IMMIGRATION: Church ministers to all

By RENEE WEBB, Globe editor
June 1, 2006

Keeping in mind that the United States is a nation of immigrants, Catholics are asked to look upon the immigration issue through the eyes of faith.

"Now is our chance to come to the aid of those who come from a foreign land. Now is our chance to care about the stranger, who Jesus calls our neighbor," said Juan Garcia, assistant director of Hispanic Ministry for the diocese.

Ultimately, he noted, it is good that immigration reform is getting all of this attention because it creates awareness about the need for justice for immigrants.

The Hispanic minister stressed the importance of ministering to all immigrants because most of them are Catholic. That Catholic faith is what brings the unity among all people because the church "has no borders."

The fact that the bishops of the country are supportive of the immigrants is very affirming.

"The bishops show us that they are caring about all people - especially the poor and needy people," said Garcia.

"My major concern as bishop is that in our diocese as well as in almost every diocese in the country, the Spanish-speaking population is increasing and all of us as bishops and as church need to be able to respond to their needs," said Bishop R. Walker Nickless of the Diocese of Sioux City. "They are our brothers and sisters."

The bishop acknowledged that the diocese is in "desperate need" of more Spanish-speaking priests, women religious and lay people to help minister to them.

"A lot of our brothers and sisters who immigrate to this country still prefer to pray in their native language," said Bishop Nickless. "They may be speaking English in all other areas of their life here, but prayer in their native language is special to them and we should try to accommodate them as best as we can."

With this in mind, the diocesan seminarians are encouraged to learn Spanish to be able to meet the pastoral needs of the future. In addition, the diocese has centered more of its vocation efforts on attracting seminarians from Mexico.

The bishop noted that the diocese's attempt to help immigrants pray in their native languages is "beautifully reflected in the liturgies of our own cathedral as we try to blend three cultures - Anglo, Hispanic and Vietnamese."

"The church is richer and more varied and vibrant with the addition of other cultures and the Hispanic culture has much to offer to our American culture," said the bishop. "We are pleased to be able to help as many children to a Catholic school education and our efforts continue to support them in any ways that we can."

One retired priest in the diocese, Msgr. Gerald Lyon recently created the Guadalupe Fund, which is designed to assist Spanish-speaking children with tuition costs so that they may attend Catholic high schools. Msgr. Lyon sought donations from priests to establish this fund.

Regardless if immigrants are legal or undocumented, the church usually continues to play a significant role in their lives.

If the immigrants have the chance to become documented "they will have a better opportunity to participate and be more active in our church and in society once they come out of the shadows," said Garcia. "They don't go a lot of places, but one place they do trust is the church. Sometimes church is the only place where they can feel at home."

Too often, though, Garcia noted, undocumented workers live in the shadows with fear that they may be deported.

"All they want to do is to come and get a job to feed their family," he said.

Sometimes illegal status prevents immigrants from becoming involved and sometimes it doesn't. He acknowledged that when he first came to this country to work in the service industry and on cattle ranches in Texas more than 20 years ago, he was undocumented but that did not stop him from becoming involved in the church. In turn, it was that Texas parish that helped him to become a legal citizen when amnesty was granted in the 1980s.

The Garcias moved to Sioux City 16 years ago. They have been active in the church since they came here. They helped to shape the Hispanic ministry at Cathedral.

He pointed out that at first there were only a few people at the Spanish Masses, now the weekly Spanish Mass is full at Cathedral and there is another Spanish Mass at St. Boniface that draws large crowds. In all about 10 parishes throughout the diocese offer Spanish language Masses.

"The church is expanding and is providing more services," said Garcia.

He said there is a difference between the Hispanic immigrants of 20 to 30 years ago and those of the present. In the past, many would work for a while and return home. Today, most stay, thus the importance of providing pastoral services continues to grow.

Martha Paz, a legal immigrant from Mexico who resides in Denison, is pleased that the Catholic Church is supportive of the rights of immigrants. It makes her feel good "because that is the Gospel of Jesus."

The negativity that often surrounds this issue makes her sad because the people that come here seek a better life for their families.

"People came here because down there, a lot of people live in poor situations. They came here to raise a family - have food and they can buy a home. Down in Mexico and South America, it is not easy to support a family," she said.

Personally, one of the positives to living in the United States, she said, is the education that her children receive. Martha and her husband, Adrian, have seven children. They have all attended St. Rose of Lima School in Denison. Two are in grade school and the rest are in high school or college. Along with the good educational opportunities, she said Denison is a nice place to live because it is safe.

When she first arrived in this country, the language was one of the most difficult parts.

"It's hard because you have to learn another language and we are far, far away from our families," said Paz. "We need time to learn English and learn the customs here."

The Catholic Church has been a place where the Hispanic can build relationships with the Anglo community, she noted. While it can be a slow process, Paz said it is working.

"Father Murray is helping a lot," she said. "He is trying to lead the Hispanic community and the Anglo community as one - working together, praying together."

They have also done their part in working for the church.

"We work and work on evangelization so the people know the Gospel of God," she said. "We are so thankful to God. He hears all of our prayers and all of our requests. We ask God a lot of things and he responds."

Paz would love it if legislation allowed for the undocumented immigrants to gain legal status. She said she believed that their involvement in church and the community would increase if this was done.

"In the Gospel, Jesus treated everyone with respect and justice," she said. "We here in the Hispanic community support all immigrants. We want something just for them."

She pointed out that a lot of people came to this country years ago from European countries.

Paz appreciates the fact that Mass is celebrated in Spanish on a weekly basis in Denison now. When Father Murray first came, there was one Spanish Mass a month, then eventually they went two a month and now large numbers attend the weekly liturgy.

"We have seen the fruits of the blessings of God," she said.

Paulina Chaclan, an immigrant from Guatemala, would like to see the government offer citizenship to undocumented immigrants.

"We have a lot of people here that need to be citizens. They have a lot of kids," she said.

Chaclan works for a program in the Sioux City public schools. She estimated that about 90 percent do not have papers and this creates many challenges for the families. Among other struggles, for many it means that they cannot legally drive.

While there can be many challenges, Chaclan mentioned that the church has provided support and a place to belong. After she moved here six years ago, she became involved in the parish life as a catechist. She also works now part-time at Cathedral of the Epiphany as a secretary.

Chaclan pointed out that some of the immigrants would like to seek citizenship but they do not have the money to seek the assistance of a lawyer. She would like to see volunteers that could help immigrants properly fill out papers.

"There are certainly many opinions on this issue and all of them need to be respected and prayerfully considered," said Bishop Nickless. "There are no easy solutions to the problems that immigration - legal or illegal - continues to present to our society but nothing is served by quick and punitive solutions."

The bishop said that the word catholic means universal.

"It means big enough to embrace all," he said. "We have always prided ourselves on the catholicity or universal nature of the church and this is just another opportunity for us to embrace that tenant of our faith."