Holy Cross Hispanic Ministry Committee

March 21-23, 2006

East Freetown Massachusetts

March 21 Opening Session

Presentation by Fr. Hugh Cleary, C.S.C. Vocations in Holy Cross and Hispanic Ministry

Fr. Hugh presented two big issues in regard to vocations in the men's communities:

· The restructuring of the congregation, which is growing in the developing world and declining in the developed world

· Cultural issues – most vocations in the United States are coming from minority groups, mainly Hispanics

Holy Cross has not done a good job marketing the congregation to the Hispanic population in the United States. The question is, why is this so. Fr. Hugh presented three reasons:

1. He quoted Cardinal Eagan – focus and locus are missing in Holy Cross. We need to

put ourselves where the Hispanics are: parishes, neighborhoods, etc. and reach out to

them.

2. "Branding" – Fr. Hugh mentioned that in the world in which we live, marketing and advertising is important. Can we identify as a congregation a phrase that captures who we are? For the men, "Educators in the Faith," "Crossing Borders of all Sorts," are some attempts to catch people's attention. Could it be that Holy Cross spirituality is not well known or not "marketed well, even in our own schools or even in the Oratory? The ministry is marketed, "Notre Dame," or the person, "Br. André," but not the congregation.

3. The pool of people – We are not drawing in people from our own apostolates: schools, universities, parishes, or programs.

Fr. Hugh brought up two major challenges for the congregation and the U.S. church in light of the question of vocations and minorities:

1. The materialism of the U.S. culture causes lack of interest in religious life by the third

generation in immigrant families. Families need to pray together, and parishes must do

more to encourage the young.

2. The youth of today are known as "The John Paul II Generation." They want to be

identified as loyal to the Church. They are not interested in being prophets that challenge

the Church on issues. They want "brand marks" such as habits, which leads to a clash of

spiritual culture with post Vatican II religious who do not want this form of identity with

in the Church.

In searching for a "brand" for Holy Cross, Fr. Hugh suggested that we look at the three saints in process of the congregation:

· Fr. Moreau – a dedicated teacher

· Br. André – healer

· Fr. Peyton – a promoter of prayer

The Congregation of Holy Cross: teaching, healing, praying

Our United States culture needs a sense of hope. Many are disillusioned by a culture that is secular and materialistic. Are we ready to welcome those who are looking for more than this? Are we ready to attract those who want to be a part of what we present to the world? Holy Cross offers hope, the hope of the cross: to die to secularism to understand our own hearts, to be willing to sacrifice one's self, to lay down one's life for the sake of healing others. Fr. Hugh expressed the hope that the Hispanic Committee would give the congregations of Holy Cross leadership in attracting Hispanic vocations. He also put three questions to the group:

· Can we reform Holy Cross enough to make it appealing to the Latin community?

· Are we too unfocused to appeal to the John Paul II generation of Catholics?

· How would we "brand" Holy Cross spirituality to appeal to the youth of today?

The presentation ended with the question of finances: How do we sustain the areas, such as Haiti, where there are vocations but no money?

Comments from the group after table discussions

Focus/locus:

· Focus on alternatives to vocations as well as solutions to the limited number of vocations

· Focus on how to involve more laity, associates, and youth in Holy Cross

· Talk more about Holy Cross, not just the institutions, making the connection between the ministry and the congregations.

"Branding":

· Create a DVD of Holy Cross history and spirituality; include the constitutions of the congregations

· Improve communication between the congregation about existing resources

· Spotlight the congregation during Hallmark Mass at Notre Dame, usually presided over by C.S.C priest.

· Envision as a community the new reality of the U.S. Church: 64% of U.S. Catholics are Hispanic

· It would require a grass roots effort to welcome Hispanics into the congregations, a willingness to "change the face" of the congregation just as the face of the church is changing.

· Dedicate proportionate resources and personnel to Hispanic ministry.

On suggestion for financing: one parish offers 10% of collection to a group outside itself.

Planning session 1: Review the history and purpose of the Holy Cross Hispanic Ministry Committee and look at how to expand the membership.

Comments from group discussions:

· Membership pays for the committee.

· Changes in the restructuring of the C.S.C. men will affect the membership of the committee.

· Restructuring of the Sisters of the Holy Cross has affected the membership: now there is only one North American region; in the past there were five, each region sending two sisters.

· The question was raised as to membership of representatives from Canada, Chile, Peru, Mexico. Is the purpose of the committee U.S. Hispanic ministry, or does it include Latin America as well?

· Other people may be invited to join, but the group wants to ensure representatives of every region and congregation of Holy Cross. This committee has been doing this well for thirty years.

Purpose:

· Education and lobbying, pushing the concerns of Hispanics

· Bring to the grass roots of the congregations the new reality of Hispanic presence in U.S. Church

· Visioning the future of Hispanic ministry in Holy Cross

· Lobbying for Hispanic ministry within the congregations of Holy Cross

Planning Session 2: Ways and means of communication with the congregations of Holy Cross

· E-mail sharing information about issues concerning Hispanics as well as opportunities to engage in Hispanic ministry

· Talk about membership in the committee to leadership

· Create media resources in Spanish

· Leaders provide more visioning for Hispanic ministry

· Preaching

· Province and chapter meetings

· DVD reflection to use during Lent

· Inserting information into existing communications

· Personal witness and devotion

Topics to explore (possible workshops for convocation/summit)

· Immigration issues

· Membership of the committee

· Other projects like Monterrey where Holy Cross works together

· Create a forum to explore possibilities for serving the poor/Hispanics

· How to mainstream Hispanic ministry in Holy Cross

· Hispanic vocations: invite parents of current seminarians

· Promote the ministry as opposed to selling our piece of it

· Target audience: who do we want to get the message to?

· Latinos in the Church

· Lay collaboration in Holy Cross

· Role of educational institutions in serving Hispanics

· Latino Family prayer

· Challenge of young people losing faith

· "Underground Church" the undocumented

Plan a "summit" for provincials and leaders of institutions to create a forum for looking at the future of Holy Cross and Hispanic ministry in light of the restructuring of the men's and women's congregations.

· Bring Hispanic ministry to leadership

· Need for personal experience and witness

· After conference: U.S. pastoral plan for Hispanic formed with the help of the committee, as a way of mainstreaming Hispanic ministry in the congregations of Holy Cross

· Discuss issues: lay collaboration, family, collaboration within Holy Cross, vocation/formation, schools, evangelization

Vision of Church in the U.S.: how does Holy Cross respond?

What are we doing to raise consciousness of the congregations?

Phase 1: present reality

Phase 2: What Holy Cross is presently doing

Phase 3. impact of Holy Cross on the lives of the people

Phase 4. commit to a plan for Hispanic ministry in Holy Cross

Have material before hand prepared by the Holy Cross Institute

The day ended with the celebration of Mass followed by supper at the retreat center. Some of the group viewed the movie Crash.

March 22

The morning began with a panel presentation by Fr. Marc Fallon, C.S.C., Fr. Pablo Murdock, and Anibal Lucas. They shared with us the history of ministry to the Maya community in Providence and New Bedford. The history of the ministry goes back to the 1960's. The Protestant churches were tending to the Puerto Rican population in the area so the Bishop started an out reach program as a kind of a "spare-time" operation. In the 1980's ther was a great deal of tension between the Anglo and Hispanic populations. So, a campaign was started to create a Hispanic parish. They built a mission church that grew into a parish. At this time the Mexicans started to arrive, followed by the Guatemalans. Today the demographics are as follows: 60% Puerto Ricans, 30 % Guatemalans, 10% Central Americans

Anibal Lucas organized a group to keep the culture of the Maya from Guatemala alive in the United States (language as well as indigenous religious traditions). In the 1980's there was a campaign to eliminate the indigenous people of Guatemala. The army assassinated them with weapons supplied by the United States. The Maya face many problems here in the U.S. They are profiled by the police, they are victims of violence in the streets because they speak neither English nor Spanish, so they cannot report the crimes. The education system does not work well for the youth. The organization now has 501ct status, thanks to the help of women's groups.

They organized a Congreso Maya, bringing in speakers from Guatemala to New Bedford. Anibal spoke of the cost of getting from Guatemala to New Bedford today: $5 – 6000 for the coyote. Legal status is difficult to obtain, unlike in the 1980's during the height of the violence. Anibal did not want to apply for a social security number in a country that sold the arms used to assassinate his father. The number was given to him.

The Mayan population is very young. The men arrive first, either single or married and awaiting their first or second baby. They have no family support here. Often the first generation refugees serve as their grandparents. There are cultural problems: they are ashamed of being Guatemalan and pass themselves off as Mexicans. They learn this from the coyote so they can get through Mexico without getting caught and sent back. The families live separate lives. They keep in contact by sending videos of Fist Communions and Confirmations. The dairy industry employs them seven days a week, so there is no opportunity to go to Mass. One of the barns was converted to a chapel on Sundays for Mass.

A Congreso Nacional was first held in West Palm Beach, Florida, followed by on in California, with the 3^rd being held in New Bedford. The difficulty of passing alon the history and culture of the Maya is that there are no books on it. Most books claim that the Maya disappeared, but here they are! The organization wants to bring in a teacher to maintain the K'iche' language and religious celebrations. The celebrations are not in Spanish, and few people can do it correctly. The words do not translate into Spanish. What is written in books, was not written by them. There never was a god of water or rain; the people simply gave thanks to God for creating these things, which give life to the people. They share space with the local indigenous people to have their celebrations. La migra comes around to make a show from time to time, but they are not willing to get rid of the workers.

Evangelicals arrived in Guatemala from California. The president of the congress, the man responsible for killing all the people, brought them into the country. Many go to Mass when a priest comes from Guatemala, and many practice the indigenous faith, which is not the same as Roman Catholicism. The organization works with other groups- Haitians, Hondurans, and Brazilians to educate the workers on their rights. Alma Armendariz shared with the group her experience of working with first generation Mexican immigrants in Heber, Utah. The program helps with pre-natal care as well as getting them to the hospital for the birth of the child.

Planning Session 3: the meeting

Purpose of the meeting:

· Highlight the needs of Hispanics and the current reality

· Implications for a future with hope

· Rapid growth of Hispanics; who is doing Hispanic ministry and where

· Congregations have a plan for Hispanic ministry

· Educate the leadership of Holy Cross

· Include Mexico as part of North American reality, include Peru and Chile as invited guests

· See what other congregations are doing/have done in the area of Hispanic vocations

· Share experiences

· Move toward a pastoral plan for Holy Cross (one was made in '78)

· Clarify Hispanic ministry

Format:

· Presentation of reality

· Holy cross Hispanic ministry: what we are doing, what we have learned in the process

· Witnessing, experience shared

· Follow up plan

· Workshops on key areas

o Vocation/formation

o What is Hispanic ministry?

o What are the barriers to doing Hispanic ministry? What do they need but don't have?

o Immigration concerns

o Communication

o Education of Hispanics in colleges

o Intercongregational Hispanic ministry

o Evangelization

o Lay collaboration

o Justice

Theme: These were suggested by the whole committee. The theme will be decided by the planning committee.

· The Changing Face of American Catholicism: Are We Ready? (4)

· Facing the Challenge of Hispanic Ministry with Hope (3)

· Open the Doors: (with a sub title) (3)

· Is Holy Cross' Future Hispanic? (2)

· ¿Is Holy Cross Facing the Hispanic Reality in North America?

· Holy Cross and Hispanics: Educating in the Faith and Opting for the Poor (10)

Suggestions for Date:

· Fall of 2007 in conjunction with Columbus Day/Día de la Raza celebrations

· May 2007 after or before the Rosary Rally May 19^th

· March 2007

· The date will be negotiated with leadership

Place: Notre Dame, Indiana

Planning Committee:

Bruce Cecil Dan Grudy

Don McNiel Chris Cox

Juan Korcsmar Pat Neary

Marc Fallon Roberto Jimenez

Pauline LaBel Pat Ann Thompson

Beth Mahoney Tom O'Hara

Mark King Mike Louis

Hugh Cleary

Carlota LeBoeuf, M.S.C. offered to work with prayer and music for the meeting. A suggestion was made to create a DVD of what is happening in Hispanic ministry. Some footage already exists. The day ended with Mass followed by supper at Mi Guatemala restaurant with Anibal and his family.

Business Meeting

March 23, 2006

Evaluation of the meeting.

What was most beneficial?

· The agreement to get the message of the changing reality of the Church. It is something concrete.

· The presentation on the Mayan culture in New England

· Seeing the variety of Hispanic ministry being done

· Refocusing ourselves as to the purpose of the committee

· The meeting place and space

· Beth's coordination of the meeting

What was most enjoyable?

· Reconnecting with the members of the committee

· Alma's willingness to continue to serve on the committee

· Affirmation that the cross is our one hope

· The joy of experiencing a common commitment to alternatives for serving the Church

· Energized by the willingness to go beyond where we have been, energy from places where we are in ministry, which will impact the congregation

The committee acknowledged the contribution made by the Southern Province to Hispanic ministry since 1968 and to the thirty years of the committee. They were the first as a provincial structure to embrace the presence of Hispanics in the Church, providing an example for the entire congregation. The renewal of the Church will be through the Hispanic presence.

Next year marks the 100^th anniversary of Fr. Patrick O'Riely. This should be incorporated into the convocation some how.

Pepe Martelli thanked Fr. Hugh Clary for his presence.

What would have made the meeting better?

· Greater representation of women's communities

· Greater connection with leadership in congregations

· Old structure of the committee not working because of reorganizing, need to get more people involved by invitation, people like Dan Grudy

· Extend invitaion to younger members

· Form a committee to work on membership (Carlota LeBoeuf, M.S.C., Pauline LaBel, C.S.C., Mary Ann Pajakowski, C.S.C., and Juan Phalen, C.S.C)

Financial Report: Juan Korcsmar, treasurer, could not access the file. The committee spent very little for last year's meeting in Monterrey. There is $2,500 in the bank at present.

Dues: In the past units were assigned to each region of the men's community and the Indiana women's community as well as to the Sisters of Holy Cross and the Marianites. This year there was more money received from the Sisters of the Holy Cross than was expected. Juan Korcsmar will dialogue with the sisters about this. The planning committee wil look into costs for the Notre Dame meeting. Juan will send out a written report later.

The next meeting will take place after the convocation at Notre Dame. The convocation will be Tuesday and Wednesday, and the meeting will be on Thursday, all day.

New officers:

Chair persons: Mary Ann Pajakowski and Alma Armendariz (the planning committee chairpersons will conduct the Notre Dame Convocation)

Secretary: Carlota LeBoeuf, M.S.C.

Treasurer: Juan Korcsmar, C.S.C.

Material for further study were handed out. Hugh Cleary, C.S.C. expressed his gratitude for the years of service of the committee. He hopes that the summit will be a source of hope for the future of Hispanic ministry in Holy Cross. The meeting adjourned and the gathering ended with the celebration of the Eucharist.