hays says. “Now, one of the area parishes the largest in the Diocese of Little Rock, largely due to the number of Hispanic parishioners.”

Serving the community didn’t stop with spiritual needs, however. Fr. Hays earned a Master’s degree in counseling from Pacifica Graduate Institute in Carpenteria, California, so he could provide psychological support as well. And, he was instrumental in establishing the local Catholic Immigration Services, which helps immigrants file government documents and applications. “I took paralegal training and began helping people through the bureaucracy. The need was so great we obtained funding to start an ongoing program through the Vincentian Fund for Systemic Change, and now it is run as an arm of Catholic Chari ties. These services make a real difference in people’s daily lives,” says Fr. Hays.

With his affinity for Spanish language and culture, one might think Fr. Hays’ was somehow born to his ministry. But there was a time when he didn’t know “buenos dias” (hello) from “adios” (goodbye). He was born in Ashdown, Arkansas, in 1957, “a totally different time and place than it is now,” he says. It was a sheltered existence: “Growing up, I never met anyone of another race or anyone who spoke a language other than English.”

He attended Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas, and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and political science, with an emphasis in European history. After graduation, he worked a variety of jobs in Arkansas and Texas. While in Dallas he was introduced to Holy Trinity Church, where he converted to Catholicism in 1985.

“It was a philosophical and spiritual decision for me. The Church’s history of social activism impressed me. The Catholic Church has been on the cutting edge of fighting for justice around the world. I wanted to be part of that,” says Fr. Hays.

“I try to follow Jesus Christ evangelizing the poor by promoting a spirituality of consciousness, compassion, and service. It is an honor to accompany people in the ordinary and exceptional moments of their lives through the sacramental life of the Church, and I try to do so with humility, gentleness and as an expression of God’s love. I try to help people make connections between our spiritual heritage and their daily lives,” he says.

“I find special joy in working with the Spanish-speaking community. Working with the Spanish-speaking puts me in contact with some of the most marginalized people of our society, and I truly experience in them the face of Christ,” says Fr. Hays.

“I never expected to feel this connection,” he explains. “I learned Spanish because it was a logical thing to do, with immigration becoming a growing issue. While my Spanish is adequate, I have a special affinity for the culture and seem to have an aptitude for it.”

Not only an aptitude, but boundless enthusiasm and energy. When Fr. Hays is not performing church-related duties, he devotes many of his free hours to volunteering at Catholic Charities’ Immigration and Legal Services in Dallas.

“My volunteer work with Immigra tion and Legal Services enables me to work with the most marginalized of our society. I use skills that I learned when I was working in Arkansas to help people navigate the labyrinthine documentation required to work with the ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) branch of the Depart ment of Homeland Security. I really appreciate and want to support the work that Catholic Charities does to serve these people on the edge,” he says.

His combination of language and legal skills are greatly appreciated, but that’s not all. Vanna Slaughter, director of the office, says, “It’s not just the work that he helps us with, it’s the spirit he brings with him.” The spirit of St. Vincent de Paul.