Hacia el Futuro – Toward the What is Hispanic Ministry ...jesuit.org/jesuits/wp-content/uploads/IAT-Hispanic-Ministry-SPR03.pdf · Jesuits and our colleagues have been involved

1www.inallthings.org VISIT OUR WEB SITE SPRING 2003 • IN ALL THINGS

REV. WILLIAM C. RICKLE, S.J.

TThe U. S. Bishops’ formulation ofHispanic Ministry may seem self-evi-dent, but its implications are not. The

document poses two central questions to thewhole Church. First, what model of leadershipwill Hispanic Catholics offer as they continue tobecome a strongpresence within theCatholic Church inthe United States?And, second, howwill this modelstrengthen the unityof the body ofChrist in increasing-ly culturally diversecommunities? Bothof these questionsaddress themes andchallenges close to the hearts of Jesuits and ourcolleagues, especially training and formationfor service leadership, and work for the recon-ciliation of men and women with each otherand with God.

The Bishops also identify three specificchallenges. First, structures and ministry net-works that have effectively served the ministry,such as diocesan and regional offices and pas-toral institutes, should be strengthened.Second, Hispanic ministry should build closercollaborative relationships with ethnic, racialand ministerial groups and organizations. Andthird, ministry efforts should foster the activeparticipation of Hispanic Catholics in the socialmission of the Church.

To anyone party to questions of apostolicdiscernment and prioritization for Jesuit apos-tolates in recent years, these questions andchallenges should have a familiar ring to them.But we have not often enough, in my view,taken sufficiently into account the vast numberof new, as well as more established, Hispaniccommunities that could benefit from arethought and reimagined approach to whatused to be called “ethnic ministry.” ✧

SPRING 2003

What is Hispanic Ministry?In its November 2002 Pastoral onHispanic Ministry, the United StatesCatholic Bishops Conference wrote:“Hispanic ministry is the Church'sresponse to the Hispanic presence. Thisministry must be seen as an integral partof the life and mission of the Church inthis country. We must be relentless inseeking ways to promote and facilitatethe full incorporation of HispanicCatholics into the life of the Church andits mission. It entails a collaborative effortwith the entire community and honorstheir history, their faith traditions, and thecontributions Hispanic Catholics havemade in service to the Church andsociety.”

—United States Conference of CatholicBishops. “Encuentro and Mission: A Renewed

Pastoral Framework for Hispanic Ministry,”Nov 2002.

(http://www.usccb.org/hispanicaffairs/encuentromission.htm)

www.inallthings.org VISIT OUR WEB SITE

Hacia el Futuro – Toward theFuture in Jesuit Hispanic Ministry

From the Office…REV. WILLIAM C. RICKLE, S.J.

In the time and space available, we cannot address all

aspects of the challenges and opportunities before us

in Hispanic ministry. U.S. Church efforts, where they

have been most developed, have been with and on behalf of

the newer arrivals, the ones with the greatest material and

social needs. We must acknowledge that this has in some

places exacerbated tensions with the older, more established

and slightly more invested Hispanic communities. Without

a doubt those with more economic and social stability are

in need of formation for justice, training to live a life of

vibrant faith in a world of professional and commercial

work and trade. At the same time, recent exhortations from

Fr. General Kolvenbach and emerging transnational apos-

tolic efforts by Jesuits throughout the world urge us to do

continued on page 2

2 IN ALL THINGS • SPRING 2003 VISIT OUR WEB SITE www.inallthings.org

SPRING 2003VOLUME 4, NO. 1

In All Things is published by theUnited States Jesuit Conference'sOffice of Social and InternationalMinistries. The Office of Social andInternational Ministries advises andassists the Jesuit Conference Boardand the Provinces of the Society ofJesus in promoting the domestic andinternational social mission of theSociety by means of: advocating pub-lic policy; public education; socialreflection and analysis; building anetwork of Jesuit and non-Jesuitindividuals and institutions; and sup-porting persons who are working inthe social apostolate, both domesticand international.

Editor-in-Chief: British Robinson

Managing Editor: Julie Bourbon

Associate Editor: John Kleiderer

Design: Marcus Bleech

Richard Ryscavage, S.J., Secretary ofSocial and International Ministries/National Director of JesuitRefugee Service

British Robinson, National Directorof Social and InternationalMinistries

John Kleiderer, Policy Analyst

William Rickle, S.J., Ph.D., FieldSpecialist/Outreach Coordinator

Michael Seneco, Staff Assistant

Published tri-annually. The articlespublished here reflect the opinions ofthe editor or the authors. They are notmeant to represent any official posi-tions of the Society of Jesus.

Letters to the Editor must be signedand include the writer’s address anddaytime phone number. Letters maybe edited for length and clarity.

U.S. Jesuit Conference1616 P Street, NW, Suite 300Washington, DC 20036-1405

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EMAIL: [email protected]://www.inallthings.org

research, ministry and advocacy more explicitly on behalf of migrants, the ones most vulnerable to the

vicissitudes of the emerging global economy and structural changes.

Jesuits and our colleagues have been involved in Hispanic ministry for many years, in parish and

social ministry settings, and increasingly in educational settings, from universities to secondary and pri-

mary schools. Despite efforts to be responsive to the needs and apostolic opportunities presented by this

influx of new Catholics, the extent and scale of the recent increase press us to consider more carefully

our contribution to the Church’s efforts at both our evangelizing mission and faith community devel-

opment.

In this light, the focus of these articles is not so much what we are doing, but more on what lies

ahead for us in this challenging era fraught with pitfalls yet ripe with opportunity.

As people of faith, charged with the task of reading the signs of the times and responding to God’s

call to greater service toward building the Kingdom of justice, love and peace, we are guided by the clas-

sic questions of Ignatian discernment of apostolic priorities. Where is the greatest need? Where can our

efforts bear the most fruit? What are the difficult tasks that we are prepared to do, that others are either

unable or unwilling to do, for the sake of the Gospel?

Roberto Suro, one of our contributors, observed elsewhere six years ago: “There is no circuit that

readily connects Latinos to a secure place in the United States, and yet there are too many of them to

be left outside the body politic. Latino immigration is big enough demographically that at some point

the connection will be made, and that implies change in both the newcomers and the nation.”1 Most

indications are that the same observation could be made about the relation of Hispanics to the Catholic

Church in the United States. As we read the signs of the times, the question we want to keep in front

of us is: “Where are we being called to serve the Kingdom of God in the most efficacious and grace-

filled manner?” That is the question we put before our authors. We hope our contributions will aid an

informed and serious national dialogue so that we may move ahead to establish and implement apos-

tolic priorities in the near future.

1 Roberto Suro, “Strangers Among Us: Latinos’ Lives in a Changing America,” p. 305. Vintage Books, 1999.

continued from page 1

Cultures and Nationalities

In many ways, “Hispanic” is a term that denotes an increasingly complex and diverse group of people whose pri-mary self-identification tends to be more by nationality and ancestry than by a more global Hispanic, or the morerecent Latino, label. These differences are critical to understanding of and effective ministry with the specific com-munities in question. As noted by the USCCB document:

Even though Hispanics find their ancestors in many different countries, most share a common faith and language, as well asa culture rooted in the Catholic faith. These elements, which give a common identity to Latin American and Caribbeanpeople, are even more important for Hispanics in the United States as they struggle to define their own identity in a culturallydiverse context and under pressure to assimilate. The commitment of Hispanics to become active participants and to offertheir unique contributions in the life of the Church and society – versus being assimilated – has been a key value andprinciple for Hispanics in ministry.1

The Hispanic/Latino presence in what is now the United States has a long and dynamic history. The Gospel was intro-duced to the American continent by Spanish missionaries more than 500 years ago. The new mestizo community thatevolved from the clash of the Spanish and the indigenous peoples gave “the new world” a people born into theCatholic faith. Today, the descendents of the first mestizo people are Hispanic communities with roots in more than20 distinct nations. Each community brings with it its unique anthropology and history – faith traditions, cultural,social, economic and political realities – that are different from mainstream Catholic culture.

The term Hispanic, used in government and most official documents and studies, and the term Latino, a newer termwith a sometimes political and more urban connotation, are, for practical purposes, interchangeable. We will followthe USCCB, the U.S. Census and other major bodies in using the term Hispanic. It is important to remember that thisis not a term Hispanics tend to use to describe themselves in the first instance.

1 United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. “Encuentro and Mission: A Renewed Pastoral Framework for Hispanic Ministry,” Nov 2002. 1 Common Faith,Culture, and Language, 14.


Fr. Rodriguez (New Orleans Province)is the pastor of Immaculate Conception

Parish in Albuquerque, N.M. andsuperior of the community there.

in action – that can be sharedwith parishioners whetherthrough devotions like theApostleship of Prayer orthrough lectures, conferencesand prayer sessions. Our Jesuittradition is also mission-mind-ed, so that the parishioners canbe encouraged to supportchurches in poverty areas,whether in the same commu-nity or in a foreign country.This tradition emphasizesunderstanding the whys andwherefores of Catholic doc-trines. Therefore, homilies andconferences should have astudied and thoughtful aspectto them. Too many of us in the

pastoral sector still think ofourselves simply as those

who provide for, pre-pare others for, anddispense sacra-ments. We are con-fused as to whatthe real nature ofthe Church com-munity ought tobe and what itsr ami f i c a t ion sare.

An impor-tant question is:

should Jesuits bemore involved in

parish work, notjust as a second or

third career, but as a pri-mary career? The parish today

is a place of theological reflec-tion, social action, educationand community building.Jesuits who have taken thetrouble to study the changessince Vatican II, especially thedeveloping role of the laity inministry and in decision-mak-ing, know that the influence ofthe Society of Jesus can betremendous at the parish level.Moreover, if Jesuit parishes arewell run, then Jesuits can alsohave an impact on the dioceseand in the region.

Some might ask why it isimportant for the Society to bein ethnically diverse parishes.These churches are very much

organizations. For instance,the Church of the 1950s wasmore concerned with with-drawing from the world thanin making bridges toward it.The Second Vatican Councilpushed the Church towardgreater openness to the prob-lems faced by humanity atlarge. A priestly view of theChurch at the parish levelencourages parishioners toengage in ecumenical dialogueand to engage in the politics ofthe city.

By pastoral I mean that thecommunity of

f a i t h

s h o u l dreach out to those who are inneed, whether they be theyoung, those whose familieshave become fractured, theelderly or those who are eco-nomically poor. Much of thepriestly work, the bridgingthat needs to be done, can bedone through pastoral actionand outreach.

By prophetic I mean thatthe community of faith willpay attention to injustices thatmay be perpetrated against thelocal people, be it loan shark-ing or scamming the olderfolks.

Our Jesuit tradition pro-vides a great spirituality for themarketplace – contemplation

It is a given that the wholeChurch in the United States isbecoming more racially andethnically diverse. Therefore,those who serve in parishesneed to learn how to buildbridges between people of dif-ferent cultures and back-grounds, how to celebratediverse traditions and how toresolve differences when thesearise. The Society of Jesus canbe at the cutting edge ofdemonstrating how we canovercome our American syn-drome of racism and ethno-phobia by actually bringingdiverse communities together.

As the pastor of a cultural-ly diverse parish inAlbuquerque, N.M., thereare many opportunities tominister to people of allethnicities. One of thoseopportunities is the chal-lenge of ministering dur-ing times of inter-ethnicfriction, which willinevitably arise andwhich can be an instru-ment of growth andincreased understandingwithin the parish and thecommunity.

The pastor of a cultural-ly and racially diverse parishmust first make certain that heshows no favoritism – con-scious or unconscious –toward any group, and thatthe parish staff is trained to dothe same. It helps a great dealif the parish staff and volun-teers are a culturally diversegroup. A healthy sensitivity toethnic and racial differences isenhanced by working on adaily basis with people repre-senting the many diverse facesof the parish.

The church at the parishlevel needs to be conscious ofits nature as priestly, pastoraland prophetic. By priestly Imean pontifical, that is, a com-munity that builds bridgesboth among the diverse mem-bers of the community andwith members of otherchurches as well as with civic

Pastoring a Diverse FlockREV. EDMUNDO E. RODRIGUEZ, S.J.

Pastoring a Diverse Flock

Growing Numbers

There were 35.3 million Hispanics

counted in the 2000 Census,

constituting 12.5 percent of the total

population in the United States, and not

including those 3.8 million Hispanics

living in Puerto Rico. They are now more

numerous than African Americans, at

12.3 percent of the American

population. The Hispanic population –

not counting Puerto Rico – has grown

by 57.9 percent since 1990 and has

more than doubled since 1980.

continued on page 4

to work together and to get toknow each other.

Where there is actual fric-tion, it is important not toallow the friction to be definedin racial or ethnic terms but interms of the individualsinvolved. Because disputesand misunderstandings doarise between individuals, sotoo they must be resolved atthat level.

Our goal as shepherds ofculturally and ethnicallydiverse parishes must be topromote the vision of Churchnot as institution but as com-munity. ✧

This is less likely to happen ifparish organizations, such asreligious education, RCIA,Habitat for Humanity, etc., areinclusive of the various cultur-al groups. In our case here inAlbuquerque, that includesItalian-Americans, Irish-Americans and other“Anglos,” Hispanics whoseroots go to the Spanish colo-nization of New Mexico,African Americans, NativeAmericans of different tribes,and newly arrived Mexican andother Spanish-speaking immi-grants. This means personaland aggressive recruitingamong ethnic groups, as wellas planned meetings and socialevents that enable parishioners

divided along economic lines.The very fact that parishes arelocated in different parts of thecity, some very poor and somemore affluent, means thatwhile there may be culturaldiversity, there will be less eco-nomic diversity. It is muchmore difficult to integrate aneconomically diverse parishthan one which is economical-ly homogenous because classoften creates greater discom-fort than ethnicity. This is anissue that will not soon beresolved in the United States –or elsewhere for that matter –in large part because of urbanhousing patterns.

What about conflicts thatmay arise between groups?

Pastoring a Diverse Flock



A diverse group from Dolores Mission in Los Angeles protests the War in Iraq.

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Hispanics at a Crossroadsn

age 29, compared with 37 per-cent of non-Hispanic whites and21 percent of African-Americans,according to a recent study ofcensus data by the Pew HispanicCenter.1 (See also Fr. StephenPrivett’s piece on higher educa-tion on p. 16)

The type of religious instruc-tion and spiritual formation allCatholics need is one that willequip them to understand andexplain their faith. Hispanicsoften face a particular challengeto their faith by fundamentalistchurches that are eager for newmembers, often found amongrecent immigrant populations.Catholic Hispanics in this coun-try have been sustained largely bythe Charismatic and Cursillomovements, which have providedthem with an anchor for theirfaith. What is needed now is afuller explication of that faith and

important. Coming from coun-tries that for years have beenlabeled “underdeveloped,” theystruggle to present themselves asequal partners at the table ofhuman discourse. But how canyou be an equal partner whenyou country is called “underpriv-ileged,” your culture is consid-ered inferior and your languageand ethnicity are dubbed “alien”and “minority”? Labels may beimportant tools for sociologistsand economists, but they can bedevastating for a sense of self-worth in human relationships.

A second need is formationand education – human and intel-lectual, as well as spiritual andreligious. Hispanics in the UnitedStates face myriad obstacles inattaining the level of educationthat other groups in our societyhave attained. Only 16 percent ofLatino high school graduatesearn a four-year college degree by

Deep faith and trust inGod; love of Mary;respect for the dignity

and value of each human person;hospitality; compassion for thepoor, weak and downtrodden; anardent thirst for justice; an abilityto build community. These areunique gifts of the Hispanic com-munity. After recognizing theirgifts, we as a Society must askwhat are their needs, and how canwe respond to them?

Affirmation, Formationand Education

One of the strongest needsI have sensed in the yearsI have worked with this

community is a very fundamentalhuman need: the desire to feelwelcomed, appreciated and val-ued. This affirmation of humandignity is basic for all of us but,for the Hispanic, it is particularly

Hispanics at a Crossroads: TheJesuit ResponseREV. GERALD CHOJNACKI, S.J.

The faith traditions and cul-tural values that Hispanicsinherited and which have

evolved through the centuries arehaving an influence on the life ofthe Church in the United Statesand on society in general. Fr. JeffChojnacki is absolutely correct inhis contemplation on Hispanics:the need to respond is obvious;the question is how? Fr.Chojnacki challenges the Jesuitcommunity, and the Church ingeneral, to look to the many giftsthe Hispanic peoples have to offerin formulating a sensitive andeffective response to the largestethnic group in the Church. TheJesuits sponsor many excellentprograms and projects that serveHispanics well, but all involvedmust understand that this is adiverse and dynamic communitythat changes everyday. Though

most Hispanics were bornCatholic, they are now beginningto look to other faith traditionsfor spiritual identity and support.

Hispanics Leaving theChurch

Recent studies on Hispanicsand religion show thatmany Hispanic Catholics

leave the Church every year. Atthe same time, though, observersof the Hispanic community reportthat parishes throughout thecountry are filled with Hispanicfamilies. The number of Massescelebrated in the Spanish lan-guage, or bilingually, on any givenSunday runs in the thousands,with new liturgies added everyday. Hispanics make up more than25 percent of all Catholics in for-mation programs, and there are

more than 4,000 parishes with amajority Hispanic presencethroughout the country.1

For more than 30 years, theU.S. bishops have worked todevelop Hispanic pastoral leader-ship and strategies with a pastoralnetwork that consults with thelaity. Through its Encuentroprocesses,2 Hispanic ministryestablishes pastoral priorities andstrategies that come from the peo-ple themselves or their representa-tives. Pastoral institutes, Catholicorganizations, apostolic move-ments and a variety of other min-isterial programs exist among theHispanic Catholic community toassure its total involvement in thelife of the Church. Hispanic min-istry in this country consistentlyassesses and takes the pulse ofwhat is evolving in the communi-

Hispanics at a Crossroads: TheWider Church’s ResponseRONALDO M. CRUZ

Fr. Chojnacki (New York Province) isthe New York Provincial.

Mr. Cruz is the executive director of theUSCCB Secretariat for Hispanic Affairscontinued on page 8

continued on page 6



their worth and dignity; theopportunity of earning a solidhuman and intellectual educa-tion; the development of a spiri-tuality rooted in Scripture,tradition and discernment; a solidformation in the social doctrineof the Church; and leadershippreparation. These needs lead usto the final question: what is thespecific contribution the Jesuitsin the U.S. Assistancy can maketo the Hispanic community?

What Can the HispanicCommunity and the JesuitsCreate Together?

The answer to this questioncomes from combiningthe strengths and needs of

the Hispanics with our Jesuit mis-sion as explained in our recentdocuments.

With their need for a spiritu-ality rooted in Scripture, traditionand discernment and our com-mitment to sharing the gift of theSpiritual Exercises with the wholeChurch, we can create with theman opportunity to have a livedexperience of the SpiritualExercises in their daily life.Making the 19th Annotationretreat available to Hispanics – inSpanish (the original language, ofcourse) – is a first step. I haveseen the difference this has madein peoples’ lives and in their abil-ity to face everyday challenges. Ifwe combine this with an intro-duction to the Christian LifeCommunity, we will see a blos-soming of CLC in this country ashas occurred in Latin America.Hispanics enjoy coming together

the United States, and so theirtraining and formation is essentialtoday.

Again, I quote the“Preliminary Apostolic Audit ofHispanic and Migrant Ministry inthe U.S. Assistancy”:

It seems that our attention to theHispanic Catholic community haslargely remained at the pastoral-social ministry level which isfocused more on helping withimmediate need rather thannurturing longer termdevelopment both in terms of socio-economic advancement throughquality education and in terms ofhelping form more firmlygrounded and intellectually wellequipped Catholic Hispanicleaders who can help assist theircommunities come to terms withcultural and social change from aperspective of a more criticallyresilient faith.3

These, then, are some of theneeds that I see present in thiscommunity today: affirmation of

a deepening of a spirituality thatcan root them in Scripture, tradi-tion and spiritual discernment.

According to a “PreliminaryApostolic Audit of Hispanic andMigrant Ministry in the U.S.Assistancy”:

It is clear from contemporary andhistorical church and Jesuitdocuments that an interest in theburgeoning Hispanic populationsis not simply for the sake ofcultural diversity. Thepreponderance of significanteconomic, social and religiousneeds presented by this young,energetic, mobile but often ill-prepared, and historicallyCatholic people demands ourattention for apostoliccommitment. From a religiouspoint of view alone, it isdisconcerting that the fastestgrowing religious category amongHispanics is “don’t belong to anychurch.”2

Finally, as Hispanics struggleagainst discrimination and injus-tice, I sense among them theneed to be equipped with anunderstanding of the social teach-ing of our Catholic faith as itfinds expression in both ourCatholic tradition and in our ownJesuit congregations. Preparedwith those tools and enlightenedby a religious formation thathelps them to understand morecompletely their faith, Hispanicscan then move toward their right-ful leadership positions in theircommunities, civic institutionsand, above all, their churches.The formation of leaders is thekey need in the Hispanic Catholiccommunity today as singled outby numerous documents of ourown U.S. bishops. They are thefuture leaders of the Church in

Where Were They, Where AreThey Going?

Census 2000 shows us that theHispanic population is both growingand spreading geographically at anaccelerating rate. Growth andexpansion are uneven. Some of thenewest and most rapidly growingHispanic population centers are inareas of the country where Catholicpresence and institutionalinfrastructure is the weakest, mostnotably in the Southeast. Fifty-fourpercent of all Hispanics in the U.S.now live in the suburbs ofmetropolitan areas. According toanalysis by the Pew Hispanic Center,the Hispanic population is growingin most metropolitan areas, but therate and location of increase varywidely. Four distinct patterns ofgrowth can be discerned:

1. Established Hispanic metro areas,such as New York, Los Angeles,Miami and Chicago, posted thelargest absolute increases inHispanic population between1990 and 2000.

2. New Hispanic destinations likeAtlanta and Orlando charted thefastest growth rates, despite theirhistorically smaller bases.

3. Metro areas with relatively largerHispanic bases, such as Houston,Phoenix and San Diego,meanwhile, became fast-growingHispanic hubs during the last 20years, with population growthaveraging 235 percent.

4. Cities with small Hispanicpopulations, such as BatonRouge, posted much lowerabsolute and relative growththan the other locales.

— Center on Urban and MetropolitanPolicy and the Pew Hispanic Center.

“Latino Growth in MetropolitanAmerica: Changing Patterns, New

Locations.” July 2002. The BrookingsInstitution, Survey Series,

Census 2000.

(http://www.pewhispanic.org/page.jsp?page=reports)

A clear focus of our Jesuit mission today is our

commitment to work for the faith that does justice. If

we join that with the Hispanic community’s great drive

to struggle against injustice and oppression, together

we can create leaders for social change in the Church

and in society.

Hispanics at a Crossroads: The Jesuit Response

Fr. Tim Howe (CHG), pastor of St. Procopius Church in Chicago, greets members ofthe congregation.

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Teaser/Directional Subhead for this Article’s Thematic Position


Hispanics at a Crossroads: The Jesuit Response

in community – even more sowhen it enables them to developthe innate deep faith and trustthey have in God.

Our Jesuit strength in theUnited States is education.Through the education and for-mation of Hispanic sons anddaughters, we will be preparingthe future leadership of theChurch and civic society.Hispanics are and will continue tobe the fastest growing populationin the United States. If we wantour future leaders – polit-ical, civic and ecclesiastical– to be intelligent, com-mitted and informed,then the ball is in ourcourt. We need to makethe education and forma-tion we provide availablefor the next generation ofleaders.

But how can we dothat? We are already doingit through the creation ofour Nativity model middleschools (for a more thoroughtreatment, see Fr. JackPodsiadlo’s article, p. 14), ourCristo Rey schools (see JeffThielman’s article in the onlineversion of In All Things), ourH.A.P. and REACH programs,our ability to offer financial aidpackages. But we need to domuch more; we are only reachinga limited audience. Can we openour schools and institutions tobecome community centers oflearning? Can we invite Hispanicstudents and other leaders in ourpublic schools to participate inspecialized leadership trainingprograms in our institutions inthe after school or evening hours?

Can we offer weekend or summerprograms of spiritual and humanenrichment for community lead-ers? Can we offer parenting skillscourses or programs in fine artsfor children or adults who cannotafford a formal degree program?Can we collaborate with otherinstitutions to do all of this? Wecan. We need only be creativeenough to capitalize on the com-munity’s needs and desires andour strengths and talents.

A clear focus of our Jesuitmission today is our commitment

to work for the faith that doesjustice. If we join that with theHispanic community’s great driveto struggle against injustice andoppression, together we can cre-ate leaders for social change inthe Church and in society. In thepast, we worked with immigrantsto create labor schools that estab-lished unions and improvedworkplace conditions. Is it nottime for us once again to establishschools or programs to benefitrecent immigrants? Is it not pos-sible for us to create social centersaround the country that trainpeople as advocates for social jus-tice and peace? Think of a net-work of social justice and peacecenters, perhaps located in our

middle or high schools or univer-sities, training faculty members orcivic, corporate and communityleaders in the social doctrine ofthe Church and in advocacy forpeace. Hispanics can take the leadin this area and become agentsfor social change in our nationand in the world.

Finally, we need to heed thecall of our own recentCongregations to be engaged inactive dialogue with peoplesacross national, religious, culturaland ethnic boundaries. Hispanics

in the United States,with their connectionsto their home coun-tries, provide us anentrée to a range ofnations and peopleswith whom we can col-laborate. Together, wecan realize the vision ofbringing the North andSouth together as oneAmerica with the

dawning of that justice for whichall of us are called to labor.

For many people in theUnited States, the growing popu-lation of Hispanics is seen as athreat to them and to their visionof America. As Jesuits, we arecalled to help our fellow citizensrealize that our nation is enrichedby the contributions of Hispanicsto our economy, our culture andour civic life. Now is an excitingmoment for the Society of Jesus.We have a splendid opportunityto collaborate with our Hispanicsisters and brothers to help themrealize the dreams that firstbrought them to this country.

Juntos podemos! ✧

Now is an exciting moment for the

Society of Jesus. We have a splendid

opportunity to collaborate with our

Hispanic sisters and brothers to help

them realize the dreams that first brought

them to this country.

1 Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy and the Pew Hispanic Center. “Latino Growth in Metropolitan America: Changing Patterns, NewLocations.” July 2002. The Brookings Institution, Survey Series, Census 2000. http://www.pewhispanic.org/page.jsp?page=reports.

2 William C. Rickle, S.J. A Preliminary Apostolic Audit of Hispanic and Migrant Ministry in the U.S. Assistancy, 2003. Jesuit Conference,Washington, D.C.

3 Ibid.

Comparative Incomes

Per capita income for Hispanics in 2000

was $12,011; for African-Americans,

$14,881; for Asian Americans-Pacific

Islanders, $21,844; and for non-Hispanic

whites, $24,919. Hispanic children (25

percent) are nearly twice as likely as

African-American children (13 percent)

and three times more likely than Euro-

American children (7 percent) to have no

health insurance.

—Federal Interagency Forum on Child andFamily Statistics. “America’s Children: Key

National Indicators of Well-Being,” 2002, p.22. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government

Printing Office.




Hispanics at a Crossroads: The Wider Church’s Response

inarians? This is a pastoral chal-lenge that needs extensive study.

In the secular world, theHispanic presence is evident. Notonly is it seen in people in thestreets, small businesses, and in alltypes of gathering places andpublic transportation, it is nowquite common to hear non-Hispanic adults and children useSpanish words in their vocabu-lary. Within the popular culture,Hispanics are seen in the media,movies and television. They areactors and singers and news peo-ple who have crossed over toAmerican mainstream culture.

Schools provideopportunities tolearn more aboutHispanic literature,music and art. Inthe political arena,the number ofHispanic womenand men appointedto political positionsand elected to polit-ical offices increases

with each election. There arethousands of Hispanic electedofficials at the local, state and fed-eral levels of government.

In churches, there is ademonstrated awareness of thecultural sensitivity due its mem-bers. Liturgical décor, language,relevant preaching and music, aswell as participation by variouscultural groups during religiousservices, are more evident todaythan ever before. The growinginvolvement of different culturalgroups, including Hispanics, inleadership positions that involvedecision-making for the entirecommunity is becoming moreevident in parishes and diocesanstructures. However, these pas-toral efforts are not reaching allHispanics.

Ministering to Hispanics

While extensive researchneeds to be done as towhy Hispanics leave

the Church, there is sufficientinformation to suggest that thereare basic elements in ministeringto Hispanics and other groupsthat should be considered in pas-toral planning and implementa-tion. When Hispanics do leavethe Catholic Church, they leavefor a variety of reasons. TheChurch must provide a welcom-ing atmosphere, time and spaceto celebrate within their own cul-tural context, a response to bothEnglish-speaking and Spanish-

Hispanic presence. In theCatholic Church, 71 percent ofits growth, since 1960, is also dueto Hispanics. As a result, manyparishes throughout the countryhave seen the growth of a singlepopulation the likes of whichhave not been seen in nearly acentury.

The Hispanic community is avery young population. At least37 percent are under the age of18, and at least 50 percent of allHispanics are under the age of39. Only five percent are over theage of 65. Of the 46,000Catholic priests in the United

States, approximately 3,000 areHispanic. Of those, approximate-ly 500 were born in this country.An excellent new development isthat there has been an increase inthe number of Hispanic seminar-ians, which is now at about 15percent of the total number, bothin college and theology. Most ofthese seminarians were born inLatin America. Given that newimmigrants account for approxi-mately 46 percent of the growthof the Hispanic population in theUnited States, it is not surprisingthat a significant number of sem-inarians are from Latin America.But where are the U.S. born sem-

ty and does theological reflec-tions on the pastoral implications.It is one of the best-organizedpastoral networks in the Churchtoday.

Yet, Hispanics are leaving theChurch, their traditional home.Increasingly, they leave and haveno religious affiliation at all.According to a 2002 PARAL(Program for the Analysis ofReligion Among Latino) study atBrooklyn College,3 second andthird generation Hispanics aremore apt to leave the Churchthan new arrivals. For new arrivalswho do leave the CatholicChurch, going toother churches couldbe a matter of sur-vival. Upon arrivingin a new environ-ment, they are inneed of social orien-tation and of a sup-port system thataffirms their culturalidentity and theirneed for immediatebasic necessities. If the localCatholic Church does not meetthese needs, or if there is noCatholic presence in the commu-nity, as there often is not in theSoutheast, Hispanics may well goelsewhere.

The Hispanic Presence

According to the 2000Census, about one inseven residents living in

the United States – 13 percent or35 million people – is of Hispanicorigin.4 Fifty-eight percent of thepopulation growth in the UnitedStates since 1990 is due to the

Hispanics in the FutureChurchNot all Hispanics are Catholic. Will

there be fewer Hispanic Catholics? For

an unknown, but certainly growing

number of Hispanics, becoming a part

of U.S. culture also means becoming a

member of a fundamentalist sect or

church, or joining the ranks of those

without religious community and faith

beyond a generalized sense of being

“spiritual.” The 2001 American

Religious Identification Survey (ARIS)

Study (unfortunately conducted only in

English) estimates that the number of

Hispanics who are Catholic has

decreased from 66 to 59 percent since

1990, and that the biggest growth is

not among Protestant denominations

or fundamentalist sects, but among

those with “no religion,” which has

doubled in the same time period to 13

percent. In part, this can be a pastoral

challenge related to geography. Many

Hispanics work and live in areas where

the Church’s presence is weak,

especially in Spanish language

services.

— Washington Post, 4 Jan. 2003;American Religious Identification Survey

(ARIS) Study, Graduate Center at theGraduate Center of the City University of

New York

(CUNY), 2001.

(http://www.gc.cuny.edu/

studies/key_findings.htm.)

The Church and the Society of Jesus must

continue their commitment to accepting the

diversity of cultures that makes up the one body

of Christ.

Hispanics want to give back to the Church

and their community, but if they are

ignored, or worse, seen as insufficiently

prepared to minister the Word among their

own community, let alone the broader

community, they may go to another faith

tradition where they feel they will make a

difference.


Bios here

feeling comfortable in its ownhome, its original faith tradition?Will Hispanic Catholics becomemore secular and less Church-centered? These are the complexquestions that require theologicaland pastoral reflection and action.Fr. Chojnacki is on the righttrack. It would be a wonderfulthing if all religious ordersaccepted the challenge and followthe Society’s example for action.It would be even greater if all dio-ceses and parishes did the same.✧

commitment to lay vocations,Hispanics and Jesuits can collabo-rate fully and effectively in a com-mon mission to build the onebody of Christ and to keepHispanics in the Catholic faith.

Hispanic Catholics are at acrossroads. As their numbers con-tinue to grow and become moremainstream within a culturallydiverse reality, will their future inthe Church be one of strongleadership and full participationor will it be one of a majorityCatholic population not truly

speaking youth, a response togenerational differences, cultural-ly relevant preaching and music,and pastoral support, such asBible study, schools of formation,and ministry opportunities thatallow the people to apply whatthey have learned. Again, pastoralvision, leadership development,pastoral formation, structuresthat are integral to the dioceseand parish, and communicationwith the broader community onthe importance of the effortsimplemented are necessary tolegitimize the pastoral efforts.

Hispanic lay leaders, like alllay leaders, take their vocationseriously. Much harm is donewhen they take the time, energyand their hard earned resourcesto prepare themselves and tomature in their faith, but areignored when they have complet-ed the formation program.Hispanics want to give back tothe Church and their community,but if they are ignored, or worse,seen as insufficiently prepared tominister the Word among theirown community, let alone thebroader community, they may goto another faith tradition wherethey feel they will make a differ-ence. All means must be taken toensure an atmosphere that wel-comes and utilizes the time, tal-ents and treasure of all the faithful– no exceptions! This is impor-tant to keep in mind, as thegrowth of the Catholic Church inthe next 50 years will be duelargely to the Hispanic peoples.

Hispanics are here to stay,although not everyone is readyfor that reality or is accepting oftheir presence. The Church andthe Society of Jesus must contin-ue their commitment to accept-ing the diversity of cultures thatmakes up the one body of Christ.It is the right thing to do. Allmust take responsibility to pre-pare future leaders to be respon-sible stewards, ministers andadministrators within the church.Failure to do so could mean amissed opportunity and, ulti-mately, fewer Hispanic Catholics.Given the Hispanic and Jesuitspirituality, as well as the mutual

Hispanics at a Crossroads: The Wider Church’s Response

1 USCCB Department of Hispanic Affairs. http://www.usccb.org/hispanicaffairs/demo.htm.2 USCCB: Encuentro 2000, http://www.usccb.org/hispanicaffairs/encuentro.htm, and “Encuentro and Mission: A Renewed Pastoral

Framework for Hispanic Ministry,” Nov. 2002, http://www.usccb.org/hispanicaffairs/encuentromission.htm. 3 The National Survey of Leadership in Latino Parishes and Congregations (NSLLPC), conducted by the RISC Center (Religion in Society and

Culture) at Brooklyn College. 2002. http://www.religionsociety.org/risc/index.htm. 4 All numbers in this section are drawn from the USCCB Department of Hispanic Affairs. http://www.usccb.org/hispanicaffairs/demo.htm.

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“Our Lady of Guadalupe,” by Michael O’Neill McGrath, O.S.F.S.



academically talented studentbody that scores well above aver-age on our high school placementtest and whose SAT scores farexceed state and national aver-ages. Of the 1,410 students weenroll, a vast majority can affordour tuition; about 225 studentsreceive financial aid. In short, weare in a blessed position to makesome extraordinary things hap-

pen. And in2002, wedecided to dojust that.

I hiredEnrique Floresin 2001 withthe idea ofbuilding a rela-tionship witht r ad i t i ona l l yu n d e r r e p r e -sented schoolsin the San Josearea and of oneday making theB e l l a r m i n eexperience anoption for their

students. Little did I know howfast the Holy Spirit would work! Iwas armed with thoughts of care-fully planning the program,researching the courses we couldoffer, and spending a few yearsripening the culture – both oncampus and off campus – to theidea. I quickly realized, though,that I was approaching the issuewith the same ennui some dowhen confronted with thedecreasing number of Jesuitsavailable for the secondary educa-tion apostolate: somewhere overthe next horizon there will be aflood of options if we just sit andwait . . . patiently.

There were so many ques-tions and considerations. Foryears, we have polished the floorsand prayed religiously, and stillthe east side did not come to us.Year after year, financial aid satunused in endowment accounts.We have come to see this schoolas the panacea for all the ills ofcivilized society, but there are stu-dents in the east side communitywho do not even know our name.

and Enrollment, Enrique Flores,asked if he could read a letterfrom a friend. Enrique himself is aBellarmine graduate who comesfrom a gang-riddled east sideneighborhood. He knows what itis like for a young Hispanic to lieto his friends about attending apublic high school, only tochange into his uniform afterarriving at Bellarmine in them o r n i n g .Enrique hasseen friendskilled bygang warfare;he has experi-enced fami-lies tornapart bysenseless vio-lence. Healso remem-bers what it islike to beatthe odds andg r a d u a t efrom a Jesuithigh schooland universi-ty. He wants that same dream forthe young people in his neighbor-hood.

Enrique began to read . . .“You know, bro, I am proud ofthe work you are doing. I would-n’t wish where I am on my worstenemy. You are an inspiration tome and the others . . . when I getout I want to finish school andchange things . . . I want to makea difference too.” The letter wasfrom a childhood friend ofEnrique who made some verypoor decisions and now findshimself in San Quentin Prison forfour years. The look on Enrique’sface said it all – we were making areal difference in the life of acommunity we had ignored formany years.

Reading the Signs of theTimes

Bellarmine, founded over150 years ago, is an all-male college preparatory

school serving the spectacularSanta Clara Valley. We attract an

It was a Wednesday, and wehad just finished day three ofadmissions deliberations for

our incoming freshman class. Wewere emotionally drained. Wehad offered seats to 15 youngLatino students, after readingwriting samples such as the twobelow:

“When we lived in Mexico, mydad sent us money. Every monthhe would send about $200. Mymom always waited for the money. . . [she] had to pay bills, gas forthe stove, water to drink, and forfood. My mom made about 200pesos a month. Barely enough forfood and water. Sometimes mydad could not send money. Thatwas very bad because sometimes wewouldn’t eat very well. That iswhen I learned not to expectthings from other people but fromyourself.”

And . . .

“One of the challenges I wentthrough that made me a betterperson was when my mom anddad got into an argument . . . weleft home for five months andreturned . . . my dad startedacting the same way as before, hewas getting drunk starting to yellat us. So this time only my momleft to Mexico there she gottreatment from the harm my daddid to her. Now I only call mymom around twice a month . . . Itry to do my best in school so whenI graduate I can be able to get mymom home.”

Not your typical applicants toa school used to setting the pacefor others in the Silicon Valley.We knew we were fortunate atBellarmine College Preparatory –our students talented, our facultyand staff dedicated, our parentcommunity extremely generous.But it was time to be atypical. Soin 2002, we launched a programto accept Hispanic students fromSan Jose’s east side, a minoritytraditionally underrepresented atour school. Until last year, that is.

As we broke for lunch, ourDirector of Diversity Outreach

Opportunities to Serve a NewCommunity MARK PIEROTTI

Mark Pierotti is the principal ofBellarmine College Preparatory School

in San Jose, Calif.

Principals, at times, run the

risk of being curators rather

than administrators. We are

handed the keys to well-

established institutions

filled with priceless

treasures and fall prey to

treating the school as a

museum.

Opportunities to Serve a New Community

Higher Achievement Program

(HAP)

HAP, sponsored by various Jesuit high

schools and parishes, offers intensive

summer experiences to Hispanic and

African-American youngsters of the

middle school age. St. Peter’s Prep in

Jersey City, N.J. and Xavier High School

in New York pioneered this program in

the early 1960s. Founded in 1964 at St.

Peter’s Prep, HAP has provided an

unforgettable summer experience for

some 3,500 youth in the months

between seventh and eighth grades. This

unique five-week enrichment program

combines academics, athletics and

creative classroom techniques while

teaching that learning can be fun and

exciting. The program attempts to reach

as many boys as possible, with the goal

of preparing the students for eighth

grade and challenging some students

with accelerated work. It provides a

chance for academic and social growth,

for maturity and for making new friends

in a small classroom environment.

Nativity Parish in New York and St.

Ignatius Parish in Brooklyn have been

conducting HAP programs for many

years as a way to identify and prepare

Hispanic, Haitian and African-American

youngsters for Jesuit and other Catholic

high schools. Visit the website at

www.stpetersprep.org/hap.html for more

information.

Opportunities to Serve a New Community


worth the costs – fiscal and for-mational.

The Freshman 15

In 2002, we admitted 15 eastside students whose applica-tion essays resembled those

quoted above. We knew the stu-dents would not be of the sameacademic caliber of those we tra-ditionally accepted. We also knewwe would have to turn downsome very qualified students inorder to start this program. Withthe help of our learning specialist,who spent two decades in publicschools, we established an AVIDprogram (Advancement ViaIndividual Determination) toaddress the important academicskills that needed attention inorder for these young men tomeet with some level of success.Two faculty members steppedforward to teach summer coursesin math and writing so that ournew students could grow com-fortable with the school culture,the campus, one another andhigher academic expectationsthan they may have encounteredin the past. At the same time, thisafforded us a chance to see howthey performed in a high schoolclass.

All 15 – including the teach-ers – made it through the sum-mer and began classes in August2002. By the end of October,only two students (a set of broth-ers) had left the program in favorof attending their local highschool. As of March, 2003, the13 remaining students had over-come some incredible odds tosucceed at Bellarmine. Studentswhose scores on the entranceexamination were 9 or 21 out of100 are now carrying grade pointaverages nearing 3.14. Theseyoung men have contributed tothe life of the community in waysthat have made us richer – insports, clubs, cultural presenta-tions and liturgies. Together, weboth make a difference.

Rising to the Challenge

Responding to the signs ofthe times is not always glam-orous. The counter-cultural

How do we reach them? Whatfire must be lit within to motivateus to go to them? What resourcesdo we make available? What peo-ple? Where do we fit in? And howdo they fit in with us?

Principals, at times, run therisk of being curators rather thanadministrators. We are handedthe keys to well-established insti-tutions filled with priceless treas-ures and fall prey to treating theschool as a museum. We can dustthe artwork but we dare notmove it to another room! Andbringing in a new piece of art is aschallenging as housebreaking aJack Russell Terrier. After alengthy conversation one after-noon with my assistant principal,Chris Meyercord, we came to amutual decision: if we don’t do itnow, when will we do it?

Just as Catholics struggle toconfront the changing face of theChurch in the United States, thesecondary schools of the Societyof Jesus are not excused from thisconversation. Traditional Jesuitschools similar to Bellarmine haveflourished for years in the states,often seating a predominantlyprivileged population. The yearshave been good to us; our repu-tation has taken on mythical pro-portions. Yet, as the world shiftedaround us, have we truly had thecourage and desire to keep pacewith the change? Judging fromthe statistics compiled over thepast decade by the JesuitSecondary Education Association(JSEA), we have not. In fact, ourschools across the nation haveactually become less diverse.1

One has to wonder how thatcould happen. Intelligent peoplewho pride themselves on readingthe signs of the times have seem-ingly been blind to these newsigns. Or perhaps the signs are nolonger in a language we under-stand. I think it is the latter. Wemust invest new energy into thischanging apostolate so that all ofour schools reap the benefits of amore inclusive educational systemin the years to come. Facing thechallenge of involving theHispanic community takes enor-mous effort from all stakeholders,but the possibility of changingthe face of a community is well

desires we should cultivate asIgnatian educators often becomedulled by the determined naysayerwe all encounter, sometimes evenwithin ourselves. I knew in myheart that the school was up tothe challenge. I also understood,with the help of Enrique andChris, that we had an obligationto the community in which welived. When considering the chal-lenges put forth by FatherGeneral, the goals of theCalifornia Province, the docu-ments of the American Bishopsand an openness to the work ofthe Holy Spirit, I really didn’thave an option – or an excuse.

What a different place the SanJose area will be in 20 years whenthese talented and gifted youngmen – many of whom will stay inthe area, never moving more than10 miles from home – begin mak-ing decisions in our community.What type of future leaders willthey be? Armed with an Ignatianeducation rather than a gun, howwill they influence our world?

There are other Jesuit schoolsin the country that have taken onsimilar challenges, but one has toask whether this is enough? Canwe really celebrate that we admit15 students a year out of a schoolpopulation of 1,450? It is more amuted joy as the statistics slap usin the face. Jesuit secondaryschools and the Society of Jesusare being called to enter into aserious period of discernment.Has the time come to re-definesecondary education? With moreand more lay people at ourschools trained in the SpiritualExercises, can the Society nowaddress the needs of this newChurch in a more concerted,direct manner? With fewer Jesuitsavailable for the work of second-ary education, how can theSociety staff these new, excitingand deserving ventures, ones thatwill certainly have a greaterimpact than our 15 new studentsa year, without overlooking thegood work of the current schools?Is there room for both models? Ithink so.

1 Jesuit Secondary Education Association (JSEA) research report on Changing Diversity in Jesuit High Schools, 2003. www.jsea.org.

Cristo Rey Jesuit High School

Cristo Rey is a coeducational, college

preparatory secondary school, founded

in 1996 by the Chicago Province for

the immigrant, predominantly

Mexican people of Chicago's

Pilsen/Little Village neighborhood. As a

Jesuit and Catholic school, Cristo Rey

strives to advance the human and

intellectual capacities, as well as

promote the religious and cultural

heritage, of all the families it serves.

Through its dual-language curriculum

and Corporate Internship Program,

Cristo Rey intends to maximize the

potential of its graduates so they can

assume leadership roles in the civic,

religious, business and cultural life of

Chicago and the nation. The Cristo Rey

model is catching on in other parts of

the country. De La Salle North Catholic

of Portland, Ore., and Juan Diego

Catholic High School of Austin, Texas

are sponsored by the De La Salle

Christian Brothers. Verbum Dei in Los

Angeles is administered by the Jesuits.

Two schools are opening in August of

2003: Cristo Rey New York High

School of the Bronx and Arrupe Jesuit

High School of Denver. These schools

must serve economically

disadvantaged students, that is, those

young people who otherwise would

not have the means to attend a

private high school. Visit the website

at http://www.cristoreynetwork.org for

more information.



Growing up inAlbuquerque, NewMexico in a lower, middle

class family, my parents instilledthe value of Catholic education inme and my 10 brothers and sistersat a very young age. Althoughthere was a public high school lessthan six blocks from our house,we all knew that we would bemaking the trek across town toattend Albuquerque’s onlyCatholic high school. Though

neither of my parents had been tocollege, they expected our highschool education to be only thefirst step in a life-long process oflearning. My parents lived outtheir faith by example, and I cameto understand that an educationwas not only a means to a betterfuture, but a gift to be shared withothers, especially the disadvan-taged.

I was the first of all of my sib-lings to leave Albuquerque to

attend college out of state. I wasdrawn to Regis College inDenver. I had heard about theJesuits and intuitively knew thatthis would be the place in whichto continue the faith journey Ihad begun in high school.

At Regis, I encounteredJesuits who not only took a per-sonal interest in my academicdevelopment, but also challengedme to think critically about myfaith and provided “real world”

Growing Up Hispanic, Catholic…and JesuitJIM GARCIA

Jim Garcia is the Director ofAdmissions for Arrupe Jesuit High

School in Denver, Colorado.

Growing Up Hispanic, Catholic... and Jesuit

Escuela de GuadalupeA unique member of the NativityNetwork is Escuela de Guadalupe inDenver, Colo. Although stronglysupported by the Missouri Province(a Jesuit or representative of a Jesuitinstitution has an ex officio seat onthe Board of Directors) it is not aJesuit sponsored ministry. Escuela deGuadalupe is a community-based,private Catholic elementary school innorthwest Denver that opened in1999 and focuses on providingchildren from low income familieswith a quality, dual-languageeducation. The Escuela features ahighly innovative education model.The children learn academic subjectsin their primary language,vocabulary and communicationprinciples of their second language,and, in mixed groups, extend and

deepen their understanding of theirlessons by alternating betweenEnglish-only and Spanish-onlyinstruction on a weekly basis.Instead of weaning the studentsaway from their first language andinto English-only classes, Escuela deGuadalupe focuses on developingequally strong understanding,speaking, reading and writing inboth English and Spanish.

Entering students are tested todetermine their comprehension andcommunication skills in their primaryand secondary language and aregrouped accordingly in the gradelevel class that has a teacher andaid who are both bi-lingual. If theprimary teacher is dominant inEnglish, the aid is dominant inSpanish and vice-versa. In the early

grades, English as a SecondLanguage and Spanish as a SecondLanguage are taught. In the highergrades, Language Arts classes areoffered in both languages. Math,science, religion and social studiesare taught one week in Spanish andthe next in English. In drama andchoral presentations, students movefluently between the two languages.The fourth grade class publishes amonthly bi-lingual newspaper.Portfolio assessments attest to thegrowth in academic areas.

At the Escuela, students are servedbreakfast and lunch plus a snack inmid-afternoon. Some students arepicked up at 4:30 p.m. while othersremain until 5:30 p.m. in a specialafter-school program. The school

year runs from late August until July4. Extended vacations are offered atChristmas and Easter toaccommodate parents' desire toreturn to Mexico to celebrate thesemajor family celebrations.Although the Escuela is presentlyonly at K-5 with plans for a sixthgrade next year, local Jesuit andCatholic high schools are showinginterest in providing financialresources so that graduates of theEscuela will be able to continue theireducation in some of the bestsecondary schools Denver has tooffer. Hopefully, Escuela deGuadalupe and its dual languagecurriculum will serve as a model forother communities with highHispanic populations.

Fr. Jack Podsiadlo, S.J.

PHO

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Growing Up Hispanic, Catholic... and Jesuitn

Proyecto Pastoral at Dolores

Mission

Located in Los Angeles and sponsored by

the California Province of the Society of

Jesus, Proyecto Pastoral offers several

programs addressing the educational

needs of Hispanic youth. Visit the website

at www.proyectopastoral.org for more

information.

■ Dolores Mission Alternative

School (DMA) is an accredited school

within the Los Angeles County Office

of Education. DMA provides a secure

learning environment for middle and

high school students in the community

who can no longer attend local public

schools due to gang affiliation, teen

pregnancy and other social factors.

Students facing poverty, drug and

alcohol abuse and violence are given a

second opportunity to earn a high

school diploma or GED. By addressing

the academic needs of students while

also providing a safe and nurturing

environment for them, Dolores Mission

Alternative School is committed to

making a difference in their lives.

■ IMPACTO Leadership Challenge

(ILC) seeks to address the critical

educational needs of youth, grades 1-

12, living in and around the Pico Aliso

Housing Development. ILC is divided

into two components: Elementary and

College Preparatory. Separate

curriculum is offered to accommodate

the various age groups. Each

component serves the individual

academic needs of youth by providing

homework assistance and tutoring

that support the academic standards

as mandated by the state of

California. Academics are

supplemented by youth book clubs,

fine arts, leadership workshops and

recreational activities designed to

motivate youth in the direction of

higher learning.

opportunities through which Icould actually live it. It was atRegis that I realized that success ismeasured by the extent to whichwe give back to our communityand that it is our obligation toseek out opportunities to serveothers.

After graduating from Regis, Iaccepted a position at an inner-city Catholic grade school teach-ing language arts, social studiesand religion to students from low-income, predominantly Hispanicfamilies, many of whom wererecent immigrants from Mexico.This experience awakened me,personally and professionally, onmany levels. I had not known, forexample, that the vast majority ofthe parents I was working withwere functioning in a basic sur-vival mode. Although these par-ents clearly wanted the best fortheir children, they were facingsubstantial barriers that, in manycases, prevented the children fromrealizing their full potential.

Given my Jesuit experience incollege, I remained convincedthat if I could create opportunitiesfor students to obtain a quality,college preparatory high schooleducation, it would be the firststep in interrupting the cycle ofpoverty that had gripped thesefamilies. What I soon realized,however, is that the majority ofthe families I encountered hadvirtually no firsthand knowledgeof the value of Catholic highschool education. This was due inpart to the fact that over the pre-vious 25 to 30 years, virtually allDenver Catholic high schools hadeither closed or had been relocat-ed to serve a far wealthier con-stituency. For those left behind inthe cities, the thought of sendingtheir sons or daughters to aremote, suburban Catholic highschool was an idea that borderedon the absurd.

Despite this challenge, I suc-cessfully convinced a number ofstudents and their parents toattend several of the suburbanhigh schools, including a Jesuithigh school. In retrospect, I

grossly underestimated the barri-ers that these students and theirfamilies would ultimately experi-ence in what was for them a com-pletely foreign environment thatoffered little in the way of basicsupport. The combination of eco-nomic, linguistic and cultural bar-riers soon overwhelmed thesestudents and parents, and many ofthem dropped out long beforegraduating. Not surprisingly, sev-eral of the students who did man-age to graduate from the Catholichigh schools did not go on topursue higher education because,I believe, they were not convincedthey would succeed.

I vividly recall one family thatexperienced the brunt of thesebarriers. Immigrants fromMexico, the parents spoke noEnglish, had no means of trans-portation and were undocument-ed. In addition, one of theirchildren had a serious medicalcondition that required expensivetreatment, and both parentsworked minimum wage jobs.Despite challenges that wouldhave paralyzed the average family,when it came time for their oldestson to go to high school, the par-ents – knowing that educationwas the key to their son’s future –enrolled him at the Jesuit highschool 15 miles from their home.The sacrifices made by this familywere nothing short of heroic, yetfrom their perspective, they weresimply fulfilling their parentalobligation.

After five years of teaching, Imoved on to pursue otherendeavors tangentially related toeducation. Always in the back ofmy mind, though, was the intensedesire to be part of an effort tocreate a viable educational optionfor the types of families I encoun-tered during my early teachingexperience. Unfortunately, withthe passing of time, the barriersfacing this underserved segmentof the Hispanic community havebecome greater, to the point thatunconscionable numbers ofHispanic youth are being relegat-ed to the permanent underedu-

cated underclass. This problem has been com-

pounded by an educational sys-tem and mainstream media thatconsistently view Hispanic fami-lies in terms of multiple deficitsrather than assets. Based on myexperience, Hispanic families con-fronted with even the most over-whelming barriers were willing tomake extreme sacrifices if it meanttheir children would have bettereducational opportunities.

My first thought upon hear-ing about Arrupe Jesuit HighSchool in 2001 was that it wasexactly the educational model tobridge the gap to higher educa-tion and overcome the barriersthat have plagued disadvantagedHispanic youth. Arrupe, pat-terned after the enormously suc-cessful Cristo Rey Jesuit HighSchool in Chicago, represents anexceptional educational alterna-tive for families accustomed tobeing told that they have nochoice or to aim low so as not tobe disappointed when theirdreams fall flat. As in Chicago,Arrupe will raise the level of aca-demic expectations by ensuringthat its students possess a clearlydefined road map to success.

Intrinsic to the Hispanic cul-ture are the characteristics of hardwork, perseverance, commitmentto family and an abiding faith inGod’s providence. Arrupe’s aim isto cultivate and nurture thesecharacteristics in all of its studentsso that in four years they exudethe confidence that will be thelynchpin to their future achieve-ment. In keeping with the Jesuitmotto of “Men and Woman inService of Others,” Arrupe willfoster an environment wherebystudents are encouraged not onlyto excel academically, but to alsoembrace fully the notion of lead-ership through service to others.The measure of success for Arrupewill be the extent to which it isable to raise up the next genera-tion of Hispanic leaders. ✧

Forming Men and Women for Others in the Formative Years


low-income families, mainlyHispanic and African American.Employing a combination ofchallenging academics, smallclasses, a personal concern for thewell being of each student andfamily, extended day, extendedyear, parental involvement, andsupport as students movethrough high school and into col-lege, these schools send theirgraduates on to competitive highschools and colleges.

One significant sign of suc-cess is that the number of schoolsis growing. There are presently36 programs in the Network; fivemore schools are scheduled toopen in 2003. The De La SalleChristian Brothers have a net-work of 15 schools which incor-porates the essential elements ofthe model. Graduates of the mid-dle schools have more than an 85percent rate of graduation fromhigh school. Of those, almost 90percent go on to college.Graduates of two of the oldestschools – Nativity Mission Centerand Nativity Prep of Boston –have returned to their alma materas teachers.

A key to this success is theGraduate Support Program. Eachschool is required to develop thisprogram, which supports andmonitors the students throughtheir years in high school and intocollege. Supervised study space,tutoring, counseling, retreats,career guidance and familiaritywith the college applicationprocess are made available tothose now in high school. Inmost cases there is also a financialaid component which enables themiddle school graduates toattend a Jesuit, Catholic or inde-pendent high school. Thisaccompaniment and supportthrough the most difficult yearsof adolescence has led many stu-dents to successfully completehigh school and move on to post-secondary education. Graduatescome back to the middle schoolon a regular basis and serve asrole models for the younger stu-dents.

Nuestra Señora de Guadalupeand Mexican landscapes. Thefood is Mexican, as are all thefamily traditions and customs.Samantha watches someAmerican television and haslearned to speak a few Englishphrases. Television will be theextent of her exposure to Englishuntil she begins school. Her par-ents want to enroll her in a HeadStart program, but there are nonein the neighborhood. So she staysat home watching TV and learn-ing from her mother the tradi-tional female roles in thehousehold.

What will happen whenSamantha reaches school? Whateducational opportunities doesthe future hold for her and forother Hispanic children like her?And how does the Society ofJesus enter into this picture?

The Nativity Network

According to a JesuitConference report pub-lished in National Jesuit

News,1 there isn’t a singleprovince in the Assistancy thathas not seen a growth in theHispanic population in the last 10years. Yet the numbers ofHispanics enrolled in our highschools and colleges is low.According to the JesuitSecondary School Association(JSEA), approximately 18 per-cent of all Jesuit high school stu-dents are minorities, with 6.5percent being Hispanic.2

Nevertheless, there are programssponsored by Jesuit institutionsto address the educational needsof Hispanic youth.

The Nativity Middle Schoolsare based on the model devel-oped in New York City to prepareHispanic boys to enter Jesuit andother Catholic high schools andthen move on to successfulcareers in college. Founded in1971, the Nativity MissionCenter has served as an inspira-tion nationwide for middleschools that address the educa-tional needs of youngsters from

A Child, Like So ManyOthers

Samantha Ramirez recentlycelebrated her third birth-day. She was born in Georgia

of Mexican immigrant parentswho now live in Maryland. Amidthe mariachi music, piñata smash-ing and festive family celebration,I tried to project ahead 20 yearsand imagine Samantha’s chancesof reaching the American Dreamof a college education. As thebaby boom generation reachesretirement age during the next 10to 20 years, many lucrativeopportunities for those seeking tomove up the economic ladder willbecome available. Having excel-lent English communication skillswill be essential. Will Samanthabe prepared?

As a Jesuit involved for morethan two decades in the middleschool education of Hispanic andAfrican-American children fromlow income families, I want toexplore the challenges facing edu-cators who daily face the influx ofSpanish speaking children intotheir classrooms.

Like so many of the childrenof recent Spanish-speaking immi-grants from Mexico, theCaribbean, Central or SouthAmerica, Samantha’s parents planto stay in the USA – whether doc-umented or undocumented.They have decided that, for theirown economic security and forher future, the United States istheir home. Like so many of thenew wave of Hispanic immi-grants, Samantha’s parents havenot been drawn to the large cen-ters of Hispanic population:California, New York, Texas.Maryland is where they havefound new employment possibili-ties, a relatively affordable stan-dard of living and other membersof the Ramirez family.

Samantha is growing upphysically in the United Statesbut her reality is Mexican.Everyone in the home speaksSpanish. The Ramirez’s apart-ment is decorated with pictures of

Forming Men and Women forOthers in the Formative YearsREV. JACK PODSIADLO, S.J.

www.homeboyz.com/homeboyz-2000

Homeboyz Interactive. Founded anddirected by Br. Jim Holub, S.J.Homeboyz is a non-profit trainingbusiness that employs gang-impactedyouth, the majority Hispanic, inMilwaukee.

www.hopeworks.org

Hopeworks. Project to reduce the highschool dropout rate for African-American and Hispanic youth inCamden, New Jersey, and to createhope, good-paying jobs, businessdevelopment and educationalopportunities for these youth.

Fr. Podsiadlo (New York Province) isthe coordinator of the NativityEducational Centers Network.



Forming Men and Women for Others in the Formative Years

calls for serious reflection. To bemore nuanced in evaluation, thosefigures should be compared with theproportions of high school or collegeage youth in the market regionsserved by the schools. There is littledoubt that a much smaller propor-tion of Hispanic youth is academi-cally prepared to thrive in most ofour schools. The growth of Nativityand Cristo Rey Schools is clearly aresponse to this condition, but thequestion can still be raised as to theadequacy of our efforts to recruitand retain Hispanic students.4

What Does the FutureHold?

The challenges involved inSamantha’s education aremultiple, the obstacles to

her graduating from collegeimmense. So much will dependon the quality of the publicschools she will be enrolled inand the preparation of the teach-ers who will help her becomeproficient in English. If she is for-tunate, she might receive furtherassistance through a Jesuit spon-sored program like the ones men-tioned above. She certainly willhave the support of a family thatdreams of a better future for her.Those of us involved in whateverlevel of Jesuit education mustwork creatively as partners withher parents to help make thatdream come true.✧

schools? Like all Jesuit education-al endeavors, the first goal isforming men and women for oth-ers, even at the middle schoollevel. A second goal is developingthe academic, social, physical andattitudinal skills necessary to besuccessful in high school andbeyond. St. Andrew NativitySchool in Portland, Ore. has anexemplary program for helpingtheir students develop accordingto the elements found in theJSEA’s “Profile of the Graduateat Graduation”3 but scaled downto the middle school level.Community service is a compo-nent in almost all of the schools.The fact that the graduates con-tinue their education in the topJesuit, Catholic and independentschools in the area attests to thesuccess of the program. A list ofcolleges and universities wheregraduates have or are studyingincludes the following Jesuitinstitutions: Boston College,Holy Cross, Fairfield, Fordham,LeMoyne, Canisius, St. Peter’s,Loyola (Maryland), Georgetown,Scranton, Loyola (New Orleans),University of Detroit Mercy andMarquette.

For 20 years, the JesuitHispanic Ministry Conferencehas been meeting to discuss, eval-uate and discern the various min-istries of Jesuits in Hispaniccommunities of the UnitedStates. From the beginning, theConference has been interested inand supportive of the Nativitymiddle schools as an instrumentfor helping young Hispanicsbreak out of the cycle of povertyand become responsible, con-tributing citizens.

Fr. Bill Rickle, the JesuitConference representative to theJesuit Hispanic MinistryConference, recently prepared aPreliminary Apostolic Audit ofHispanic and Migrant Ministry inthe US Assistancy. One of hisconclusions is particularly rele-vant to any discussion of Jesuitsecondary education. He writes:

The low percentages of Hispanicstudents (of whatever socio-eco-nomic class) enrolled in our schools

Even though there will soonbe 15 Jesuit-sponsored Nativityschools across the country, thenumber of students touched bythe program is small. No school,when fully operating, enrollsmore than 75 to 100 students.Classes are held at 15 to 20 stu-dents each. There are so manymore youngsters out there whowould thrive in the Nativity envi-ronment – a dream is to have aNativity school in every barrio ofthe country.

How Do We DefineSuccess?

Although the selectionprocess may differ fromschool to school, there

are some common elements.First, since these are all schoolsfor the economically poor, moststudents qualify for the FederalFree or Reduced Meal Program.All the schools recruit from out-side the Catholic school popula-tion. The Nativity schools are nottrying to take potential studentsaway from the Catholic schools,but rather to make a Catholicschool education available tothose whose families would nototherwise have the financialresources. Local public schools,neighborhood organizations,local churches and even healthclinics refer the youngsters.Parental word of mouth is proba-bly the most successful form ofrecruitment. Before students areaccepted, there is usually an inter-view process that includes thefamily. Some schools have aSaturday component in which thecandidate can be observed per-forming in a variety of situations,and standardized testing mightbe administered to know at whatacademic level the candidate isperforming. Yet there is no skim-ming for the cream of the crop.Many of the incoming studentsare reading and doing mathbelow grade level. Motivationand the desire to do well in a newlearning environment are the keyelements for which we look.

How successful are theseJesuit-sponsored Nativity

1 National Jesuit News, Dec. 2002/Jan. 2003, available at www.jesuit.org. 2 Unpublished JSEA research report on Changing Diversity in Jesuit High Schools, 2003.3 “Foundations,” published by JSEA. www.jsea.org. 4 Fr. William C. Rickle, S.J. “A Preliminary Apostolic Audit of Hispanic and Migrant Ministry in the US Assistancy, 2003.”

Students at the Escuela de Guadelupe inDenver, Colo.

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Higher Education and Higher Hopes for Hispanics


($13,000) is about half that ofnon-Hispanic whites ($26,000),it is not surprising that financinghigher education is a major chal-lenge in recruiting and retainingthese students.3 The ability tofinance a college education islargely determined by three fac-tors: where a student lives, thefinancial status of the family, andstudent’s race and ethnicity.4 Forthe most part, those three factorsmilitate against Hispanic studentsand their families. The largerissue of financial support forneedy students generally, andHispanic students particularly, isnot one that may be solved byJesuit universities, individually orcollectively. Pope John Paul IIhas called upon Catholic universi-ties to search “for ways to makeuniversity education accessible toall those who are able to benefitfrom it, especially the poor orminority groups who customarilyhave been deprived of it.”5

Each of our schools hasresponded to the Pope’s call and,at considerable effort, has strug-gled to shoulder the responsibili-ty formerly exercised by thegovernment for insuring a collegeeducation for financially needy,qualified students. Over the pastdecade, Jesuit schools haveincreased internal scholarshipsupport to make up for decreas-ing funds from state and federalgovernments to educate needystudents.6 We will continue to doso. At USF, institutionally fundedaid has increased 300 percentsince 1992; the vast majority isbased on need. While increasingscholarship support for needystudents generally is the goal ofevery Jesuit university, an ade-quate response to this challenge –made more urgent by the increas-ing numbers of Hispanics – is anational initiative along the linesof the GI Bill that opened thedoors of colleges across the coun-try to the veterans of World WarII. No less an effort is called for atthis time if qualified and needystudents are to obtain the educa-tion that is indispensable for their

research projects, Jesuit universi-ties should continue to directtheir own internal resources tosupporting research and scholarlyactivity that directly address thechallenges facing Hispanic com-munities.

Recruiting, Retaining andGraduating Hispanics

The responsibility of uni-versities to promote need-ed research on issues of

concern to Hispanic populations,however, was not the top concernnamed by Hispanic colleagues oncampus when asked about themost desired response from Jesuituniversities to the increasingnumbers of Hispanics in theUnited States. They wereunequivocal in urging Jesuit uni-versities to focus on recruiting,retaining and graduatingHispanic students. A quick reviewof materials (primarily fromHispanic Outlook) supplied bythese same colleagues demon-strates that the source of theirconcern is well placed. Thirty-eight percent of Hispanics in the25 to 29 age group did not havea high school diploma, comparedto seven percent of whites and 13percent of African Americans inthe same age range. Findingsshow that a high percentage ofHispanics who finish their sec-ondary schooling continue theireducation but fail to earn adegree. More than half of thoseHispanic students who initiallyenroll at a community collegenever complete their postsec-ondary degree, whereas 60 per-cent of those who enter four-yearcolleges complete at least a bach-elor’s degree. While Hispanichigh school graduates value a uni-versity education, the numberswho attain a college degree arediminished by part-time employ-ment, a concentration in two-yearinstitutions and a tendency tostretch undergraduate educationbeyond the traditional age.2

Given that the per capitaannual income for Hispanics

The challenges and oppor-tunities posed by theincreasing numbers of

Hispanics in the United States aremany and pressing. The 2000census revealed that Hispanicsnow number about 13 percent ofthe U.S. population, surpassingAfrican Americans for the firsttime in U.S. history and leadingall population groups in growthfrom 1990 to 2000. Four out of10 Hispanics are under 18 yearsold. Hispanic elementary schoolenrollment has grown by 157percent, eight times greater thanAfrican American and 16 timesthat of white, non-Hispanic stu-dents. By 2025, Hispanics arepredicted to be 25 percent of theelementary school populationand approximately 23 percent ofthe secondary age school popula-tion. Significantly for Jesuit uni-versities, 41 percent of allCatholics under the age of 30 areHispanic.1 The burgeoningHispanic population faces a hostof concerns around health care,housing, employment, immigra-tion and education. In California,for example, Hispanics constitutehalf of the 4.5 million peoplewithout health care insurance.But education, especially, is ofparamount importance.

A necessary response fromJesuit universities to the growingHispanic presence in the UnitedStates is the sponsorship of col-laborative research initiatives suchas the Pew Charitable Trusts’Religion and ImmigrationProject that engages Fordham,Loyola Chicago, Loyola NewOrleans and the University of SanFrancisco, among other universi-ties. In addition, an effort has justbegun to develop cooperativeprojects that engage Jesuit uni-versities in Latin America and theUnited States on issues of mutualconcern. While scholarly activityis at the heart of a university’smission, the determination ofwhich issues and questions theinstitution will promote is discre-tionary. In addition to seekingout and supporting collaborative

Higher Education and HigherHopes for HispanicsREV. STEPHEN PRIVETT, S.J.

Fr. Privett (California Province) is thepresident of the University of San

Francisco.

Teaching English to Speakers ofOther Languages (TESOL) andBi-Lingual Education

Preparing teachers to work effectively

with LEP students is a priority, and

several Jesuit colleges and universities

are attempting to address the issue

through their schools of education.

Fordham University and Loyola

Marymount offer master’s degree

programs in both bi-lingual, bi-cultural

education and Teaching English to

Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL).

Gonzaga University, Regis University,

Seattle University and the University of

San Francisco offer master’s degree

programs in TESOL, and LeMoyne

College offers a BS in TESOL. It is

imperative, as other Jesuit universities

become more aware of the growing

numbers of speakers of languages other

than English in their region, that they

develop education programs to meet

the needs in elementary and secondary

classrooms.


A Young Population

Across the board, Hispanics in the U.S.

are a very young population, with a

median age of 25.8, compared to 38.6

for Non-Hispanic whites and 30.0 for

Non-Hispanic blacks (United States

Census 2000). This is due to both

immigration of young adults to join the

workforce and the high fertility rate of

Hispanic women, both immigrant and

native born. In some areas of newest

settlement, the high male/female ratio

of the Hispanic population indicates that

in a short time, these communities will

grow even more rapidly than more

established communities due to reunion

of families and the establishment of

new family units. This means that

services for youth, whether they are

educational, pastoral, medical or

economic support, will remain a critical

part of any discussion.


Higher Education and Higher Hopes for Hispanics

A Mutual Relationship

It is a truism that Jesuit educa-tion is both a learning experi-ence and a social experience.

For that reason, those offices andindividuals on campus chargedwith responsibility for multicul-turalism and diversity must focuson creating an environment inwhich adjustment difficulties areminimized for all students.Differences of culture, ethnicityand background should not beseen simply as the raw materialsfor creating “safe havens” for dis-crete groups of students, butrather such student organizationsand clubs should be the basecamp from which students moveout to engage the larger commu-nity and to which they may returnfor companionship. If Hispanicspose a number of challenges forJesuit higher education, they alsorepresent the promise of sharingthemselves and the riches of theirculture with us.

Jesuit universities needHispanic students and a diversestudent body if they are to offer aquality education that preparesthem to be humanly in the worldas it is. The makeup of our cam-puses does not yet reflect thediversity of the larger world, yetthat world is the one our gradu-ates are responsible for shapingaccording to “those ethical andreligious principles which give fullmeaning to human life.”9 Weneed Hispanic students for whatthey bring to the university, andthey need the university to gainthe knowledge and skills they willbring to society. This is a promis-ing partnership for the university,for the Hispanic population, forthe Catholic Church in theUnited States and for the worldat large.✧

Universities should expect tochange as increasing numbers ofHispanic students matriculateinto their student bodies. Afriend recalled that when Jesuitschools first accepted women stu-dents, they remained universitiesfor men that had women attend-ing classes. Women, at best, con-stituted a separate populationrequiring special attention. Mostuniversities hired a Dean ofWomen and a Director forWomen’s athletics, if such a pro-gram even existed, and employedseparate residence halls and dressand conduct regulations forwomen. In some instances,women were even excluded fromall male rooting sections. Thoseartifacts of a bygone era slowlyeroded with the dawning realiza-tion that schools had to “do dif-ferently” in response to thepresence of women on campus.As women made their presencefelt, the Dean of Students and/orDirector of Athletics was expect-ed to have the knowledge, skillsand sensitivities to deal with theentire student population.Fragmentation gave way to theacceptance of a more universalviewpoint and exercise of leader-ship.

The same situation prevailswith regard to Hispanic studentson our campuses. Our schoolswill change as increasingly diversestudent populations bring theircultures, interests and values tocampus. Changes should comeeasily in the food served on cam-pus, artwork displayed, eventscelebrated, the flavor of liturgiesand other religious expressionsand heroes honored throughoutthe year, and more slowly andcarefully in the restructuring ofcurriculum, recruitment of facul-ty and staff of color, redistribu-tion of leadership roles and thedesign and delivery of services tostudents. This is precisely whyHispanic students and otherdiverse student populations areactively recruited – to enrich thecampus culture as the universityabsorbs a new wave of students.These new populations representenergy to create a more vibrantlearning community where differ-ences evoke curiosity and conver-sation, which leads tounderstanding and appreciationof those differences, rather thanfear and suspicion.

well being and that of the coun-try at large.

Taking a New Approach

Successful recruitment strate-gies for Hispanic studentsshould avoid a “cookie cut-

ter” approach to this populationby taking into account genera-tional, family context, and coun-try of origin differences withinthe Hispanic population.7

Articulation agreements8 withlocal community colleges areessential for the success of effortsto increase Hispanic enrollment.Oftentimes, Spanish languagematerials are useful tools forefforts to reach out to the parentsof prospective students. Thebilingual website for The WhiteHouse Initiative on EducationalExcellence for HispanicAmericans is both a valuableresource for and good model ofan effective recruiting tool thatengages parents in the collegeselection process. To my knowl-edge, no U.S. Jesuit universitysites are bilingual.

Unfortunately, manyHispanics come from under-funded, under-staffed and under-performing high schools andhave not been adequately pre-pared for college. They have theintelligence, the motivation andfamily support but lack the requi-site knowledge base and skill set.These students cannot be accept-ed directly into college withoutprior preparation through sum-mer bridge programs such asUSF’s “Forward” program orother specially designed supple-mentary programs that run con-currently through the first yearsof college.

A recent National PublicRadio story reported that televi-sion was responding to the grow-ing number of Hispanics in theUnited States by dubbing popu-lar English language programsinto Spanish. Such programsapparently do not hold the inter-est of Hispanic audiences, so thenetworks are moving towardsprograms written and producedspecifically for Hispanic audi-ences. This points to the experi-ence of universities at whichHispanic students already consti-tute a significant percentage ofthe student body (12 percent cur-rently at USF).

1 Hispanic Outlook (HO), 9/23/02, Punto Final.2 HO, 11/18/02, “Many Enroll, Too Few Graduate.”3 U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, 2002 and 2001 Annual Demographic

Supplements.4 HO, 11/18/02, “Making College Affordable.” 5 Ex Corde Ecclesiae, #34.6 According to data collected by the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU) for the

2001-02 academic year, Jesuit institutions distributed $513,268,733 in financial aid, accountingfor 49 percent of all aid given to students. This includes both need-based and non-need-based aid.(Data based on 24 of 28 institutions responding.)

7 HO, 11/18/02, “Many Enroll, Too Few Graduate.”8 Officially approved agreements that match coursework between schools. These are designed to help

students make a smooth transition when transferring from community colleges to four-year insti-tutions.

9 Ex Corde, #33.

Response: Education on Mission -- The Challenges Ahead


Mr. Suro is the executive director of thePew Hispanic Center in Washington,

D.C.

determinant of whether a childwill have the academic prepara-tion and financial means to enterand complete college. Admissionsstandards and tuition costs areoften defended as essential forpreserving the character of pri-vate four-year colleges, but in factwhat these policies are accom-plishing, albeit unintentionally, isthe preservation, even the calcifi-cation, of a social order on hered-itary grounds. Catholic colleges,including Jesuit colleges, are noexception.

This dynamic is a product ofthe second half of the 20th cen-tury and the last quarter of thecentury in particular. It is a depar-ture from the role played byCatholic higher education here inthe 19th and early 20th centuries,and it is certainly very differentfrom the mission that JohnCarroll envisioned. Indeed, thereis nothing conservative or tradi-tional about Catholic collegesand universities serving primarilyto maintain the status of middleand upper class Catholics.Addressing the educational needsof Hispanic youth representsboth a return to a traditionalministry and a response to con-temporary human needs.

Catholic Social Evolution

With the onset ofHispanic immigrationover the past three

decades, the social evolution ofCatholics in the United States hasacquired a distinctly cyclical pat-tern. From the mid-19th centurythrough the middle of the 20th,the struggle of immigrant familiesto make a place in a new landcharacterized the Catholic popu-lation, and the Church’s socialand educational ministriessquarely focused on that struggle.Success came slowly, typicallyacross three generations, in theprogression from menial work toblue-collar trades to the white-collar middle class. Peddler,plumber, professional was thestairway of the American dream.

promise lies in the energy andimagination gained when thenation incorporates newcomersby giving them a chance to exer-cise their talents in a condition ofliberty. The peril comes whenthose chances are denied. ForJesuits, the challenges are evenmore explicit.

The Society’s Resonsibility

As a religious order with aspecial ministry in educa-tion, the Society of Jesus

has an unavoidable responsibilityat this moment in the history ofthe nation and of the Church inthe United States. Educationserved as a means of upwardmobility during past eras ofimmigration. Today, it is a matterof survival for the newcomers or,more precisely, for their children.For Jesuits, addressing the educa-tional needs of the Hispanic pop-ulation is more than a historicalmission, more than a moral obli-gation. It is, rather, a test of theorder’s relevancy. Having createda great educational establishmentin the United States, Jesuits couldsettle for credentialing the off-spring of those who have alreadyachieved a measure of success inAmerican society – the role nowplayed by most non-public insti-tutions of higher learning. Or,Jesuit schools can pledge them-selves to ensuring that the chil-dren of Hispanic immigrants havea fair chance to becomeAmericans in the most importantsense of the term, people with anopportunity to develop and applytheir God-given abilities. The firstof these options might seem themore conservative, traditionalpath, but it is not. Rather, it is theradical choice.

In the United States today,having a parent who attendedcollege is the single most potentpredictor of whether a child willearn a four-year degree. It is theparents’ educational achieve-ment, and hence their economicstatus, that is the most powerful

Some 230 years ago JohnCarroll had a very clear ideaof how to secure a place for

the Roman Catholic Church andthe Society of Jesus in the youngUnited States: “The object near-est my heart now and the onlyone that can give consistency toour religious views in this coun-try, is the establishment of aschool.”

Much has changed since thatschool was founded on a hilltopabove the Potomac, but Carroll’simperative has not. Catholics arein positions of power across thecountry, and the Church is arespected institution squarely inthe mainstream of American cul-ture. Yet, as in Carroll’s time,there is now a large population ofCatholics at society’s least-privi-leged fringe that is sometimesviewed as an alien presence here.Then, as now, neither the Churchnor the nation can afford to letthem become permanent out-casts. In 1789, when he foundedGeorgetown University as thefirst Catholic and Jesuit institu-tion of higher learning in theUnited States, Carroll under-stood that education was the onlysure means to open doors forthose who might encounter barri-ers because of their faith, cultureand nationality. That has notchanged.

Looking at Georgetowntoday and at all the other Jesuituniversities, colleges, secondaryand primary schools across thecountry, at their endowments andfaculties and long lists of success-ful alumni, it would be verytempting to conclude thatCarroll’s mission had beenaccomplished. Indeed, a fewdecades ago that might have beena fair conclusion. But, as in othereras, demographic change hasrenewed the challenges so noblyconfronted by the foundingfathers. In our time, the growthof the Hispanic populationrenews both the promise and theperil that have defined the UnitedStates since its beginnings. The

Response: Education on Mission --The Challenges AheadROBERTO SURO


graphic development that willcharacterize the life of the nationand of the Church for decades.

Ensuring that the children ofHispanic immigrants have achance to realize their promise aschildren of God, as children ofAmerica, might seem a compli-cated task. One could wanderthrough intellectual labyrinthsinvolving the acquisition of eth-nic identity, acculturation, lan-guage shifts, skills mismatches,welfare policy, etc. Those are allworthy debates, no doubt. Butthey are distractions in theabsence of a concerted focus onone central and undeniable fact:education, specifically post-sec-ondary education, is the only sureavenue to opportunity in theUnited States today. Our econo-my and our society require thecompletion of high school tomove beyond poverty and educa-tion beyond high school foradmission to the middle class.

While in the past, the incor-poration of immigrants couldproceed across three generations,today it is a zero-sum game thatplays out in two generations. Aclear bifurcation is already takingplace among the children ofHispanic immigrants. Those whomanage to acquire a four-yearcollege degree outperform simi-larly situated non-Hispanicwhites. Those who never get pasthigh school face a lifetime ofenclosed horizons. Those whofail to graduate from high schoolare relegated to the underclass.Currently, about 15 percent ofthe second generation are reach-ing the high-end outcomes,about 15 percent are at the bot-tom and the rest languish inbetween.2 One would like tothink that the public sector woulddedicate itself to improving theratio, given the vast number ofyoung people pumping throughthis dismal equation. But that isnot happening, and there is noreason to expect that it will any-time soon.

Jesuit schools, colleges anduniversities certainly cannot beexpected to take on the entirechallenge; nor can they fail toembrace it. ✧

most that brings adequaterewards, and for the rest there isusually the option to go home.The real success or failure of theimmigration enterprise comeswith the second generation. Theyare native-born Americans. Theyare the products of our schools.They are our future. The task ofsimply giving them a chance hasnever been more difficult.

An EducationalUnderclass?

Today, as a century ago, theAmerican economy has anenormous appetite for

unskilled labor. During the indus-trial era, however, the child of animmigrant could learn manualskills that would enable him tomove up from the lowest rungs ofthe labor force. In post-industrialAmerica, that middle tier of thelabor force is vastly reduced andno longer serves as a vehicle forupward mobility. Instead, theAmerican work force is ever morestarkly divided between theunskilled and the well educated,and there is little in betweenexcept an enormous gulf in earn-ings. Moreover, during theEuropean migration, educationalopportunities expanded with theextension of mandatory publiceducation to secondary school,the creation of land grant univer-sities and finally the GI Bill,which effectively completed theincorporation of the offspring ofEuropean immigrants. Of course,Catholic education was expand-ing in that era as well. There is noneed to belabor the fact that thetrends in educational opportunityare now mostly going in theopposite direction.

At the beginning of the 21stcentury, one of every five childrenborn in the United States has aHispanic parent.1 Naturalincrease accounts for about twiceas much Hispanic populationgrowth as immigration – someone million people a year, mostlysecond generation Hispanics, ver-sus about half a million newimmigrants. The era of the sec-ond generation is upon us, and itis a massive and rapid demo-

Continuous immigrationfrom heavily Catholic countries inEurope kept the Church and itsschools busy providing the essen-tial vehicle for this upward mobil-ity, education. Then, starting inthe mid-1920s, a succession ofevents – changes in immigrationlaw, the Great Depression andWorld War II – ended the era oftrans-Atlantic migration. Half acentury passed with almost noinflux of newcomers. AmericanCatholics completed their socialand economic evolution solidlyinto the middle class and beyond.The Church of Immigrantsbecame the Church ofSuburbanites. For the nation as awhole, for the Church, for Jesuitsand for their schools, immigra-tion and the process of incorpora-tion faded into sepia-tonedmemories of an era that seemedlong passed.

In the mid-1970s, a new eraof immigration began as a resultof changes in immigration poli-cies and economic transforma-tions, and the influx, dominatedby migrants from the predomi-nately Catholic nations of LatinAmerica, gained momentumthrough the 1980s and 1990s. Itshows no indication of abating.Today, once again, the Churchfinds itself ministering to immi-grants and their offspring, but itis now an institution that mustreinvent itself to become againwhat it once was.

The basic challenges are thesame as before. The immediate,short-term, challenge is to helpthe new arrivals acquire basic sur-vival skills and to protect them,when necessary, from discrimina-tion and exploitation. Otherwise,these immigrants, like those ofearlier waves, come armed withpotent assets, most notably theirlow expectations, fierce determi-nation and highly developed col-laborative networks with relativesand other co-nationals. Themuch more difficult, long-termchallenge is to ensure that theirchildren – the second generation– have a fair chance to begin themove forward. The fate of animmigrant has always been towork hard in a strange land; for

Response: Education on Mission -- The Challenges Ahead

For Jesuits, addressing

the educational needs of

the Hispanic population

is more than a historical

mission, more than a

moral obligation. It is,

rather, a test of the

order’s relevancy.

1 US Census Bureau, National Population Estimate for 2001. 2 Pew Hispanic Center analysis of data from Current Population Survey, 1999-2002. Unpublished.


ContentsHacia el Futuro - Toward the Future in Jesuit Hispanic Ministry

REV. WILLIAM C. RICKLE, S.J.The Challenges of Hispanic ministry for the Society of Jesus. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 1

Pastoring a Diverse Flock REV. EDMUNDO E. RODRIGUEZ, S.J.Jesuits in culturally diverse parishes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 3

Hispanics at a Crossroads: The Jesuit Response REV. GERALD CHOJNACKI, S.J.Reflection on Hispanic needs and Jesuit response. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 5

Hispanics at a Crossroads: The Wider Church’s Response RONALDO M. CRUZHow the Church and Society are responding. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 5

Opportunities to Serve a New Community MARK PIEROTTIA challenge to Jesuit secondary educators. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 10

Growing Up Hispanic, Catholic... and JesuitJIM GARCIAA reflection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 12

Forming Men and Women for Others in the Formative YearsREV. JACK PODSIADLO, S.J.Jesuit early education today. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 14

Higher Education and Higher Hopes for Hispanics REV. STEPHEN PRIVETT, S.J.The view from the world of higher ed. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 16

Response: Education on Mission -- The Challenges Ahead ROBERTO SUROA challenge to the Society to reclaim its radical mission. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 18

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• BOOKS

Welcoming the Stranger Among Us.Unity in Diversity.

A Statement of the U.S. Catholic Bishops(United States Catholic Conference, Inc.Washington, D.C., 2000).

Strangers Among Us. Latino Lives inA Changing America

Roberto Suro (Vintage Books, NY, 1999).

Encuentro & Mission. A RenewedPastoral Framework for HispanicMinistry

A Statement by the U.S. Catholic Bishops(United States Conference of CatholicBishops, Washington, D.C., 2002).

Recognizing the Latino Resurgence in U.S.Religion. The Emmaus Paradigm

Ana María Díaz-Stevens, Anthony M. Stevens-Arroyo (Westview Press, 1998).

¡Presente! U.S. Latino Catholics fromColonial Origins to the Present

Timothy Matovina, Gerald E. Poyo, Editors. Incollaboration with Cecilia González-Andrieu,Steven P. Rodríguez, Jaime R. Vidal (Orbis Books,Maryknoll, NY, 2000).

La Cosecha. Harvesting ContemporaryUnited States Hispanic Theology (1972-1998)

Eduardo C. Fernández, S.J. (The Liturgical Press,Collegeville, MN, 2000).

Trans-Formations. Immigration, Family Life,and Achievement Motivation AmongLatino Adolescents

Carola and Marcelo Suárez-Orozco (StanfordUniversity Press, Stanford, CA, 1995).

Beyond Borders. Writings of VirgilioElizondo and Friends

Timothy Matovina, Editor (Orbis Books, Maryknoll,NY 2000).

Hispanic Education in the United States.Raíces y alas

Eugene E. Garcia (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers,Inc., Lanham, MD, 2001).

Documents

Hacia el Futuro – Toward the What is Hispanic Ministry ...jesuit.org/jesuits/wp-content/uploads/IAT-Hispanic-Ministry-SPR03.pdf · Jesuits and our colleagues have been involved