Hispanic priests discuss growing U.S. flock

[Dale_M]

The national convention of the National Hispanic Priests Association has drawn more than 100 Roman Catholic clerics from across the United States and several Central and South American nations to Omaha.

They’re discussing the challenges and opportunities of a burgeoning population of Hispanic Catholics in the United States.

Nationally, more than 50 percent of all Catholics under age 25 are Hispanic, according to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Hispanics have contributed 71 percent of the church’s growth since 1960 and today make up more than 35 percent of its U.S. flock.

lexch.com/articles/2010/09/30/news/regional/doc4ca4959d7847e455292547.txt

The US has a lot of Hispanic Catholics, but relatively few Hispanic priests. I suppose the matter will right itself eventually, but the big problem at present seems to be a language barrier.

 

[puzzleannie]

lexch.com/articles/2010/09/30/news/regional/doc4ca4959d7847e455292547.txt

The US has a lot of Hispanic Catholics, but relatively few Hispanic priests. I suppose the matter will right itself eventually, but the big problem at present seems to be a language barrier.

and the fact that for generations Hispanics, like Blacks, were not admitted to many seminaries, another problem that has taken time to correct. I know that Spanish speaking seminarians from this diocese have a certain allowance of time to master English, and if they can’t do it they will be dismissed and have to go elsewhere.

 

[LongJourney]

I know that Spanish speaking seminarians from this diocese have a certain allowance of time to master English

That does not really seem fair, given the fact that your diocese is on the border, and there are still plenty of large parishes where they could work alongside English-only priests. Where are the priests who are proficient in both languages? That is difficult to accomplish.

 

[challam2010]

In California, many priests who speak English as their first language have undergone extensive training in Spanish to satisfy the large number of Hispanic/Anglo communities.

We are also getting quite a few priests from Mexico and South America (and India and Africa), and their English speaking skills are often very poor, even though their understanding of the language is good. Many parishioners volunteer time to help them with English skills, but it takes a lot of time and effort. It can be frustrating (or restful ) to attend a Mass where you can’t understand the homily – the prayers are so familiar that doesn’t seem to be a problem.

One of the biggest problems I’ve seen with the Latino immigrant priests is the tendency for the Hispanic members of the parish to attend only the Spanish masses, thus effectively dividing the community by language and customs.

I haven’t personally seen any resentment from either Hispanic or Anglo people toward one another for many years, but the virtual separation of the community is troubling to me.