Archbishop's web site Denver Catholic Register Parishes Catholic Pastoral Center
December 4, 2002
Hispanic growth requires bilingual Church life, says bishop
U.S. bishops' Hispanic pastoral plan calls for developing Hispanic leaders
By Agostino Bono
WASHINGTON (CNS) — The increase in the Hispanic population challenges the U.S. Church to develop a more bilingual approach to Catholic life, said Bishop James A. Tamayo of Laredo, Texas.
Bishop Tamayo, the new chairman of the U.S. bishops' Committee on Hispanic Affairs, said the Church needs to be creative so that bilingualism becomes part of the dialogue among Catholics.
"We must allow the Spanish-speakers to be more proficient in English and English-speakers to be more proficient in Spanish," he said Nov. 13 while attending the U.S. bishops' annual fall meeting in Washington.
Bishop Tamayo's term as Hispanic affairs chairman began at the end of the Nov. 11-14 meeting.
A bilingual approach would help people "better grasp the reality of different cultures and of people who live in a different culture" from their native one, he said.
Spanish is important to the cultural identity of many Hispanics, especially immigrants, he said. "In moments of great crisis or celebration, people fall back on their native tongue."
Bishop Tamayo, 53, was interviewed a day after the bishops approved updated guidelines to the hierarchy's 1987 pastoral letter on Hispanic ministry. The new document, "Encuentro and Mission: A Renewed Pastoral Framework for Hispanic Ministry," says a major challenge for Hispanic ministry is developing Hispanic leaders as Latinos move toward becoming a majority of all U.S. Catholics in an increasingly multicultural Church.
Hispanics are currently the largest ethnic group in the U.S. Church.
Statistics compiled by the U.S. bishops' Secretariat for Hispanic Affairs report that there are 25 million Hispanic Catholics, about 40 percent of the total U.S. Catholic population. According to the statistics, 71 percent of the U.S. Catholic population growth since 1960 is due to Hispanics. The statistics are taken from U.S. Census reports and recent surveys of Hispanics.
Bishop Tamayo said that great strides are being made in developing bilingual liturgies, such as for weddings and funerals. He also mentioned an increase in Spanish instruction and Hispanic ministry courses in seminaries.
"There are Church centers for studying language and culture throughout the United States for people committed to pastoral ministry," he said.
"The Hispanic population is increasing to the point that in every diocese there is concern by the bishop to reach out to better understand the culture and prayer methods of Hispanics," he said.
The aim is to incorporate Hispanics into active Church participation, he said.
Hispanics, especially newly arrived immigrants, are looking for comfort, direction and a place to express their faith and "they look for that in our Church," he said.
The new bishops' document encourages dialogue regarding Hispanic spiritual, pastoral and social needs, said Bishop Tamayo.
Economic stability and family unification, especially for migrants, are important issues, he said.
The Church is also active in providing citizenship classes for Hispanics who want to fully participate in U.S. society by voting, he added.
A main challenge within the Hispanic community is fostering vocations to the priesthood and religious life, he said. The bishop noted the high number of Latino young people and said there is a need to provide them with positive role models.
"The presence of vocations is very real" and youths need "role models that work in Hispanic ministry," he said.
They have to feel that the priesthood is a viable vocation for them, he said.
Bishop Tamayo added that a program has been started in a seminary in Mexico City for predominantly Spanish-speaking Latinos living in the United States. The program allows them to do their seminary studies in Spanish rather than English before returning for priestly assignment in the United States, he said.
According to the data compiled by the Hispanic affairs secretariat, there is one Hispanic priest for every 9,925 Hispanic Catholics and, of the 2,900 Hispanic priests in the United States, only 500 are U.S.-born. Regarding age, 36 percent of Hispanics are under 18 years old and the median age is 26, both well below the U.S. average.
Bishop Tamayo noted that many U.S. dioceses, especially those along the Mexican border, already have a long history of having a majority Hispanic population.
"We hope our model is a welcoming one," he said of these dioceses.
Bishop Tamayo was born in Brownsville, Texas, and grew up in Corpus Christi. He was ordained in 1976 as a priest of the Corpus Christi Diocese. He was named auxiliary bishop of Galveston-Houston in 1993 and was appointed to head the Laredo Diocese in 2000.
U.S. bishops' Hispanic Affairs officer to speak in Denver on updated Hispanic pastoral plan
Alejandro Aguilera-Titus of the U.S. bishops' Hispanic Affairs Office will speak on the bishops' recently updated Hispanic ministry pastoral plan 9:30 a.m.-noon Dec. 7 and 9 in Denver.
Dec. 9 he speaks at the John Paul II Center, 1300 S. Steele St. He will give the talk in Spanish Dec. 7 at Centro L.U.P.E., 3401 Pecos St. All are invited. R.S.V.P. by Dec. 5 to 303-715-3235.
The talks are sponsored by the Archdiocese of Denver Hispanic Office. Bishop José Gomez, S.T.D., will introduce Aguilera-Titus, associate director of the Hispanic Affairs Secretariat, at the Dec. 9 talk in Room 123 of the center.
The talk, "Encuentro and Mission: A Renewed Pastoral Framework for Hispanic Ministry," will address issues facing those in Hispanic ministry, including developing closer cooperation between the archdiocesan Hispanic Office and parish ministry.
An archdiocesan initiative, Centro San Juan Diego: Hispanic Institute for Family and Pastoral Care, is under way as the old Sacred Heart School, located at 28th and Lawrence streets in Lodo, undergoes renovations for use next year. Centro San Juan Diego will provide the family and pastoral services the U.S. bishops' Hispanic plan calls for, including building Church and community leaders, organizers said.
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