Rev.
Virgilio Elizondo starts with a love story when he talks about
the relationship between Latinos and the Roman Catholic Church
in the United States. In the story, Elizondo's father saved money
to buy a small grocery store, but his future wife dreamed of wearing
a beautiful wedding gown. So he gave her his savings, wanting
to make her happy.
The bride-to-be then searched for the perfect gown that would
show her husband-to-be how much she loved him. She chose a dress
that was less expensive because it was damaged. Then she mended
it. After their honeymoon, she returned most of the money to her
husband so they could buy the store.
At its best, the relationship between Latinos and the Catholic
church in the United States is similar to the mutual giving that
marked his parents' love story, says Elizondo, a visiting professor
of theology at Notre Dame whom Time magazine has hailed
as one of the leading spiritual innovators in the country. When
Latinos arrive in the United States, they flock to the Catholic
church, an institution that has been at the heart of their lives
and which now often eases their transition to a new country. In
return, Latinos offer the church in America gifts that promise
to make the union strong and lasting.
Start with the impact the sheer number of Latino immigrants
has had on the church, and will continue to have in the 21st century.
"The churches that were empty or losing people are being filled
by Latinos," Elizondo says. "And most of our people are young
people. There is a natural increase in the population of Latinos
because immigration continues and Latinos like to have children."
Still, Elizondo insists that Latinos' greatest impact will be
to re-energize the American Catholic church.
"They're excited about being Catholics," says Elizondo, who
is considered the father of Latino theology in the United States.
"There are several influences that Latinos bring to the church.
The first is a love for tradition. Tradition in the sense of having
a life force -- a sense of continuity with ancestors that gives
us strength to move confidently into the future. There's also
a strong sense of personal devotion for Latinos. It's not just
a religion of the mind but a religion of the heart. A whole sense
of corazon -- something not just that I know but something
I feel deeply that moves me to action.
"Latinos also bring a great sense of family. In Latino churches,
you see the abundance of little children, teenagers and the elderly
all coming together. The church itself is an extended family,
and there's a great sense of hope and joy. Religion as celebration
of life. There are the popular rituals, too -- Christmas processions,
Holy Week processions, All Souls' Day -- the rituals that really
bring the Gospel alive."
Life in the church also centers around imagery for Latinos who
find meaning in religious statues, paintings, murals and stained-glass
windows.
"We like to see things. The church (in the United States) has
downplayed images for the sake of the verbal word. Latinos bring
the sense of image -- the word became flesh. It's re-introducing
to U.S. Catholicism the importance of good Biblical imagery and
even the saints as role models."
The blending of Latino and American cultures has begun in the
church in the United States.
"The church is very aware that it's multiethnic, multilingual.
The church is working toward a real spirit of welcoming inclusion.
Nationally, that spirit is picking up, but there are practical
questions about how you blend different cultures. Some parishes
have Vietnamese, Latino, Korean and mainline people. Vietnamese
like to worship in more meditative ways. Latinos like to celebrate
more festively. How we blend this is going to take a lot of practical
wisdom and experimentation."
His parents' grocery store offers an example of how the blending
of backgrounds can be achieved.
"Maybe it's because the prices were good, but we had customers
who were white Baptists, African Americans, Jews and Catholics.
And they were all friends. The thing I remember most is, everyone
had the best jokes about their own churches and ministers. We
were laughing with each other. I grew up believing we were all
religious."
He also believes in the leadership role Notre Dame has taken
to educate Latinos as future leaders. He saw the university's
commitment blossoming in 1997, the year he received Notre Dame's
highest honor, the Laetare Medal.
"I've been here since 1998. They recognized Latinos are a significant
part of the Catholic population in this country. As a major Catholic
university, they felt they would be remiss if they didn't prepare
Catholic-Latino leadership for all fields."
Elizondo says Notre Dame has upheld that commitment by recruiting
more Latino students, hiring more faculty with Latino backgrounds
and creating the Institute for Latino Studies.
"As our numbers grow, so does our responsibility to be of service
not just to our own but to everyone in the church and in our society.
To do this, we have to have a well-formed and well-educated group
of people. I see the whole Latino thrust as continuing the beautiful
tradition of Notre Dame -- of reaching out to the immigrant poor,
like it did in the past with the Irish and other groups. Notre
Dame believed in them, gave them a great education, and they became
great leaders who contributed to the country and the church."
John Shaughnessy is a feature writer at the Indianapolis
Star.
(October 2004)
