Spanish Adaptation
coming soon

• The Celebration of Archbishop Flores’ Life
  
• Message from the Committee Chairman
  
• Parishes viewed as bridge between public schools, Hispanics
  
• New Hispanic bishop
  
• Catholic editors urged to reach out to non-church going Hispanics
  
• Los Angeles Latino, African-American Catholics work to heal tensions
  
• Census Bureau projects tripling of Hispanic and Asian populations in 50 years
  
• Diocesan staff working in Hispanic ministry
  
• Resources, Conferences, Openings

The Celebration of Archbishop Flores’ Life

The Mexican American Cultural Center (MACC) celebrated Archbishop Patrick F. Flores’ 75th birthday with a beautiful gala in San Antonio, Texas. The Board of Directors of MACC asked Mr. Ronaldo M. Cruz, Executive Director of the Secretariat for Hispanic Affairs, to be the keynote speaker.

Good evening everyone! Thank you for coming to the party. Están en su casa—among family. We are here this evening to celebrate the spectacular life of one of our most beloved Hispanic leaders—in the Church and in this country. He is one of those rare gifts from God who makes us happy. He is, as the French writer Marcel Proust once said, “a charming gardener who makes our souls blossom.”

So, Archbishop, if you make our souls blossom, we are all flores. We are all your family. You are our papi, our abuelito, our tío, our padrino. Bringing us little gifts, regalitos from your distant travels, eating and enjoying the pan dulce and café while telling us stories of adventures, incidents, and lessons to be learned. Your legacy as a family leader has taught us to smell the flowers and to pay attention to those little details that make life worth living and give it meaning.

We have learned from you the love of life and the love for others. You have taught us that LOVE IS THE LORD OF LIFE! You have modeled for us the love of life in countless ways. Most notably when we have joined you in singing, dancing a cumbia, or celebrating a beautiful grace-filled moment in our family and community. Archbishop, we know you don’t like praise and kudos and bringing attention to yourself. Though you have received many awards and recognition for your leadership, this is an opportunity for one of your successful children, and pride, the Mexican American Cultural Center (MACC) who takes its turn at the Father’s table to honor you and to tell you how much you are loved and appreciated. So, con su permiso monseñor, I will take a few moments to do just that.

We are gathered here to share with you and your extended family a brief reflection, un homenaje y un recuerdo, a little historical memory, una memoria histórica of lessons and values we have learned from you during your many years in ministry and public life. Your example is the legacy, es la herencia, that you leave your family, your community and succeeding generations who will read of what it is to be a good leader and to have done well in the eyes of our Father and his Blessed Mother.

Archbishop, we know that you prefer action to words. Not just any type of action, but action that is directed to the service of others while preserving their dignity. In your Coat of Arms, your motto clearly states what you have been teaching us in your service to this archdiocese, the Church and our communities throughout the United States: Laborabo non mihi sed omnibus—“I will work, not for myself, but for all.”

In your role as our father/pastor, you have been there to accompany us in our times of sorrow or illness. Your presence to us has been especially appreciated when a young family member has been robbed of life due to an accident, or worse yet through gang violence or drugs, or a neighbor has lost a life while crossing the border in search of a better tomorrow. You remind us that life is given for a purpose and must be lived abundantly as we recall the nurturing and guidance we have received from our beloved elderly who have left us with the gift of life. You have stood by us when we are puzzled and cannot grasp the devastation caused by the HIV/AIDS pandemic, or how a bright future has been lost due to the casualties of war.

Archbishop, you have taught us that your love and presence among us is about life—as in the birth of a child with great potential, or a new day to try again. Isaiah 40 tells us that “providing help creates hope.” Your life has been about service, caring and loving and a conviction that life matters. Your ministry has always been about hope.

Most of us present this evening have been personally touched by your presence in other ways too. Your compassion and spirituality, your leadership and vision, and your courage to be the voice of God when silence prevailed and injustices in our communities were all too common, inspired us to act for justice. As a family and as a community of faith, we cannot forget how important your role has been in bringing attention to the human condition. You did not hide your face or run away from adversity!

Your work with migrant farm workers and factory workers who were being mistreated and not allowed a voice or a vote in the workplace will remain an important moment in labor history and labor rights. You confronted evil in the face and challenged it to change its ways. Issues of poverty, education, drainage, domestic violence, gang activity and political accountability through systematic and organized community action with interfaith groups are also integral to your national and international identity.

In our very own life journey with you, we continue to witness your goodness and honorable deeds. The establishment of the extremely successful National Hispanic Scholarship Fund which started with a struggle to find funds to award scholarships to needy Hispanic students now receives tens of millions of dollars in corporate support each year. The youngest at heart of your offspring, the guitar give-away project, has brought music to tens of thousands of families and audiences. The mariachi tradition and our heritage live on thanks to your vision of making idle time creative, fun and fruitful.

For those who have not been fortunate to be touched by your creative and compassionate projects for youth, it must be said that there is no one who speaks as eloquently about the spiritual needs of, and the desire for, a new beginning for the incarcerated. You constantly remind us of the disproportionate number of Hispanic young people whose future is an unknown. Your advocacy on their behalf is tireless and your hope for a new life for them is a dream you hold close to your heart.

On a more personal note, I will now take a few moments to share with you my personal experience and journey as a result of your being named a bishop in 1970.

I was a college student seeking affirmation and guidance. This country was in the middle of a terrible war in Viet Nam while battling for Civil Rights and for the right of migrant farm workers to organize a union. There was much anger and confusion in this country. What future could Chicanos, and the poor in general, possibly have when the odds were so strongly against us?

I was desperately seeking a national leader who represented my cultural heritage, history and social context. Someone who had the values I was taught by my family and community; someone who cared about the poor and understood that fighting for justice was not communism—but the Gospel message; someone who understood that education was the key to changing and breaking the cycle of poverty that was so prevalent in those days and still lingers on today.

Upon becoming a bishop, you became a voice that immediately acted prophetically to bring attention to the plight of the poor and the voiceless. You shared your power and the resources at your disposal to institutionally educate those who would not budge. Your actions influenced me to reconnect with the Church in a more profound and committed ministry.

I became involved in my parish and in the Newman Center at my university. You, as did César Chávez, affirmed my identity through Our Lady of Guadalupe who journeyed with us in our struggle for recognition and acceptance.

My commitment to ministry led to an invitation by the local bishop to serve as a lay minister. He took a big chance on me as I had limited pastoral formation. There were no Catholic institutions in my community where lay people could receive professional pastoral training, Bible studies, or an understanding of Church teachings.

In 1978 I had my first opportunity to attend a mini-pastoral at the innovative and culturally relevant Mexican American Cultural Center. I was so excited and determined to come to MACC that I left my six-year old son in the hospital after having had a tonsillectomy. To this day my wife has not forgiven me for doing that. On the other hand, we know it was a life-changing opportunity.

Within a short period of time I was appointed to serve on the US Bishops’ National Advisory Committee of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development. That experience led to my joining the staff of the U.S. Bishops’ Conference and my collaboration with you in funding projects in the Archdiocese of San Antonio as well as through out the Plain States, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. My work at the Bishops’ Conference led to my being named Associate Director of the Secretariat for Hispanic Affairs and then to serve as its Executive Director.

Archbishop, it is not often that one is able to say to someone: “Thank you. You changed my life.” And I mean that from the bottom of my heart.

Today, I am proud to serve on the board of directors of the Mexican American Cultural Center where I received my first pastoral training more than twenty-five years ago and where I continue to learn and to grow.

Like in those early days, I am honored to be a part of an institution that responds to the pastoral formation and training needs of thousands of committed lay leaders, as well as Church profess-sionals, seeking to grow spiritually and to better serve
the Hispanic/Latino community.

In closing, I want to state on behalf of all us present and the many more who could not be here to join us in this celebration, that Archbishop you are loved and appreciated.

As a leader and as a respected senior member of the family, you have beautifully modeled for us what the Gospel message calls toward—namely, to touch someone’s soul in everything we do. You have taught us through your example that we should not be embarrassed by who we are and to demonstrate the same love of life and compassion for everyone.

You have taught us that the Christian family, the body of Christ universal, must reflect on what is important in life. And we know, Archbishop, that your loving and caring spirit drives the commitment, courage and persistence that is the formula to beating the odds.

I’d like to end with a quote from the Talmud. For I believe it summarizes who you are to us. It goes something like this: “Every blade of grass has its angel that bends over and whispers grow, grow!”

Thank you, Archbishop, for reminding us of what it is to be family and for helping us to grow.

God bless you and Happy Birthday—y muchos años más.

From left to right: Mr. Arturo Chavez of MACC; Arch-bishop Patrick Flores receiving the check, Sister María Elena Gonzalez, President of MACC; Bishop José Gómez of Denver, and Bishop Raymundo Peña of Brownsville

NOTE: During the gala, Archbishop Flores received a surprise donation from the Hispanic bishops in the form of a check for $25,000. This donation is to start the “Archbishop Patrick F. Flores Endowment Fund” at the Mexican-American Cultural Center, in San Antonio.

Message from the Committee Chairman, Most Rev. James A. Tamayo

Hispanic Bishops: Looking to the past with gratitude and to the future with confidence

Archbishop Patrick F. Flores celebrated his seventy-fifth birthday this summer. After thirty-four years of ministry as a bishop, Archbishop Flores continues to make history. When our Holy Father accepts the resignation of Archbishop Flores this will be both a point of arrival as well as a point of departure for Hispanic Catholics. It is a point of arrival because his retirement would mark the end of a journey of faith that started with his ordination to the episcopacy on May 5, 1970, and during which thirty-four Hispanic bishops were named. It is a point of departure because the continued growth of the Hispanic presence is a sign of the times that anticipates the call of many more priests of Hispanic descent to lead the Catholic faithful in the United States as bishops.

In his issue of ¡En Marcha! I wish to express our gratitude to the Hispanic bishops for their tireless service not only to Hispanic Catholics but to all Catholics in the United States. In a special way, I want to acknowledge those Hispanic bishops that have retired since I started my tenure as Chairman of the Bishops’ Committee on Hispanic Affairs in November 2002.

	One of the most recent retirements is that of Bishop David Arias, a native of Spain, who served as auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Newark, NJ for twenty one years (1983-2004). During those years, Bishop Arias promoted the solid faith formation of Spanish-speaking Catholics. He also shared his keen sense of history with Hispanic Catholics well beyond his diocese.
	Bishop Agustín A. Román, of Cuban descent, served as auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of Miami for twenty-four years (1979-2003). His ministry as a bishop was highlighted by his remarkable pastoral sensitivity and his profoundly simple way to communicate the faith to the people of God.
	Bishop Manuel D. Moreno retired in March 2003 after twenty-seven years of episcopal ministry, including twenty-one years as titular bishop of the Diocese of Tucson, AZ. Born in California in the bosom of a Mexican family, Bishop Moreno worked tirelessly to strengthen the sense of unity within a diverse population in his border diocese.
	Bishop Gilberto Fernández, a native of Cuba, was appointed as auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Miami in 1997 and retired in December 2002 for heath reasons. His episcopal ministry was short but marked with intense and generous pastoral ministry and a great sense of humor.
	The most recent retirement is that of Bishop Joseph J. Madera who retired this September after twenty five years of Episcopal ministry (1979-2004). As auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, Bishop Madera visited many military installations around the world helping to strengthen the faith of thousands of men and women in the military, a significant number of whom are Hispanic. Bishop Madera always offered spiritual support and comforting words, often wrapped in his great sense of humor, to those who needed it the most. The Bishops’ Committee on Hispanic Affairs is deeply grateful for the Bishop Joseph Madera gift of faith and service our brother bishops have given to us.
	I take this opportunity to congratulate again Bishop Felipe de Jesús Estévez, a native of Cuba, for his appointment as auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Miami in January of this year. I ask all of you to join me in prayer so that more priests of Hispanic descent may be called to episcopal ministry in the near future. We know that this blessing depends a great deal on the generous response of Hispanic men that, feeling God’s call to ordained ministry, need the support and prayers of their families and faith communities. This was the case of Archbishop Patrick Flores, son of an immigrant family that chose to support his vocation to the priesthood, thus giving the Church in the United States its first Hispanic bishop in modern times. Now that we contemplate his retirement, let us start this new beginning with a spirit of gratitude and confidence, knowing that God has promised shepherds for His people.

Most Reverend James Tamayo
Bishop of Laredo
Chairman of the Bishops’ Committee
on Hispanic Affairs


Parishes viewed as bridge between public schools, Hispanics

CNS - Hispanic ministry leaders are working on programs to use parishes as bridges between Hispanic parents and the public school system.

Such programs would try to curb the high Hispanic dropout rate in public schools, which is greater than that for the general U.S. school-age population. Most Hispanic students go to public schools.

"We need a parish-based model to work with the public schools on the problem," said Ronaldo Cruz, executive director of the U.S. bishops' Secretariat for Hispanic Affairs.

Many Latino parents do not speak English and have low self-esteem, factors that inhibit them from talking to teachers and school counselors, said Cruz. "Sometimes there is indifference by school staff."

The secretariat has been consulting with public school officials, Catholic educators and diocesan Hispanic ministry leaders to develop parish-school partnership programs. It plans to present a report in November to the U.S. bishops' Committee on Hispanic Affairs.

Among the program models being considered are those that teach English to parents, help parents provide an educational environment at home, promote parental involvement in schools and encourage teachers to become aware of Hispanic culture and values.

At a July 21 secretariat-sponsored symposium in Washington, several diocesan Hispanic ministry officials said that parishes are a natural bridge because Hispanic parents trust the church and feel comfortable in parish settings. Several added that public schools are already interested in forging liaisons with Hispanic parents through churches.

"We have teachers meeting with Latino parents at churches. This is a friendly environment they trust," said Elisa Montalvo, director of Hispanic ministry in the Diocese of Richmond, Va.

Sister Leticia Salazar, a member of the Company of Mary religious community, who is in charge of Hispanic ministry for the Diocese of Orange in California, said public school officials have been in touch with her diocese to organize programs. She said that police already are using churches as places for meetings with Hispanic parents and youths.

In a message to the symposium participants, Bishop James A. Tamayo of Laredo, Texas, chairman of the Hispanic affairs committee, said the church needs to know how it can help improve Hispanics' academic achievement.

Students from first-generation immigrant families and from families who have lived in the United States for several generations "are not succeeding in school," said Bishop Tamayo.

"Involvement of Latinos in the life of the church and full participation in society are integrally related to education," he said.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 57 percent of Hispanics 25 years of age or older have completed high school compared to almost 85 percent of non-Hispanic whites.

A bilingual educational psychologist working with at-risk students in New Jersey public schools said that the school system needs to help Hispanic families as they adjust to U.S. society.

The aim is to help families go through the adjustment struggle without the children dropping out of school, said Gelasia Marquez, Hispanic family life consultant for the public school system in Union City, N.J.

"The school needs to be in touch with the culture of the home. Parents need to be in touch with the culture of the school," she said.

Educators should not intervene in how families adjust but should "help people understand what is happening to them," she said.

This involves teachers knowing about the values and family structures that Hispanics use to cope with situations, she said.

Karen Willoughby, family services coordinator for the public schools in Fairfax County in northern Virginia, said family outreach services are crucial for the county because the student body represents more than 100 countries and languages.

"We meet parents where they are and give them the resources that they want or need," said Willoughby. "There is no one right way to be a parent."

Fairfax programs include classes for parents with children up to 5 years old to teach the parents how to interact educationally with their pre-schoolers, parent liaisons as the link between families and the local school, and panels composed of parents from different cultures who give talks to educators.

Edwin Hernandez, program director of the Center for the Study of Latino Religion at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, said that one-third of the Hispanic population is under 15 years of age and this is changing the demographics of public education.

"While (overall) public school enrollment is going down, Hispanic enrollment is going up," he said. About 40 percent of the Hispanics who drop out leave school by the eighth grade, said Hernandez.

Part of this is a rebelliousness among Hispanic youths trying to cope with U.S. society, he said. Youths form an "oppositional culture" in which "to succeed in school is considered uncool," he said.

Another main problem is that many parents lack English and cannot help their children, he said.

Hernandez said that his 2003 study of national surveys on Hispanics and education shows that churches have a positive influence in encouraging parents to be more education-oriented. "Latinos who go to church are more likely to be civically engaged. The church creates opportunities for the laity to do things, and to connect with other people," he said.

It is also important for the church to stress how important the issue of improving Hispanic educational levels is to the general society, he said. "Nothing will be done until an institution articulates a problem," he said.


New Hispanic Bishop

Pope John Paul II has appointed Monsignor Alexander Salazar, Vice-Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and pastor of St. Teresa de Avila Church, as Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles. He was also assigned the Titular See of Nesqually. Archbishop Gabriel Montalvo, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, announced the appointment.

Alexander Salazar was born November 28, 1949, in San Jose, Costa Rica. His family came to the United States in 1953 and settled in Los Angeles.
He became a U.S citizen at the age of 18.


After attending elementary and high school in Los Angeles, Alexander Salazar studied at California State University, Los Angeles, and later at Immaculate Heart College, Los Angeles, where in 1978 he received the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Bi-Lingual Studies.

Upon completion of college, he taught at St. Albert the Great school in Compton, California, from 1968 to 1979. he also worked as bookkepper for St. Albert the Great parish. In 1977, the then Mr. Salazar entered St. John’ Seminary in Camarillo as a pre-candidate for philosophy studies, and in 1980 began his studies in theology. Ordained a priest June 16, 1984, he was named a Chaplain of Honor to His Holiness on August 9, 2003.

Bishop-elect Salazar has served in a number of pastoral and archdiocesan assignments. He served at St. Gregory the Great parish, Whittier, Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary parish, Pasadena, and at St. Vibiana Cathedral, Los Angeles. He was named temporary Administrator of St. Teresa de Avila in 1994 and became pastor in 1995. In 2003, Msgr. Salazar was appointed Vice-Chancellor while continuing as pastor of St. Teresa of Avila.

The date of his episcopal ordination has been set for November 4, 2004 at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels in Los Angeles, California.


Catholic editors urged to reach out to non-churchgoing Hispanics

CNS – Catholic newspapers must reach out to non-churchgoing Hispanics to show that the church cares about them and offers a vision of life to help them with problems, said Alejandro Aguilera-Titus, associate director of the U.S. bishops’ Secretariat for Hispanic Affairs.

“You need to reach the Catholics who are not in the pews” because most of the rapidly growing Hispanic population does not have church ties, he said May 26 to about 50 editors of Catholic publications attending the Catholic Press Association convention in Washington.

Over 37 percent of the Hispanic population is 18 or younger, but “most Catholic youths do not go to Catholic schools and they do not join Catholic youth groups,” he said.

Aguilera-Titus spoke at a workshop on the impact of Hispanics on the U.S. Catholic media. He said Hispanics now compose about 40 percent of U.S. Catholics and, if current population trends continue, could be “an overwhelming majority by 2050.”

Translating some news stories in Spanish for insertion in diocesan newspapers tailored to English-speaking churchgoers won’t reach many Hispanics, he said.

To reach Hispanics, especially the continuing flow of immigrants, stories need to originate in Spanish and be written taking into account Hispanic culture and traditions, he said.

Distribution has to go beyond church outlets to reach Hispanics where they live, he said.

Oscar Reyes, editor of the Washington archdiocesan Spanish-language weekly El Pregonero, said during a question-and-answer session that his newspaper is distributed free at stores, businesses and major public transportation stops in Hispanic neighborhoods. This is in addition to distributing it on weekends at churches with Spanish Masses, said Reyes.

Reyes said newspapers need to publish articles about problems and issues important to Hispanics to draw them to the publication.

Aguilera-Titus said that drawing Hispanic readers is important because this then allows the Catholic press to communicate church teachings and show how the church can help Hispanics, he said.

The Spanish language is important because it is an identifying factor among Hispanics and the trend now is for immigrant parents to encourage their children to retain their Spanish while learning English, he said. “We now have the biggest bilingual population ever,” he added.

It’s no longer automatically true that second- and third-generation Hispanics lose their Spanish as they adapt to U.S. culture, he said.

Aguilera-Titus said parishes with a specialized Hispanic ministry, especially parishes offering a variety of activities in Spanish, are successful in encouraging Hispanics to be active in church life. Offering religious education in Spanish not only helps the children, but it also allows their monolingual parents to teach the courses, he said.

Aguilera-Titus said about 4,000 of the 17,000 U.S. parishes have a special ministry to Hispanics. Retaining Spanish is part of an approach, encouraged by the church, in which different ethnic groups retain their identifying characteristics while integrating into U.S. society, he said. This is opposed to previous approaches by which groups were encouraged to shed their ethnic characteristics in order to assimilate into U.S. society, he said.

The term “Hispanics” is an inheritance from the U.S. Census Bureau which adopted it to identify a group united by a language and heritage which racially included whites and blacks, he said. Growing in popularity among Hispanics now is the term “Latino,” he said. The tern “Latino” is emerging from the Hispanic community to signify their common identity as Hispanics living in the United States, he said.

When asked how to write effectively about Hispanics for English-speaking Catholics, Aguilera-Titus said to tell stories about people. “Put a face to the race,” he said.


Los Angeles Latino, African-American Catholics work to heal tensions

CNS - Over the past decade Marian Fussey has seen her parish, Transfiguration, in Los Angeles, shift from having a majority of African-American parishioners to a heavily Latino membership. For some, the change has been challenging, but it also reflects changing demographics occurring in parishes all over Los Angeles that are being addressed by the local church to bridge gaps that have separated these groups.

In 1996, Building Bridges in Black and Brown, a group of African-American and Latino Catholic leaders in Los Angeles, began meeting to address issues that surfaced as a result of Hispanic movement into some of the traditionally African-American parishes. “For decades African-Americans had maintained these parishes," noted Louis Velasquez, co-founder of the leaders' group and special projects coordinator in the Los Angeles archdiocesan vicar for clergy's office. "We're trying to help Latinos understand the sense of sadness African-Americans felt that many people were not aware of this beautiful history" of the parish, he told The Tidings, newspaper of the Los Angeles Archdiocese. "Tensions occurred here because there was a different culture and different language, but we want people to first remember that we are all Catholics."

As churches became more and more Latino, some pastors began adding numerous Spanish-language Masses, sometimes at the expense of African-American tradition. "Latinos needed to hear how this was affecting the African-American community, who had been in the parish for decades," Velasquez told The Tidings, archdiocesan newspaper of Los Angeles. "It was very tense." In addition to feeling pushed out by the church, leaders noted that some African-Americans felt Latinos were discriminating against them. "African-Americans were feeling put out, put down and not wanted," said Fussey, a member of Building Bridges in Black and Brown and a longtime community activist. She also said there were African-Americans who thought the leadership of the archdiocese "had more empathy for Latinos." In convening the first Building Bridges in Black and Brown Conference in 1997, Father Fisher Robinson, then head of the African-American Vicariate Office, realized that the main concern for both groups was respect.

"In parishes where the Latino population grew rapidly, there were just separate Masses and no effort to dialogue together," Father Robinson said. "Through dialogue the groups realized that they had much more in common than society would make us feel and believe."

During the six years the multicultural advisory group met regularly, it was able to create open dialogue between the communities and ease the tension caused by misunderstanding. But with the closing of the offices of ethnic ministry following archdiocesan cutbacks announced in 2002 the group lost its momentum. Velasquez noted that it hasn't been easy to get together without a structure, but he is hopeful that meetings will be able to continue in the future and even incorporate issues between communities that may be racially similar but very different culturally, such as Salvadorans and Mexicans or Africans and African-Americans. Currently in Los Angeles there are Masses celebrated weekly in more than three dozen languages. With that in mind, the archdiocese is looking at the history and the changing face of the church, and is implementing plans to bridge the cultural gaps among its many cultural and racial groups.

Earlier this year Los Angeles Cardinal Roger M. Mahony ordained Filipino-American priest Father Oscar A. Solis as auxiliary bishop to head the Office of Archdiocesan Ethnic Ministries. Bishop Solis had spent 15 years as pastor of a predominantly Cajun parish in New Orleans before coming to Los Angeles.

"L.A. is the biggest melting pot in the country, and it is a good gesture to consider a way to reach out to all ethnic communities," Bishop Solis told The Tidings. "The value of my presence in Louisiana was that I was able to relate to other cultures. I had a church that was so rich and so white that was linked to a predominantly African-American and poor church, and I was able to make them look beyond their borders." In Los Angeles, Bishop Solis hopes to use this experience to open the minds and raise communities' awareness of one another. "There should be an effort to prepare the minds of the people, and recognize and appreciate the other's existence, values and gifts, as well as commonalities and differences," he said. "We will then be able to transcend the boundaries of the culture in order to live together and worship together as one family of God."


Census Bureau Projects Tripling of Hispanic and Asian Populations in 50 Years

The nation’s Hispanic and Asian populations would triple over the next half century and non-Hispanic whites would represent about one-half of the total population by 2050, according to interim population projections released last March by the U.S. Census Bureau.

  Overall, the country’s population would continue to grow, increasing from 282.1 million in 2000 to 419.9 million in 2050. However, after 2030 the rate of increase might be the slowest since the Great Depression of the 1930s as the size of the “baby boom” population continues to decline.

Still, the nation’s projected 49 percent population increase during the next 50 years would be in sharp contrast to most European countries, whose populations are expected to decline by mid-century.

From 2000 to 2050, the non-Hispanic, white population would increase from 195.7 million to 210.3 million, an increase of 14.6 million or 7 percent. This group is projected to actually lose population in the 2040s and would comprise just 50.1 percent of the total population in 2050, compared with 69.4 percent in 2000.

Nearly 67 million people of Hispanic origin (who may be of any race) would be added to the nation’s population between 2000 and 2050. Their numbers are projected to grow from 35.6 million to 102.6 million, an increase of 188 percent. Their share of the nation’s population would nearly double, from 12.6 percent to 24.4 percent. The Asian population is projected to grow 213 percent, from 10.7 million to 33.4 million. Their share of the nation’s population would double, from 3.8 percent to 8 percent. The black population is projected to rise from 35.8 million to 61.4 million in 2050, an increase of about 26 million or 71 percent. That would raise their share of the country’s population from 12.7 percent to 14.6 percent.

The country’s population also is expected to become older. Childbearing rates are expected to remain low while baby-boomers — people born between 1946 and 1964 — begin to turn 65 in 2011. By 2030, about 1-in-5 people would be 65 or over.


Diocesan staff working in Hispanic Ministry

Recently, the Secretariat for Hispanic Affairs compiled information showing the diversity of persons in charge of Hispanic ministry throughout the nation. This data is based on the Secretariat’s Hispanic ministry lists.

The breakdown of diocesan staff in charge of Hispanic ministry is as follows: 3 bishops, 67 priests (14 of them are vicars, 2 are chaplains), 3 brothers, 9 deacons, 31 sisters, 28 lay women (1 vicar among them), 30 lay men, giving a total of 171 persons.

Titles

Even though there are 178 dioceses involved in Hispanic ministry and 21 have no person(s) officially named to minister to Hispanics, some dioceses have more than one person assigned, for example, a Vicar and a Director for Hispanic Ministry or, in some cases, two directors.

In 47 instances, there is either no title or the person performs under a title different from Vicar, Director or Coordinator for Hispanic Ministry. The titles more commonly used are Vicars (15 persons), Directors (86 persons) and Coordinators (23 persons).

Gender

Among those 171 persons ministering to Hispanics, there are 112 men and 59 women.

Ethnic background:

Of those 171 persons, 96 are Hispanic and 75 are non-Hispanic

Breakdown of people in Hispanic ministry

As mentioned above, those ministering to Hispanics serve under a variety of titles. Below is a list of diocesan staff ministering to Hispanics and the (arch)diocese where they serve:

Bishops. There are 3 bishops, each serving in the these archdioceses: New York, Washington, DC, and the Military Services

Priests. There are 67 priests serving in the following (arch)dioceses: Albany, Buffalo, Ogdensburg, Syracuse, Paterson, Trenton, Metuchen, Bridgeport, Fall River, Springfield, Allentown, Erie, Pittsburgh, Providence, Arlington, Richmond, Portland, ME, Virgin Islands (2), Cincinnati, Evansville, Ft. Wayne-South Bend, Indianapolis, Chicago, Belleville, Peoria, Rockford, Orlando, Palm Beach, Venice, Atlanta, Savannah, Alexandria, Baton Rouge, Houma-Thibodaux, Lafayette, Lake Charles (2), Shreveport, Raleigh, Nashville, Mobile, Biloxi, Wheeling-Charleston, Owensboro, Fairbanks, Dubuque, Davenport, Des Moines, Kansas City, Dodge City, Lincoln, Fargo, New Ulm, Winona, Sioux Falls, Phoenix, Denver, Las Cruces, Tulsa, Austin, Corpus Christi, San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Rosa, Las Vegas, Honolulu

Vicars. At present there are 15 vicars each serving in the following (arch)dioceses: Bridgeport, Providence, Richmond, Saginaw, Rockford, Lake Charles, Raleigh, Mobile, Davenport, Winona, Phoenix, Denver, Las Cruces, San Francisco, San Jose

Chaplains. There are 2 chaplains each serving in the following dioceses: Pittsburgh, Shreveport

Brothers. There are 3 religious brothers serving in the following dioceses: Wilmington, Jackson, Kansas City-St. Joseph

Deacons. There are 9 deacons serving in the following (arch)dioceses: Brooklyn, Rockville Centre, Lafayette, Memphis, Baker, Santa Fe, Tyler, Victoria, Sacramento

Sisters. There are 31 religious women serving in the following (arch) dioceses: Camden, Norwich, Manchester, Washington, DC, Cleveland, Belleville, Joliet, Springfield, Pensacola-Tallahassee, Shreveport, Charlotte (2), Charleston, Lexington, Spokane, Sioux City, Jefferson City, Omaha, Bismarck, Crookston, St. Cloud, Rapid City, Colorado Springs, Gallup, Oklahoma City, San Antonio, Beaumont, Little Rock, San Francisco, Monterey, Orange

Lay women. There are 28 lay women serving in the following (arch)dioceses: Brooklyn, Rochester, Newark, Hartford, Boston, Philadelphia, Providence, Baltimore, Richmond, Gaylord, Kalamazoo, Saginaw, Columbus, Steubenville, St. Petersburg-Tampa, St. Augustine, Birmingham, Louisville, Wichita, Springfield, Omaha, St. Paul and Minneapolis, Denver, Salt Lake City, Dallas, San Bernardino, Stockton, Reno

Lay men. There are 30 lay men serving in the following (arch)dioceses: Scranton, Grand Rapids, Lansing, Toledo, Youngstown, Green Bay, La Crosse, Milwaukee, Superior, New Orleans, Knoxville, Covington, Boise, Great Falls-Billings, Portland, Seattle, Yakima, St. Louis, Winona, Phoenix, Tucson, Pueblo, Las Cruces, Brownsville, Forth Worth (2), Galveston-Houston, Fresno, Oakland, San Diego

Those who serve Hispanics minister do so under a variety of titles. The most common one is Director for Hispanic Ministry. There are 84 (arch)dioceses that use this title: Albany, Brooklyn, Buffalo, Ogdensburg, Rochester, Rockville Centre, Syracuse, Newark, Camden, Paterson, Trenton, Metuchen, Norwich, Wilmington, Boston, Fall River, Springfield, Philadelphia, Erie, Scranton, Providence, Washington DC, Baltimore, Arlington, Richmond, St. Thomas (2), Detroit, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Cleveland, Toledo, Chicago, Green Bay, Milwaukee, Orlando, Palm Beach, Pensacola-Tallahassee, St. Petersburg-Tampa, Venice, Atlanta, New Orleans, Alexandria, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Shreveport, Charlotte, Charleston, Nashville, Birmingham, Biloxi, Jackson, Wheeling-Charleston, Covington, Owensboro, Lexington, Portland OR, Des Moines, Sioux City, Kansas City, St. Louis, Springfield, Omaha, New Ulm, Phoenix, Denver, Santa Fe, Las Cruces, Salt Lake City, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Beaumont, Corpus Christi, Fort Worth, Galveston-Houston, Little Rock, Fresno, Monterey, Orange, Sacramento, San Diego, Santa Rosa

The 23 (arch)dioceses that use the title of Hispanic Ministry Coordinator are: Portland ME, Gaylord, Steubenville, Evansville, St. Wayne-South Bend, Lafayette, Belleville (2), Joliet, St. Augustine, Houma-Thibodaux, Charlotte, Fairbanks, Kansas City-St. Joseph, Lincoln, Fargo, St. Paul and Minneapolis, Winona, Sioux Falls, Rapid City, Gallup, Victoria, San Bernardino

In 22 (arch)dioceses there is a person appointed to work with Hispanic ministry, but no title has been given to the individual. These (arch)dioceses are: Allentown, Cincinnati, Columbus, Peoria, Savannah, Knoxville, Great Falls-Billings, Baker, Seattle, Yakima, Dodge City, Jefferson City, Bismarck, Crookston, Austin, Brownsville, Tyler, San Francisco, Oakland, Stockton, Las Vegas, Reno

In 23 (arch)dioceses no person has been appointed but the Secretariat sends pertinent materials in the name of the Hispanic Ministry Office. These are: Worcester, Altoona-Johnstown, Greensburg, Harrisburg, Burlington, Detroit, Marquette, Gary, Madison, Miami, Anchorage, Juneau, Helena, Salina, Grand Island, Duluth, Cheyenne, Amarillo, El Paso, Laredo, Lubbock, San Angelo, Los Angeles

Many title variations are used in other (arch)dioceses. The most common titles are: Assistant Director for Hispanic Ministry (Brooklyn); Assistant to the Hispanic Vicar (Hartford); Director for Hispanic Ministry & African Americans (Manchester); Ethnic Ministry Office (Youngstown, Boise, and Honolulu); Multicultural Ministry Office (Indianapolis, Memphis, Louisville, St. Cloud, and Pueblo); Office for Social Concerns (Springfield); Office for Justice and Peace (La Crosse); Director of Pastoral Services (Superior); Chaplain for Hispanic Ministry (Shreveport); Chaplain for the Latino Community (Pittsburgh); Consultant for Hispanic Ministry (Spokane); Hispanic Ministry/Catholic Charities (Dubuque); Hispanic Ministry Interim Director (Wichita); Evangelization and Hispanic Ministry Office (Tucson); Educational/Formation Services (San Antonio); and Pastoral Planning & Diocesan Networks (Dallas).


Data by Region

NOTE: Only those (arch)dioceses that have appointed someone as vicar, director or coordinator for Hispanic ministry are included in this list:

• Northeast Region (39 dioceses)
  
  
  • 3 Vicars for Hispanic Ministry: Bridgeport, Providence, Richmond
    
    
  • 28 Directors for Hispanic Ministry: New York, Albany, Buffalo, Ogdensburg, Rochester, Rockville Centre, Syracuse, Newark, Camden, Paterson, Trenton, Metuchen, Norwich, Wilmington, Boston, Fall River, Springfield, Philadelphia, Erie, Scranton, Providence, Washington DC, Military Services, Baltimore, Arlington, Richmond, St. Thomas (2)
    
    
  • 1 Coordinator: Portland ME
  
  
• Midwest Region (29 dioceses)
  
  
  • 2 Vicars for Hispanic Ministry: Saginaw, Rockford
    
    
  • 9 Directors for Hispanic MInistry: Detroit, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Cleveland, Toledo, Chicago, Green Bay, Milwaukee
    
    
  • 8 Coordinators for Hispanic Ministry: Gaylord, Steubenville, Evansville, St. Wayne-
    South Bend, Lafayette, Belleville (2), Joliet
  
  
• Southeast Region (31 dioceses)
  
  
  • 3 Vicars for Hispanic Ministry: Lake Charles, Raleigh, Mobile
    
    
  • 22 Directors for Hispanic Ministry: Orlando, Palm Beach, Pensacola-Tallahassee, St. Petersburg-Tampa, Venice, Atlanta, New Orleans, Alexandria, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Shreveport, Charlotte, Charleston, Nashville, Birmingham, Biloxi, Jackson, Wheeling-Charleston, Covington, Owensboro, Lexington
    
    
  • 3 Coordinators for Hispanic Ministry: St. Augustine, Houma-Thibodaux, Charlotte
  
  
• Northwest Region (11 dioceses)
  
  
  • 1 Director: Portland OR
    
    
  • 1 Coordinator: Fairbanks
  
  
• North Central Region (25 dioceses)
  
  
  • 2 Vicars for Hispanic Ministry: Davenport, Winona
    
    
  • 7 Directors for Hispanic Ministry: Des Moines, Sioux City, Kansas City, St. Louis, Springfield, Omaha, New Ulm
    
    
  • 7 Coordinators for Hispanic Ministry: Kansas City-St. Joseph, Lincoln, Fargo, St. Paul and Minneapolis, Winona, Sioux Falls, Rapid City
  
  
• Mountain States Region (10 dioceses)
  
  
  • 3 Vicars for Hispanic Ministry: Phoenix, Denver, Las Cruces
    
    
  • 5 Directors for Hispanic Ministry: Phoenix, Denver, Santa Fe, Las Cruces, Salt Lake City
    
    
  • 1 Coordinator for Hispanic Ministry: Gallup
  
  
• Southwest Region (17 dioceses)
  
  
  • 7 Directors for Hispanic Ministry: Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Beaumont, Corpus Christi, Fort Worth, Galveston-Houston, Little Rock
    
    
  • 1 Coordinator for Hispanic Ministry: Victoria
  
  
• Far West Region (15 dioceses)
  
  
  • 2 Vicars for Hispanic Ministry: San Francisco, San Jose
    
    
  • 6 Directors for Hispanic Ministry: Fresno, Monterey, Orange, Sacramento, San Diego, Santa Rosa
    
    
  • 1 Coordinator for Hispanic Ministry: San Bernardino

• PowerPoint prensentation on pastoral statement “Encuentro and Mission”

• Saint Meinrad to host Midwest Conference for Seminarians in Hispanic Ministry

• USCCB Secretariat for Family, Laity, Women and Youth

  Program Coordinator

• Archdiocese of Baltimore (2 openings)
  
  Coordinator for Hispanic Young Adult and Youth Ministry

Coordinator of the Hispanic Leadership Institute

• Instituto Nacional Hispano de Liturgia
  
  Part-time Executive Director

Email us at hispanicaffairs@usccb.org
Secretariat for Hispanic Affairs | 3211 4th Street, N.E., Washington DC 20017-1194 | (202) 541-3000 © USCCB. All rights reserved.