Study looks at foreign-born priests serving in U.S

National Catholic Reporter, Feb 24, 2006 by Patricia Lefevere

'Beauty of difference'

"Since the study was conducted only in English, it failed to listen to the voices of the greatest number of priests coming from other countries, especially the Spanish-speaking ones," said Msgr. Virgilio Elizondo, founder of the Mexican-American Cultural Center, and now director of Catholic Television in San Antonio.

In his commentary on the book, Elizondo speaks of the need first to prepare the parish spiritually and culturally for the joy of receiving a priest from one of the world's poor countries. "We need to speak about the beauty of difference.... After all, it is through the 'little [insignificant] people' of the world that God continues to evangelize all ... especially the rich and the powerful."

Elizondo faulted the study for insufficient attention to those priests coming to America to accompany the new immigrants here. "It is the teaching of our church that priests and religious should accompany migrants on their journeys to new lands," he said.

He questioned the notion of a priest shortage. "Have we been spoiled by too many priests?" Elizondo asked. "God would truly bless us if out of our own perceived scarcity we would be willing to do with less so that others in greater need could have more. Maybe the lack of ecclesial generosity is precisely what has been missing from our American church."

Elizondo thought the study masked a deeper issue of how to develop a U.S. church that produces enough priests and religious to minister to its people and even send some as missioners overseas. The U.S. church needs to devise new pastoral responses to the challenges it faces, and going abroad for more priests may not be the best course, he said.

In her commentary Dr. Seung Ai Yang confronts the white racism that she finds "is a shamefully integral part of today's American culture." American Catholics often unconsciously judge an international priest on the basis of his race and ethnicity, she said.

Yang, an associate professor of scripture at the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn., said Americans "have a tendency to consider anything 'un-American' as inferior. The expressions 'second-rate priest' or 'second-class fill-ins' for international priests well reflect this mindset."

The Korean scholar views acculturation as a mutual process. It would be both unethical and not feasible to teach international priests to think and behave just like American Catholics, she said.

If the shortage of priests is the only reason for inviting an international priest, then he should not be invited, Yang said. But globalization will mean these priests will come regardless of the numbers of U.S. clergy, she said, though most will come to accompany their fellow immigrants.

She suggested parishioners learn that a priest is coming because of his qualifications, not just as a fill-in. She also urged receiving parishes to form a hospitality team of several volunteers to assist the newcomer with information and the adjustment skills necessary for American life.