Latinos Revitalize US Catholic Population

  • Thread starter Thread starter Catholic_Press
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
aspawloski4th said:
What you fail to reconise is Latinos are growing the fastest in nearly all Christian denominations, while still not learning English. Theres a Latino family nextdoor to me that moved in 9 years ago, and they still don’t know a word of English. I offered to teach a few of them so they can assimilate and they refused. Are you saying this experience is a figment of my imagination? I remember back in the mid 1970s when Saigon fell many Vietnamese moved to my community as reugees, there was a parish set up especially for them. But they have assimilated and very few know Vietnamese anymore and that is as it should be. Most of them go to non Viet. namese pariishes now.In the spring of 1975 as Vietnamese family that had just escaped Vietnem were taken in my the nun’s who lived at a nun retirement home across the street from my family. One of the nuns had my dad meet the parents, asking the favor if they could come and borrow our swimming pool during the summer because the weather had been heating up already. When we first met them they knew no English at all. By the end of August they were able to carry on conversations with any of my family just fine.Thats assimilating! The family nextdoor to me now hasn’t.
Click to expand...
What I understand is that speaking English is not a requirement to be a Roman Catholic. They can worship, pray, and receive the Sacraments in Spanish and be totally fine with Church teachings. Actually, the Spanish translation of the Holy Mass is a lot more faithful to the original Latin version than the English one. Show me where in the CCC or USCCB documents it says that Latinos in the USA should speak English in order to be good Catholics.

On the social and economical front, I agree that English will be helpful and many times required as long as they live in the USA, BUT NOT in our, their Church. And I repeat, THEIR Church.
 
aspawloski4th said:
First off Christopher Columbus was Italian. If you want to multiculturalize everything you are forgetting General Casmir Pulaski who helped us win the revolutionary war. In geting legitimacy for our new nation it was Croatia that was the first country to reconise the USA as an independant nation. When the English general gave an explaination to King George as to why they lost the war, they blamed the Irish and their gurelle type tactics as to why they lost. In colonial times when The USA was deciding on an official language for the new nation there was a nation wide vote and English beat German by one vote, and Spanish was never considered. as far as releations with Spain> Ive met speople from Spain on several occasions. Unanimously they think Hispanics give them a bad name and want not to be associated with them. So the Latin cuture has a few things as a part of the American culture with in the Catholic church, So does Irish, German, Polish etc etc.
Click to expand...
Being that my wife is “off the plane Polish” i will second thatmotion haha.

Actually it was a myth about German almost becoming the official language of USA.

However I will quote Thomas Jefferson:
“With respect to modern languages, French, as I have before observed, is indispensable. Next to this the Spanish is most important to an American. Our connection with Spain is already important and will become daily more so. Besides this the ancient part of American history is written chiefly in Spanish”
Click to expand...
Lastly we are Catholic. When you go to a Latin Parish, or a Polish Parish… you can take communion. When I travel to German or Italy for work? I can go to Mass there and it is all the same despite the cultural differences.
 
aspawloski4th said:
First off Christopher Columbus was Italian…
Click to expand...
By the way. I forgot to ask. Who gave Columbus a ride? hehe

Lastly remember what language was originally spoken in this land? Who’s chidlren was forced to adopt Christianity? Who were the one’s slaughted by the millions, which was sanctioned by the government because they were different? By the American, Mexican and Spanish government?🤷
 
FK04US said:
What I understand is that speaking English is not a requirement to be a Roman Catholic. They can worship, pray, and receive the Sacraments in Spanish and be totally fine with Church teachings. Actually, the Spanish translation of the Holy Mass is a lot more faithful to the original Latin version than the English one. Show me where in the CCC or USCCB documents it says that Latinos in the USA should speak English in order to be good Catholics.

On the social and economical front, I agree that English will be helpful and many times required as long as they live in the USA, BUT NOT in our, their Church. And I repeat, THEIR Church.
Click to expand...
If they get their own priest to do Spanish for them, fine. Its not up to the diocese to cater to them.
 
josephdavid said:
By the way. I forgot to ask. Who gave Columbus a ride? hehe

Lastly remember what language was originally spoken in this land? Who’s chidlren was forced to adopt Christianity? Who were the one’s slaughted by the millions, which was sanctioned by the government because they were different? By the American, Mexican and Spanish government?🤷
Click to expand...
Where I live the origianl settler llanguage was French. There was never a Spanish influence in Michigan ever.
 
josephdavid said:
Being that my wife is “off the plane Polish” i will second thatmotion haha.

Actually it was a myth about German almost becoming the official language of USA.

However I will quote Thomas Jefferson:

Lastly we are Catholic. When you go to a Latin Parish, or a Polish Parish… you can take communion. When I travel to German or Italy for work? I can go to Mass there and it is all the same despite the cultural differences.
Click to expand...
History is my hobby, German almost becoming our language is very true.
 
aspawloski4th said:
If they get their own priest to do Spanish for them, fine. Its not up to the diocese to cater to them.
Click to expand...
That is not up to you to decide my dear brother. That is the bishop´s decision, and as you probably know, they are not only “catering”, they are serving the needs of the Hispanic community. Our Church does not have frontiers or language barriers, remember we are the One Faith called to spread the Good News in the world. In my part of the country there is a strong Hispanic Apostolate run by the diocese, with several committees working in topics such as religious education, marriage prep, family life, youth apostolates, and so on. I know that this is not even around the country, but here in DC-VA-MD is quite strong, and I know that there is a similar trend in California and the southern states, not to mention South Florida, where most of the Church is Hispanic.

In Christ,
 
FK04US said:
That is not up to you to decide my dear brother. That is the bishop´s decision, and as you probably know, they are not only “catering”, they are serving the needs of the Hispanic community. Our Church does not have frontiers or language barriers, remember we are the One Faith called to spread the Good News in the world. In my part of the country there is a strong Hispanic Apostolate run by the diocese, with several committees working in topics such as religious education, marriage prep, family life, youth apostolates, and so on. I know that this is not even around the country, but here in DC-VA-MD is quite strong, and I know that there is a similar trend in California and the southern states, not to mention South Florida, where most of the Church is Hispanic.

In Christ,
Click to expand...
If my Bishop is doing something wrong, I have a right to call him on it. If Hispanics are such great Catholics, why then do they need their own apostolate? I went to college in a diecese where the Bishop decided to get rid of kneeling during Eucharistic prayer. You bet I called his card on it, I’d did right after Mass at the campus church where he was the celebrent. Remember the office is Bishop, not pope, Bishops are not infaalable.
 
aspawloski4th said:
If my Bishop is doing something wrong, I have a right to call him on it. If Hispanics are such great Catholics, why then do they need their own apostolate? I went to college in a diecese where the Bishop decided to get rid of kneeling during Eucharistic prayer. You bet I called his card on it, I’d did right after Mass at the campus church where he was the celebrent. Remember the office is Bishop, not pope, Bishops are not infaalable.
Click to expand...
I don´t know how familiar you are with diocese structures. They have several of these apostolates in order to reach the faithful, that is the way that the bishop establish policies across the diocese and establish common standards for our Catholic faith. So there is nothing wrong with having them. They actually help the bishop.

Remember that the bishops are the maximum authority in the diocese. You may not like this, but it is the way it is. You know that Peter was the bishop or Rome, don´t you? I have given you arguments about the role of the Church and the Hispanic presence in American Catholicism, but you go back to your personal view of things, rejecting the pastoral decision of American bishops, priests, and parishes. You may not like it, but your cause is lost. Hispanics are here to stay and be the future of the Catholic Church in the USA, whether you like it or not.

God bless you. Good night.
 
FK04US said:
I don´t know how familiar you are with diocese structures. They have several of these apostolates in order to reach the faithful, that is the way that the bishop establish policies across the diocese and establish common standards for our Catholic faith. So there is nothing wrong with having them. They actually help the bishop.

Remember that the bishops are the maximum authority in the diocese. You may not like this, but it is the way it is. You know that Peter was the bishop or Rome, don´t you? I have given you arguments about the role of the Church and the Hispanic presence in American Catholicism, but you go back to your personal view of things, rejecting the pastoral decision of American bishops, priests, and parishes. You may not like it, but your cause is lost. Hispanics are here to stay and be the future of the Catholic Church in the USA, whether you like it or not.

God bless you. Good night.
Click to expand...
The pope has much authority a mereBishop doesn’t have, like removing a Bishop if he so chooses. My arguement is mainly about catering to them. No one catered to my ancesotrs, myIrish ancestors were effectively told to go fly a kite by the diocese. They should be treated the same as other Catholics. Not better Not worse.
 
aspawloski4th said:
Where I live the origianl settler llanguage was French. There was never a Spanish influence in Michigan ever.
Click to expand...
What I am referring to U.S. History in general. The oldest settlement in U.S. is St. Augustine Florida by the Spanish.

 
josephdavid said:
Remember boys and girls the history of this nation. Latinos discovered this side of the world (Spaniards).

Spanish was widely spoken from West of the Mississippi and Florida. Latinos have been part of this nation since the beginning. The culture has been here since the 1700’s.

It was the white anglo-Americans who said we were less than cultured because of our Latino cultures (there are many cultures such as Mexican, Columbian, Peurto Rican, etc.) I grew up in Wisconsin where I was not white enough (father was of German family). I was denied learning Spanish in schools but my German Oma who taught me German , encouraged me to embrace my Mexican history for my ancestors been here longer than other cultures here (including English). She scolded her son because he was a bigot. So I was able to learn both.

When I went to Germany as a kid and lived and worked there from high school and on… they loved to learn about Mexican and Latino history/culture.

But most American’s here? Forget their history and are afraid of it.

It is fear that is the cause of themany posts here. I pray that they will overcome their fears and hug and embrace the Latino culture as American. We are a melting pot.

Oh… rememeber Spain help us fight the Revolutionary war: Federico Fernández Cavada, a Lieutenant Colonel for the Union, fought bravely at Gettysburg, fought for the Union.
General Bernardo de Gálvez sent money, rifles, and other supplies to General George Washington. Captain Jorge Farragut came to the U.S. from the Spanish Island of Minorca to fight against the British. Captain Farragut fought in the Revolution, then in the War of 1812, as part of the U.S. Navy.

Not to mention our Lady of Guadelupe. Which our blessed Mother showed herself to a indegenous Mexican St. San Juan Diego.

So before you criticize Latinos for embracing their heritage in their Parishes. Remember your American History. Thanks to Latinos we have our freedoms. Oh do not forget the French either because they played a big part in our Indepedence. 😃
Click to expand...
Then why were these wonderful Latin American people absent from supporting the cause of freedom in World War 1, World War 2, Korean War, Vietnam ? Only Brazil sent an army of 25,000 to the Italian Campaign in WW2 and Columbia sent troops to support the UN in Korea. Where were all the others hiding?

I look at the countries in Latin America to see who are the friends of the Americans not individuals from Latin America who got drafted or were citizens of the US by desire. The fact remains that Anglos built the US and fought the wars and African Americans are the second largest race to contribute in those endevors.

If you feel proud of your Latino heritage, how do you feel about the Latino drug cartels or the Latino street gangs who bring violence to America? Are they a positive influence? Why don’t you bring christianity to those savages?
 
FK04US said:
So it´s all about the money isn´t it? So Christian!
And I would appreciate if you can lower your judgment at our brothers and sisters. Who are you to tell them to leave their Church? You do not know how much suffering they have to face on an every day basis. They feel discriminated, rejected, and Church is many times the only place where they feel loved in a strange country. You don´t know about their individual and spiritual struggles.

It´s actually the other way around. Many parishes have not been closed because Latinos joined. You should also check the USCCB instructions for Priestly Formation in Seminaries. They mandate the seminarians to learn Spanish, so all of our future priests can minister to Hispanics.

As I said, some of you guys are denying the obvious, that our Church will not have a white majority in the next decades. So, unless you are an old person, it may not be a bad idea to start embracing diversity and welcoming the strangers into ****our ****and **their **Catholic Church.
Click to expand...
We just received our latest bulletin about the average number of people at each Mass and the average contribution given at those Masses. Guess who gave the least? And guess who drive the brand new SUVs? You can’t escape the statistics. Even the attendance at the churches in my town prove that YOUR people, when taken as a group, don’t attend Mass, and are Catholic just to fill in the blank where it says “Religion”.
 
FK04US said:
What I understand is that speaking English is not a requirement to be a Roman Catholic. They can worship, pray, and receive the Sacraments in Spanish and be totally fine with Church teachings. Actually, the Spanish translation of the Holy Mass is a lot more faithful to the original Latin version than the English one. Show me where in the CCC or USCCB documents it says that Latinos in the USA should speak English in order to be good Catholics.

On the social and economical front, I agree that English will be helpful and many times required as long as they live in the USA, BUT NOT in our, their Church. And I repeat, THEIR Church.
Click to expand...
The problem is not the Spanish language in the Mass, it is the disrespectful attitude, the circus atmosphere, and the pagan like worship that is absolutely against the rules of the Catholic Church.

You seem to feel that your people are going to win some kind of culture war against the American people but I can tell you one thing. Most decent Mexicans want nothing to do with it and can’t wait to escape the Mexican neighborhoods to move to the safer white ones. Why is that? Why are your people so violent yet you claim they are so Catholic?
 
MumboJumbo said:
The problem is not the Spanish language in the Mass, it is the disrespectful attitude, the circus atmosphere, and the pagan like worship that is absolutely against the rules of the Catholic Church.

You seem to feel that your people are going to win some kind of culture war against the American people but I can tell you one thing. Most decent Mexicans want nothing to do with it and can’t wait to escape the Mexican neighborhoods to move to the safer white ones. Why is that? Why are your people so violent yet you claim they are so Catholic?
Click to expand...
Yes I’m going back to the dominos driving thing again, but to shed a different light. I have noticed something I didn’t expect at all over 16 years of delivering, which I know very well I should of expected but it’s so subtle that most anyone would not. In my area about a third of the noticelbly Hispanic house holds I deliver to do speak English just fine, and about 2/3 do not speak it at all except maybe a word or two to just get by. When I deliver to the household where English isn’t spoken I run into either a very aloof attititude or someother type of nasty disposition, especially a severe lack of manners. When I deliver to Hispanics who do speak English they have a nice disposition about themselves, and yes even smile back! The English speakers tip too. When you are Hispanic, why not just assimilate? It makes your life a heck of a lot better.
 
MumboJumbo said:
Then why were these wonderful Latin American people absent from supporting the cause of freedom in World War 1, World War 2, Korean War, Vietnam ? Only Brazil sent an army of 25,000 to the Italian Campaign in WW2 and Columbia sent troops to support the UN in Korea. Where were all the others hiding?

I look at the countries in Latin America to see who are the friends of the Americans not individuals from Latin America who got drafted or were citizens of the US by desire. The fact remains that Anglos built the US and fought the wars and African Americans are the second largest race to contribute in those endevors.

If you feel proud of your Latino heritage, how do you feel about the Latino drug cartels or the Latino street gangs who bring violence to America? Are they a positive influence? Why don’t you bring christianity to those savages?
Click to expand...
All the grafiti in my neighborhood is by Latin street gnags. Iv’e got my baseball bat ready for the first one to spray my garage with it.
 
FK04US said:
They are loyal to the Pope, they are the most fervent followers of Our Lady and they are the ones who put the strongest faith to pro abortion policies.
Click to expand...
This is a generalization which you cannot support; granted that may be what you see in your corner of the world, but I too, live in a town heavily populated with legal and illegal immigrants. Our former neighborhood was heavily populated with Latinos - the couple across the street had their granddaughter living with them. I took over Rosaries, prayer cards, prayer books and other miscellaneous items because she expressed a desire to have her granddaughter (then 6) baptized. This was a huge Catholic family and despite our invitation, none of them ever attended Mass. Same thing next door - another huge family of “Catholics” who did not attend church. I teach religious ed - what we see time and time again are many who will bring their children in to receive their first sacraments, Baptism and First Holy Communion when those have been completed, many depart.
The real world is the one you are denying.There IS a latinization of the Catholic Church in the USA and you may want to stop it, but it is not going to happen. A parish priest in my region mentioned a few months ago, we see many white Catholics at funeral, while most of the Latinos are at baptisms. The future of the Church is here, with Hispanics being at the center, and there is no turning back.
Click to expand...
And why is this? It is because the U. S. clergy rejected Humanae Vitae on a very large scale, and the laity followed suit. Without following authentic Church teaching on contraception and abortion of course we will witness the demographic winter we are experiencing. I would argue, however, despite the numbers of Latinos baptizing children, that does not make them faithful Catholics - any more than the declining numbers of whites we see in the pews.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top