When I wrote that I had not taken into account that last Sunday was the beginning of Catholic Schools' Week and that I wanted to cede my weekly bulletin note to the school principal. Catholic schools are very important to thte mission of the Church. This Sunday, I endeavor to fulfill my promise from two weeks ago.
How do we welcome Hispanics in our parishes? The first thing necessary is recognizing that for Hispanics who are baptized Catholics, this population already belongs to the parish just as much as people who have attended Mass at Holy Family or Saint Paul for their whole lives. Our church is a global church. While it is useful for record purposes to register at a parish, membership in a parish has to do with whether or not one is Catholic and one's geographic location. We should never speak as if "we" are welcoming "them".
The second thing necessary is recognizing that immigrant parents who do not have English as their mother tongue have special needs in passing on the faith to their children. Catholic Hispanic immigrants come from cultures that have been saturated with the Catholic faith for five centuries. Making the transition into an American culture and English language that first received its shape in the shadows of the Protestant Reformation and Enlightenment two and a half centuries ago can pose significant challenges in passing down the faith to the next generation. Parents who grew up in a strongly Catholic culture reinforced by family ties can find it very difficult to transmit the faith that they received to children who prefer to speak English and just want to be like their peers.
How can one put these two things into practice? Every place is different, but my general experience in twenty years of being involved in Hispanic ministry is that building bridges works much better than putting up walls. Even if we use Spanish at Mass, our goal is to have one parish unified and walking toward Jesus Christ, our Lord. We all know that this is easier said than done. But when, with the help of divine grace, it is done well, it is a beautiful sight indeed.