BOSTON (OSV News) — Walter Mena, associate director of Hispanic Youth and Young Adult Ministry Leadership at Boston College’s Clough School of Theology and Ministry, grew up in El Salvador in the 1980s, during a time when a brutal civil war had plunged the Central American nation into violence and uncertainty.
For Mena, refuge could be found in the hallways of his Marist Brothers Catholic school, on the soccer field and on the judo mat, and also within the embrace of a Catholic young adult community. There, he discovered something that would profoundly shape his life: a sense of belonging.
“I learned that you don’t succeed by yourself. You need other people to work together — as a community, as a team,” Mena told OSV News.
Another experience that shaped Mena’s faith was meeting St. Oscar Romero in his youth. Romero’s witness to the poor and vulnerable during El Salvador’s civil war would leave a lasting mark on the future pastoral leader.
For Mena, Archbishop Romero was “not simply a historical figure, but somebody I met, I saw, I heard — he was a great witness of faith and reality in my country. And I think his courage in speaking for the poor and vulnerable and his willingness to place his faith at the service of the human dignity, helped me to shape my own way to connect with Jesus and as a disciple of Jesus,” he said.
Archbishop Romero, who led the Archdiocese of San Salvador from 1977 until his assassination in 1980, became a voice for the poor and those suffering amid El Salvador’s deepening political and social violence. His homilies, broadcast across the country, brought the realities faced by ordinary Salvadorans into the heart of his preaching. He was killed March 24, 1980, while celebrating Mass at a hospital chapel.
“He helped me understand that faith cannot be separated from the lives of real people,” Mena recalled of the man who was formally recognized as a martyred saint by the Catholic Church in 2018.
That lesson took root. Over the years, it became one of the pillars of Mena’s life and a conviction that has accompanied him throughout his pastoral journey: Faith is lived in community, amid the joys, struggles and hopes of ordinary people.
Mission alongside Latino Catholics
Reflecting on his role as associate director of Hispanic Youth and Young Adult Ministry Leadership at the Clough School, Mena emphasized that being a pastoral minister is, above all, about being a “companion.”
“It means listening before speaking, building relationships before building programs and helping people recognize God’s presence and action in their own lives,” said Mena, whose work also includes supporting members of immigrant communities.
An immigrant himself, Mena knows the challenges of starting over in a different culture and the resilience required to find a new sense of belonging. After finishing high school in his native El Salvador, he began a new chapter in Colombia, where he spent six years pursuing his undergraduate studies. Later, his journey took him to the United States, where he continued building his personal and professional story.
“I remember the experience of having to learn how to live in different worlds. But over time, I realized that I didn’t have to choose between where I came from and where I was going,” Mena said. He added, “Now I realize that I bring the gifts of my Salvadoran and Latin American heritage into the life of the United States.”
His experience as an immigrant, combined with years of professional formation — including a master’s degree in practical theology from Boston College — fuels his mission alongside Hispanic young people and their families. Now Mena accompanies those who, like he once did, navigate between cultures, search for their place and build a sense of belonging.
Beyond his work in ministry with Latino Catholics, Mena’s sense of vocation is also rooted in his family, which includes his wife Ena and their four children: Candi, Paola, Catalina and Joshua. His journey across countries and cultures has shaped not only his professional life but also the way he understands family, belonging and faith.
Seeking to build a bridge between faith and climate justice
Mena recently took on an additional role as Hispanic outreach program manager for Catholic Climate Covenant, a nonprofit organization that works to inspire and equip the Catholic Church to care for creation. He emphasizes that when building community and intentionally accompanying people, climate change cannot be left out of the conversation. On the contrary, it is part of the everyday reality facing many communities, particularly the most vulnerable.
“When you really pay attention to people, you realize that the most vulnerable communities are the ones facing the most challenging situations because of climate change. So, we need to move toward an ecological theology and spirituality,” Mena said.
In this new responsibility, Mena seeks to build a bridge between faith, climate justice and the concrete realities facing Hispanics in the U.S.
“Climate change is not simply an environmental issue — it’s much more than that. It’s about human dignity, poverty, migration, health, housing, work and the future of our families,” Mena said. “And in the face of this challenge, you can either let all of this overwhelm you, or you can choose to do something with the community, keeping hope alive.”
Mena chooses the second option.
The pioneering work Mena is undertaking with Catholic Climate Covenant involves collaborating with organizations, dioceses and other institutions connected to the Catholic Church to put into practice the teachings of Pope Francis and now Pope Leo XIV on care for creation. He is also working to cultivate a vision that creates spaces where Hispanic Catholics can raise their voices, discern and take concrete action — whether large or small — to care for our common home.
Mena finds hope in the work he is carrying out through these two ministries.
“Working with young people and empowering the community, connecting them with care for creation … confirms to me that I’m going in the right direction,” he said.
Maria del Pilar Guzman writes for OSV News from Boston.
