Archbishop's web site Denver Catholic Register Parishes Catholic Pastoral Center
August 9, 2000
Immigrant Catholics deserve welcome, not derision
The following editorial appeared in the July 13 issue of the Catholic Herald, Milwaukee archdiocesan newspaper. It was written by Laurie Hansen Cardona, managing editor.
Picturesque small-town parades and old-fashioned family picnics on the Fourth of July symbolize to many all that is good about this nation. But a gathering in Los Angeles of a large group of Catholics from across this country that took place a few days after the Fourth said volumes more about what America — a nation of immigrants — is all about.
Reflecting the diversity of the country, parish and diocesan leaders of all shades, races and accents met July 6-9 for "Encuentro 2000: Many Faces in God's House" to celebrate their cultural heritage and to develop strategies that advance the church's common mission of worship, evangelization, service and action for justice. The event, spearheaded by Hispanic Catholics, banded together U.S. Catholics of every ancestry to prepare for the church of the next millennium.
That such a cooperative, forward-looking gathering could take place in the "City of Angels" should not suggest that all is peaceful and harmonious among the masses.
As is true nationwide, here in the Milwaukee Archdiocese the growing numbers of immigrants are not always met with hospitality. When discussion arises of language challenges facing newcomers, short memories, not common sense, often prevail. Wisconsinites more than one generation removed from immigrant ancestors — whether Polish, German, Norwegian, Italian or other — conveniently forget that their grandparents or great-grandparents spoke no English upon arrival in this country.
Masses were celebrated in Polish, Norwegian newspapers were plentiful, Catholic and public schools taught in German. When Solomon Juneau became Milwaukee's first mayor in 1846, 1,000 copies of his inaugural address were printed — 500 in English and 500 in German. When a Catholic Herald reporter recently gathered information for a history of two merging parishes on Milwaukee's near south side, she found many of the records provided were in the German language.
Even years ago, immigrants faced bigotry. When newcomers from Germany and Ireland demanded an equal voice in deliberations over statehood, the Milwaukee Sentinel editorialized: "This is going too far. ... One half of our population consists of foreigners and if this continues they will gain the upper hand and destroy our freedom. This thing is going too far."
Should immigrants learn English? Of course. It's to their benefit. In general, the best predictors of immigrants' economic success are their education, skills and ability to speak English. But ask any teacher of English as a Second Language about his or her adult students and you will find that immigrants desperately want to learn the language. As had been true with immigrants throughout history, the rapidity with which they learn depends on their age, language aptitude and time available for study.
Ask any teacher of the children of immigrants and you will find that their students are almost always English-dominant by a certain age. Frequently a big challenge facing the immigrant family is quality communication between parents and English-dominant children.
In this millennial year, about one-quarter of U.S. Catholics trace their roots to continents other than Europe. Most of this group are Hispanics of Latin American heritage, and their presence extends from sea to shining sea.
Bishop Joseph A. Fiorenza of Galveston-Houston, president of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, writing last year in America magazine, the national Jesuit weekly published in New York, said the many cultural groups in the church reflect the fact the country as a whole has many new ethnic groups, among whom can be found some of the nation's poorest people and those most "vulnerable to exploitation."
Every Catholic needs to recognize this fact and "work for legislation and candidates who will uphold the right to life and dignity of all, including the economically poor, people of color, and new immigrants," he said.
Eight of the 20 countries from which the United States receives the most immigrants have strong Catholic traditions: Mexico, the Philippines, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, Colombia, Peru and Poland. This gives Catholics an opportunity and a responsibility.
Bishop Fiorenza put it this way: "We stand at an exciting moment. We are about to become enriched by the vibrant traditions of people with a long religious history and to be challenged by social justice questions which affect our family as never before."
