Diversity

     I saw some stats today that got me thinking.  Back in 1996 I attended a four month sabbatical program in Berkeley, California at SAT (the School of Applied Theology).  While enjoying the California experience, I encountered quite a few "nationality parishes".  I was used to those, being from Southwestern PA.  My hometown had a territorial parish (St. John the Evangelist - the Irish), Saint Joseph Polish church, Saint Mary of the Nativity Slovak church, Saint Therese of the Little Flower Italian church, Saint George Maronite Rite (Lebanese) and Saint John the Baptist Reuthinian Byzantine church (Russian).  I went to Saint Joe's.  But in California the ethnic make up was much different: from various parts of Asia and Africa and the Pacific Basin and so on.  We are a land of immigrants.  That is one of the true blessings of this great nation.  My maternal grandfather came from Poland, as did my paternal grandparents.

     Immigration today is a hot topic with many components.  Obviously we need to do something about those who are here illegally, and the bishops of the U.S. have weighed in on the issues.  A great many citizens today are from across our Southern boarder, of Hispanic origins.  That is where the stats come in.

     16% of the U.S. population (or 50.5 million) are Hispanic.  Of those, 68% are Catholic.  35% of U.S. Catholics are Hispanic.  Of those, 50% are under 25 years of age.  20% of Catholic parishes have Hispanic ministries.  And there are 28 active Catholic Bishops in the U.S. that are of Hispanic background.  Spanish is overtaking English as the first language in many places (I missed the boat by taking French in school).

     For some people, this is frightening.  For others it is not to be tolerated.  But whether we are Poles, or Slavs, or Irish, or English or Hispanic or whatever, remember that we are all a part of the Family of God, and we bring rich threads into the fabric of our society (and our Church) when we welcome the stranger or the oppressed.  Remember that the greatness of the American Experiment is rooted in our cultural diversity and our willingness to welcome through Ellis Island or San Francisco or the Mexican Boarder those who, like us, seek the blessings of this Country.