Hispanic community in the Catholic parishes

Why did standing room only crowds fill church halls last week to hear a Boston College professor quote statistics from a study?

The answer seems to be that — after years of seeing the swelling numbers of Hispanic Catholics and their increasing influence on the church — church leaders understand the importance and the urgency of effective parish ministry to this group.

No less than the future of the church in the U.S. is at stake, said Hosffman Ospino of Boston College. And no one is arguing with him.

Ospino, assistant professor of theology and ministry at Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Mass., is the lead author of the National Study of Catholic Parishes with Hispanic Ministry. He presented his findings from the first major survey of how parishes are handling the rapid demographic shift at two workshops: in English May 9 at St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Sicklerville, and in Spanish May 10 at the John Paul II Retreat House in Vineland.

A major conclusion of the study is that the training of pastoral leaders isn’t keeping up with the fast-approaching time when Hispanics will make up the majority of Catholics in the country.  Similarly, Hispanic ministry is demanding a bigger chunk of church resources.

Ospino pointed out that:

  Hispanics currently account for about 40 percent of all U.S. Catholics and their share of the population is continuing to increase.

  55 percent of all U.S. Catholics under the age of 30 are Hispanic

  Hispanics account for 71 percent of the growth in the U.S. Catholic population since 1960.

Some of what Ospino told his audiences is not shockingly new. The growing presence and influence of Hispanics in the church and U.S. culture in general has been recognized for years. But his study also revealed findings that the average Catholic may not be aware of, especially concerning the ways Hispanic Catholics differ from other American Catholics. For example, Hispanic men are less likely to study for the priesthood. Ironically, despite the ever-growing number of Hispanics in the church, most Hispanic priests ministering in the United States are foreign born. Also, Hispanic parents have been, and remain, much less likely to send their children to Catholic schools. In fact, only 3 percent of Hispanic children go to Catholic schools in the United States.

Ospino noted the historic success of the Catholic Church in the United States in health care and Catholic education. But at the core of those institutions is the parish, he said, and that is where the church must minister to its Hispanic members.

Nationwide, 4,358 parishes — almost one-quarter of the U.S. total — were identified as having some sort of organized ministry to Hispanics. Some are more effective than others. 

The study cited many signs of vitality in parish Hispanic ministry — including youth, a strong permanent diaconate system and thriving apostolic movements. But other areas require urgent attention, it said.

Among the “urgent dynamics” of parish Hispanic ministry that are in need of attention, it listed: disproportionately limited financial and human resources, a “disquieting gap” in Hispanic enrollment in Catholic schools, and a cohort of pastoral leaders who are approaching retirement age with too few people in training to replace them.

Andres Arango, Bishop’s Delegate for Hispanic Ministry, stressed the importance of the presentations in understanding the urgency to serve the Latino community: “Dr. Ospino encouraged us to be more intentional in serving our Hispanic brothers and sisters, particularly the new generations.” Currently, more than one-third of the parishes in the diocese have Hispanic Ministry. “This study from Boston College is a great resource to talk about how to better respond to the call to the New Evangelization as we serve the fast-growing Hispanic population throughout South Jersey,” he said. 

“The church in the United States is a multicultural reality today,” Ospino said. “We must develop models of ministry that address this diversity.” 

Written  by Carl Peters for the May 16, 2014 Catholic Star Herald

Hosffman Ospino cropped

Photo by Alan Dumoff for the Catholic Star Herald

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