In 25 years, more than 50% of U.S. Catholics will be Hispanic

CHICAGO-A glance into a crystal ball might reveal the following in the not-so-distant future:

ï St. Patrick's Day has been dwarfed by the more popular Our Lady of Guadalupe Day, complete with parades, parties, and even Hallmark greeting cards for the occasion.

ï Teenage girls get more excited about their quincea&ntild;era than about the prom.

ï Every Catholic parish in the United States offers at least one Mass in Spanish.

That future is not so far away, say those who work in Hispanic ministry in the Church. Within the next 25 years, Hispanics are expected to become the U.S. Church's largest ethnic component-a majority, in fact. Already, with 30 million Hispanics, the United States is the fourth-largest Spanish-speaking country in the Americas.

If those statistics haven't already affected parishes in Everytown U.S.A., they will soon. In the northwest suburbs of Chicago, they already have. An afternoon Spanish Mass is becoming more and more common at parishes in the formerly all-white suburbs, where jobs and affordable housing have lured Hispanics away from inner-city neighborhoods. Already outdated 1990 census figures showed that Hispanics accounted for 5.3% of the population of 10 northwest suburbs, with a high of 14.4% in Prospect Heights.

To respond pastorally, parishes in Prospect Heights and nearby Mt. Prospect decided to collaborate by hiring one bilingual priest to coordinate Hispanic outreach for the five parishes, with a weekly Spanish Mass at one site.

“This is a moment of grace for the U.S. Church because it gives us an opportunity to be welcoming,” said Divine Word Father Sonny de Rivera, a Filipino who ministered in Chile for many years and is now coordinator for the regional ministry.

He claims the reaction from most Anglos has been overwhelmingly positive. But Graciela Contreras, Hispanic ministry coordinator for the Archdiocese of Chicago's Vicariate I, acknowledges that some Anglos feel threatened by the growing Hispanic presence. “That's something we have to face,” she said.

Ronaldo Cruz, head of the U.S. bishops’ Secretariat for Hispanic Affairs, also believes there can be tension between Anglos and Hispanics, especially when a former national parish, such as an Irish, German, or Polish one, sees an influx of Hispanics.

“This is a delicate matter,” Cruz said. “We must certainly be sensitive to the traditions and history of a parish. But we must also do education and teach people that to be Catholic is to accept diversity.”

Cruz called Chicago “a microcosm of the Church in the United States.”

What Prospect Heights is facing this year, towns across the country will face in years to come. According to Church figures from 1994, Hispanics account for nearly one-third of the more than 60 million U.S. Catholics. Fueled in large part by immigration, that number is expected to mushroom within the next quarter century, resulting in a U.S. Church that is more than half Hispanic.

“Already we have dioceses or archdioceses in America where Hispanics are a majority,” said Cruz.

Those statistics are constantly on the minds of those who minister to American Catholics. Whether it's the recent Synod of Bishops for America in Rome or the frequent political wrangling about immigration laws, U.S. Church leaders find themselves constantly facing the issues related to the growing Hispanic population in the Church.

“The demographics are clear,” Bishop Anthony Pilla of Cleveland, president of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, said during the bishops’ November meeting. “We want and need to respond to that reality.”

At that meeting, the U.S. bishops took two steps toward reaching out to and unifying Hispanic Catholics. First, they voted to hold a fourth Encuentro (Spanish for encounter or meeting) in the year 2000. The national symposium, the first since 1985, is designed to bring together Catholic leaders to discuss how to speed the integration of Hispanics, especially young people, into the full life of the Church.

Then, in a mail vote, the bishops approved the first Spanish-language Sacramentary written especially for the American Church, a move they hope will standardize Spanish-language Masses in the United States. Until now, parishes have been choosing from among more than a dozen foreign Spanish-language Sacramentaries that vary according to region of origin.

That immense diversity within the larger identification of “Hispanic” adds to the complexity of an effective pastoral response, said the USCC's Cruz. Although Mexicans represent the largest subgroup, they are by no means the only Hispanics in the United States. Non-Mexican Hispanics often complain that mariachi music and devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe does not reflect their cultural traditions. And U.S.-born Hispanics often differ with recent immigrants about how to best serve the Hispanic population.

“It does become quite complicated,” said Cruz. “It takes sensitivity on the part of Church leadership to respond to the diversity of needs.”

Language has been the unifying factor for Hispanic Catholics. Even when Hispanics are bilingual, there is often a desire to worship in their native language. “Culturally we speak to God in our native language,” explained Cruz.

A shortage of priests and others in ministry who are bilingual is already reaching crisis proportions, Hispanic Church leaders say. For recent immigrants, language is even more crucial.

“When we are outside our cultural tradition, it is the Church we look to affirm our identity,” Cruz said. “The Church becomes extremely important in maintaining faith and cultural tradition.” Ultimately, the Church's attitude toward Hispanic immigrants may influence how well they are integrated into American life, Cruz said.

“To the degree that the Church accepts them, they will be integrated,” he said. “But if the Church rejects them, they will become marginalized.”

A welcoming attitude-even more than Spanish-language Masses-is key for parishes who want to reach out to Hispanics, according to Mercy Sister Maria Elena Gonzalez, president of the Mexican-American Cultural Center in San Antonio, Texas.

“The bottom line is that Hispanics want to be welcomed and to have a place to belong,” she said.

Said Cruz: “In the Church, the only passport we're required is our baptism.”

Still, several studies have shown that some Hispanics in the United States are staying away from traditional parish life. One study on liturgical participation found that only 20% of Hispanics connect with a parish, including attending Mass.

Some dioceses have responded by forming non-territorial national parishes for particular ethnic groups. But a lack of Spanish-speaking priests-as well as the diversity within the Hispanic community-has hindered the formation of many such national parishes.

“I don't think Hispanics want their own Church,” said Cruz. “They do want Mass in Spanish, and they want to be included in the life of the Church.”

Too often, such inclusion is hampered by quick judgments on the part of Anglos, when instead an understanding of Hispanics ‘history and culture would help explain differences. For example, Catholics in Latin America don't formally register in parishes, Cruz said. Access to priests is generally very limited, and for many in small villages, lay ministers and catechists are often the only contact with the official Church.

Also, Hispanics are less accustomed to tithing, Cruz said, partially because they have been seen as poor and needing assistance.

“But they do give to the Church,” he said. “They will work very hard for you. Hispanics may not give you $50 a week, but they will make tamales or help paint the church.”

Ultimately such diversity-not only from Hispanics, but from Eastern Europeans, Asians, Africans, and other immigrants-will enrich and renew the Church, those in Hispanic ministry say.

“In America, being Catholic has meant being American, but we have to remember that catholic means universal,” Sister Gonzalez said. “For the first time we are beginning to realize what it really means to be a universal Church.”

Assimilation is not necessarily the answer. And the melting pot theory just doesn't work for people of color, said Sister Gonzalez.

“The problem is that so many Americans are not in touch with their own cultural roots, so they don't know how to respect other people's,” she said.

Eventually, all Catholics will realize how the presence of Hispanics benefits the entire American Church, said Father John Hurley a priest involved with the Chicago suburban community.

“Their vibrancy and enthusiasm for life, as well as strong family life, will be very enriching,” he said.

While those in ministry will find becoming bilingual nearly essential, every parishioner has his or her part in making newcomers feel welcome. “Cultural acceptance gives us a different heart,” said Sister Gonzalez. “Not everyone has to learn Spanish, but we all have to open our hearts and be welcoming.”

Heidi Schlumpf writes from Chicago.