Ignacio Ruiz, teaching by example: Building multi-cultural bridges

Born in Pinar del Río, Cuba, Ignacio Ruíz Páez and his family suffered the persecution of a totalitarian communist/socialist regime. The reason behind such oppression: his faith, as a Catholic leader and teacher in Catholic institutions.

Concerned for their safety, Ignacio and all the family left Cuba and landed in Kingston, Jamaica. A few days later, a green card opened the door to fly to America. First, Florida, then Texas and Puerto Rico, where they became citizens.

Ruíz graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a bachelor of science degree in communications, radio-TV-film. Later, he returned to earn his teaching certificate in Spanish and English. He also pursued postgraduate studies in Madrid, Spain.

In San Antonio he worked for a Catholic television channel and then took the first steps as a teacher with teenagers from a local Catholic school, whom he taught to use cameras and operate the equipment.
 
After 30 years of teaching in Texas, he moved to Oklahoma to be with his mother, María Páez de Ruíz, after his father had passed.

One day, his mother surprised him, presenting an ad in the Sooner Catholic announcing that Mount Saint Mary Catholic High School was looking for a Spanish teacher and a technology teacher.

“I was surprised because, as I told her, ‘I came to be with you,’” he said.

Her response: “You have much more to offer.”

“And here I am,” he said.

Indeed, Ruíz was hired at Mount Saint Mary. And he’s busy, teaching Spanish, computer applications, TV/webcast journalism and media.

In its beginnings, he realized the Spanish heritage students were being placed in a regular Spanish class.

“This led me to start a class for Spanish for heritage speakers to help them with the language and to grow and be proud of other aspects of their culture,” he said, adding that all the material is linked to the Catholic faith and the core values of Mount Saint Mary. 

“I am trying to help them improve, not just in their academic life, but also in other aspects. I hope they will remember the faith and spiritual material and at least reference it later in life.”

For Laura Cain, the principal at The Mount, Ruíz, is a dedicated teacher who immerses students in the Catholic faith through the Hispanic language and culture.
 
“He supports the mission of the school and develops strong relationships with his students, which inspires them to seek excellence in their academic work and their spiritual lives,” Cain said.

Luke Ranck, a senior student, said learning another language, such as Spanish, will allow him to communicate better with others in his professional path, or with peers from other countries in the future to come.

The classes with Ruíz, Ranck said, are creative and interesting.
 
“Last semester, for example, we had to make a video of ourselves explaining AI, pros and cons, and the effect of social media on the teenagers like us,” Ranck said, “and just how it's affecting our day-to-day lives. We did it only in Spanish and it was a really great experience.”

For Danika Burgdoff learning about the Camino de Santiago in Europe opened her eyes to one of the most famous pilgrimages in Europe, with Spain as a central point.

“Learning about the Camino I realized that it's not just Spain or Spanish as a language,” Burgdoff said, “it’s understanding better the culture behind it.”

Once in Oklahoma, Ruíz became active in the Blessed Stanley Rother Hispanic Cultural Institute at Saint Joseph Catholic Church in Norman, founded by his parents in 2007 along with some University of Oklahoma professors, including  Luis Cortest, and Deacon Angelo Lombardo and his wife Annie, who saw a need for clergy to learn Spanish. And now, as a community service, it is not just for people in ministry, but for anyone interested in learning about it.

“I enjoy finding new themes and lessons to teach and explore so that others can see the beauty of my culture and recognize that it is not one but over 20 distinct cultures that fall under the Hispanic culture umbrella,” said Ruíz, the current coordinator.

“When I share the Hispanic culture, I share the past, the roots of being Hispanic, and how we adapted the Spanish culture to suit the environment. We do have an American culture and way of life that keeps us together, but within that culture, we can share our past and culture.

“It enriches our American culture. I believe that to understand others, we must understand ourselves.”

Libby Gillett has been attending the Institute for 13 years. She said she sees Ruíz encouraging others that it is possible to learn another language.

“Every Tuesday he presents an interesting topic delving into the culture, gastronomy, music, dance, art, history, and much more relating to the Hispanic world,” Gillett said.

Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Mexico and Spain are the Spanish speaking countries that Gillett has visited.

“I have made many friends from these countries and none of this would have been possible without the influence of the Institute and the continuing efforts of Ignacio,” she said.

For Ruíz, it’s all part of his mission.

“I endeavor to be an example, not just an instructor, to my students, but in faith,” he said. “I show them how, at times, it can be rewarding and difficult.

“But the important part is to persevere, to not lose trust in God, to not lose the faith, to not lose that spirit to perseverance on the road to heaven.”

Bella Gutiérrez is a freelance writer for the Sooner Catholic.

Ignacio Ruíz in his classroom at Mount St. Mary Catholic High School in Oklahoma City. Photo Bella Gutiérrez/Sooner Catholic