Immigration boom swells local ranks of Catholics

[David_Paul]

WASHINGTON TIMES
by Gary Emerling and Matthew Cella
June 17, 2005

A population and immigration boom has flooded Northern Virginia with residents who are filled with the Holy Spirit, officials with the Catholic Diocese of Arlington said.

The diocese – which encompasses 21 counties and seven cities in Northern Virginia – has experienced a 42 percent increase in registered Catholics over the past decade. The increase has prompted the creation of a new parish and two new missions that would serve more than 2,500 Catholics in Prince William, Loudoun and Rappahannock counties…

Officials said an influx of Hispanics and other immigrants also has increased the need for expansion in the diocese, which offers Mass in Spanish in more than 30 of its 67 parishes.

U.S. census figures show the population of Hispanics, who are predominately Catholic, more than doubled in Northern Virginia from 97,559 in 1990 to 198,535 in 2000.

“Our diocese has been immeasurably enriched by a vibrant and growing Hispanic presence,” Bishop Loverde said.

 

[Tracyms1974]

I posted something to this effect on another thread, but I don’t know how to link it. Anyway, I just wanted to say that it’s a definite perk that the immigrants from Mexico and other Hispanic countries are Catholic. There’s safety and strength in numbers. It’s a shame that there is such a language barrier, though. I tried to learn Spanish - it’s hard. We could really learn a lot about their culture by casual conversation.

Tracy

 

[Amolibri]

HI Tracy!
Thanks for your positive message. Your willingness to learn Spanish is wonderful. It took me many years to become fluent, and that included living in Spain and traveling to other countries where Spanish is spoken.
Conversation is THE way to do it!!

I am thrilled that this is happening. I live in upstate NY and we have quite an influx of Mexican people here. Some have started businesses and are adapting well. I work in outreach for public libraries…and we are promoting English learning…and also have Spanish learning tools!!!

Buena suerte!!! (good luck) Que Dios le bendiga…God bless you.
Lena

 

[melensdad]

This past weekend we got 2 new Deacons. One is Hispanic (but not an immigrant), his son is a student at the high school and one of my wife’s best students. Over this past year our parish has added a regular Spanish mass, prior to the last year we’ve only had migrant farm worker Spanish masses during harvest time (we still have those also). Our county seems to be gaining Spanish speaking residents, both in the rural areas and the urban areas (my county borders Chicago, IL and is 50% urban and 50% farm/rural).

 

[meeshy]

It’s really lovely to see positive posts about the influx of hispanics and Catholics. Keep posting, guys!

There’s a lot of anti-immigrant sentiment out there, as you probably know. We need to project a loving, Catholic attitude towards all people, and becoming involved with immigrants on a personal level is a wonderful way to not only help others, but to be an example as well.

Spanish is a tricky language, but keep going, you’ll get it. Don’t forget you can learn a lot just from watching t.v. in Spanish!

En la paz de Cristo,
Meeshy

 

[Amolibri]

Gracias, Meeshy! I am active in outreach here in the Hudson Valley (NY) to our hispanic ‘hermanos’…It is sad to hear the anti-immigrant sentiment in our great country…very short memories, it seems.
I am an immigrant, myself…and I am most grateful for all the opportunities I have been given.

Yes, Catholics must be an example of how Christ’s message is alive and well in our communities…there is no simple answer, but with prayer and cooperation, all will benefit. We had a rally for the support of immigrants at our local Epis. church last month, and the stories were most heartwarming…and some heartbreaking as well.

Deseándote la paz de Christo,
Lena

 

[melensdad]

It is sad to hear the anti-immigrant sentiment in our great country…very short memories, it seems.

Most of the ANTI-immigrant sentiment is directed toward ILLEGAL immigrants. There is a big difference between feelings about folks who are here on a guest worker visa, a green card, those going through the legal process . . . and then those who are here illegally.

If our borders are not secure from the illegal immigration then they are not secure from terrorists, drug dealers or anyone else. We must do more to secure our nation, but we cannot simultaneously forget the inscription on the Statue of Liberty: *Give me your tired, poor . . . . *

 

[Amolibri]

Until this gov’t has the will ALSO to tackle the illegal EMPLOYER actions…this will not see any solution. Exploitation is just as grievous and illegal…don’t you agree?

How do we square this? If all were following the law…we wouldn’t be having this problem. What if there were no jobs/people wanting to pay LOWEST wages…make MORE PROFITS?

 

[melensdad]

Until this gov’t has the will ALSO to tackle the illegal EMPLOYER actions…this will not see any solution. Exploitation is just as grievous and illegal…don’t you agree?

How do we square this? If all were following the law…we wouldn’t be having this problem. What if there were no jobs/people wanting to pay LOWEST wages…make MORE PROFITS?

No argument from me that the employers must be reigned in too. But having in-laws in Texas and New Mexico taught me that many of the EMPLOYERS are simply people who want maids and gardeners and they pay with cash. There is plenty of blame to spread around.

 

[meeshy]

No argument from me that the employers must be reigned in too. But having in-laws in Texas and New Mexico taught me that many of the EMPLOYERS are simply people who want maids and gardeners and they pay with cash. There is plenty of blame to spread around.

Not wanting to start another immigration debate, still I must say:

Almost all nannies, housekeepers, waitresses, and gardeners, whether U.S. citizens or not, are paid under the table. That’s just the way it is in our country, and has been for a long time.

The employer is supposed to file a 1099 (or W-2 in some cases) and the employee is supposed to file a 1040 and pay his/her taxes, but how often does that happen? I don’t have the statistics, but I’m pretty sure that a good percentage of citizens in these types of jobs are not paying taxes, or not reporting all their earnings.

Anyway, I don’t want to muddy up this lovely thread which is about Catholics reaching out to their immigrant neighbors, both illegal and legal.

Peace…

 

[melensdad]

Almost all nannies, housekeepers, waitresses, and gardeners, whether U.S. citizens or not, are paid under the table. That’s just the way it is in our country, and has been for a long time.

Anyway, I don’t want to muddy up this lovely thread which is about Catholics reaching out to their immigrant neighbors, both illegal and legal.

You are correct about both issues. Most are paid under the table, and we really need to accept into our parishes all the immigrants who show up at our doors. I’m the son of a Czechoslovakian immigrant who escaped the Nazi push toward Russia and realize how lucky I am to be here. My parish is in an agricultural area and we have reached out to the Hispanics who make up many of the farm workers and new residents. I do not speak Spanish and have never attended one of our Spanish masses, but I do support the outreach.

 

[Verisimilitude]

What kind of Catholics are emgrating?

“Catholics are diminishing, but they have not necessarily gone to the evangelicals,” Noriega said. "They’ve become nonpracticing.

“Now with the passing of the pope, there are a lot of Catholics,” Noriega said with a trace of irony. “There are many who declare their faith but do not live it.”

In Mexico alone, Masferrer said, the church encompasses Catholics who adhere to the leftist liberation theology and others to what he called the “theology of prosperity.”

“We have to have a pope who is very reform-minded,” she said. “People are changing.”

“Today the church considers it to be more grave to commit a social sin than an individual sin,” Peralta said twice as the group read a pastoral letter calling for political awareness.

chron.com/disp/story.mpl/pope/3125403.html

 

[leonie]

I don’t understand why so many Hispanic Catholics vote for pro-abortion politicians.

 

[melensdad]

What does it matter “what type of Catholics” are emigrating? Should we not welcome all of them and then if they join us, and have views that are not in line with the Catholic church should we not work to get them to understand their faith better?

 

[Sr_Sally]

This is very exciting. The Bishop just annouced transfers, and one of our Parocial Vicars–a wonderful, reverant priest–will be moving to one of the new mission churches. I send them blessings! They will be getting a really great priest!

WASHINGTON TIMES
by Gary Emerling and Matthew Cella
June 17, 2005

A population and immigration boom has flooded Northern Virginia with residents who are filled with the Holy Spirit, officials with the Catholic Diocese of Arlington said.

The diocese – which encompasses 21 counties and seven cities in Northern Virginia – has experienced a 42 percent increase in registered Catholics over the past decade. The increase has prompted the creation of a new parish and two new missions that would serve more than 2,500 Catholics in Prince William, Loudoun and Rappahannock counties…

Officials said an influx of Hispanics and other immigrants also has increased the need for expansion in the diocese, which offers Mass in Spanish in more than 30 of its 67 parishes.

U.S. census figures show the population of Hispanics, who are predominately Catholic, more than doubled in Northern Virginia from 97,559 in 1990 to 198,535 in 2000.

“Our diocese has been immeasurably enriched by a vibrant and growing Hispanic presence,” Bishop Loverde said.

 

[meeshy]

On a more somber note, I just read that one of our priests in my state, here for several years on a visa from Colombia, is being intimidated by the INS.

They have required exhaustive documentation before they will extend his visa, including proof that the American parish to which he is assigned, actually exists!!! His visa expires soon, and he started proceedings for renewal a year ago. The INS has purposely been slow about reviewing the documentation, and have requested an enormous amount of documentation that took a very long time to procure. So, unfortunately, it’s likely that this priest’s visa will expire before the INS finishes its investigation, and the priest will have to return to Colombia.

This is demeaning and unnecessary, and very sad. It blatently demonstrates the problems which exist with the current system.

If this can happen to a priest, imagine how it happens to immigrant laypeople each and every day.

Peace,

 

[LCMS_No_More]

On a more somber note, I just read that one of our priests in my state, here for several years on a visa from Colombia, is being intimidated by the INS.

They have required exhaustive documentation before they will extend his visa, including proof that the American parish to which he is assigned, actually exists!!! His visa expires soon, and he started proceedings for renewal a year ago. The INS has purposely been slow about reviewing the documentation, and have requested an enormous amount of documentation that took a very long time to procure. So, unfortunately, it’s likely that this priest’s visa will expire before the INS finishes its investigation, and the priest will have to return to Colombia.

This is demeaning and unnecessary, and very sad. It blatently demonstrates the problems which exist with the current system.

If this can happen to a priest, imagine how it happens to immigrant laypeople each and every day.

Peace,

I hate to say this here because I know it will be unpopular, but the fact is, this country has an anti-catholic history and has always been pretty anti-catholic. It’s no surprise that a priest is being harassed by the authorities. Personally, I think we’re going to be needing a lot of priests to immigrate to the US as the ones we have here are dying off and are not being replaced by new vocations.

 

[johnstown_johnn]

Mexico would be better off with the millions of good Catholics had they remained rather than come here.

Mexico (Mexico City, that is) has approved abortion. Had millions of Catholics STAYED that abortion law would never had happened.

 

[Verisimilitude]

What does it matter “what type of Catholics” are emigrating? Should we not welcome all of them and then if they join us, and have views that are not in line with the Catholic church should we not work to get them to understand their faith better?

It does not matter if all immigrants are to be held to a equal civil standard and offered an equal chance to emmigrate, but they are not. Is the OP being used to further justify illegal immigration as a benefit to Catholicism? If so, that destroys the argument that says all illegal immigrants in the US are being considered as equal.

Are Mexican Catholics emigrating because of religious persecution or common poverty that afflicts millions around the world? Bringing religion into the secular debate will backfire.

 

[Verisimilitude]

On a more somber note, I just read that one of our priests in my state, here for several years on a visa from Colombia, is being intimidated by the INS.

Intimidation?

They have required exhaustive documentation before they will extend his visa, including proof that the American parish to which he is assigned, actually exists!!! His visa expires soon, and he started proceedings for renewal a year ago. The INS has purposely been slow about reviewing the documentation, and have requested an enormous amount of documentation that took a very long time to procure. So, unfortunately, it’s likely that this priest’s visa will expire before the INS finishes its investigation, and the priest will have to return to Colombia.

Purposely slow?

This is demeaning and unnecessary, and very sad. It blatently demonstrates the problems which exist with the current system.

If this can happen to a priest, imagine how it happens to immigrant laypeople each and every day.

Peace,

Such words as demenaing, unnecessary, blatent problems…are not fair or accurate. The visa was for a set period of time was it not? Maybe a priest from another country, like India, as is a priest in my parish, is waiting to come to America. Another priest just arrived from Viet Nam in our parish.:clapping:

Sad, maybe, but that is not a reason to say the rules are unjust or unnecessary.