Dear Good People of Saint Bernadette,Dear Good People of Saint Bernadette,

A recent USA Today article quotes a 2016 study from the nonprofit Public Religion Research Institute that 39 percent of young adults (ages 18 to 29) are “religiously unaffiliated.” That has nearly quadrupled since 1986, when only 10 percent of young adults identified that way. 

They continue:  “But as churches across the faith spectrum grapple with how to reach young adults, the Catholic Church already has a built-in group it can look to for growth: Latinos. According to Gallup, while the Catholic Church has suffered from declining attendance in the U.S., the overall percentage of Catholics has held fairly steady, largely because of the nation’s ballooning Hispanic population.

“Of the 51 million Catholics in America, 34 percent are Latino. That’s an increase from 2007, when Latinos made up 29 percent of the church. Catholic leaders expect this number to keep growing in part because of continued birthrate and immigration trends: The U.S. census projects that by 2045, the nation will be 'minority white.'

“‘Latinos are the emerging majority in the Catholic Church,’ says Alejandro Aguilera-Titus, assistant director for Hispanic ministry for the U.S. Catholic Church. ‘As Hispanic ministry goes, so goes the Catholic Church in the U.S. in the decades to come.’” 

As I was speaking at the Spanish Mass last week, for whatever reason, it struck me as one of the most beautiful prayer experiences I’ve had in quite a while.  The music was particularly beautiful and the lyrics were genuine and touched my heart; the assembly was singing full-out.  There is a warmth there that is not common to daily experience.  There is a deep love of God that is often very emotional, almost palpable.

It was also the first time I preached a homily in both Spanish and English, responding to the requests of a number of parents who spoke concerns for their children attending the Spanish Mass but not being fluent in Spanish.  The community, they feel, is in danger of losing the young people.  We are in a time of great change—I sometimes have to pause and realize how things may not turn out the way we always thought they would, and with regard to how much more divided we are now than we were in nearly every aspect of society and culture.  I feel a profound gratitude for the aspects of faith which do not change with regard to love and service, and that these values cut across anything that might try to divide us in the Church.  There is no place for division here.  For one thing, we know that it is Jesus’ will to heal and bind us together; there is only one who divides, and he has no place here.

There has been some discussion, maybe a little criticism, about our choices for music in the past few weeks, we have been including a little more Spanish in English Masses which seems to have been a cross for some.  This was for a couple of reasons.  First, we need a repertoire for the Masses when we come together in both English and Spanish.  Practically, our parish is one-fourth Spanish speaking, and we often are able to only have one Mass, for example, on Holy Thursday.  There is not an allowance (or a need) for a second Mass.  Other feast days for the parish and community often must be inclusive of the whole parish.  Our parish feast, Our Lady of Guadalupe (Patroness of all the Americas) and the Easter Vigil are great examples when we must worship authentically as who we are.  If we practice a little, these bilingual events will become natural to us.  

But I think an even more important reason for Spanish elements at English Masses is simple hospitality.  We are one parish, and all should be welcome to all Masses.  If we don’t provide signs of hospitality we ourselves are contributing to division.  As families transition with their primary language at home, it is important for them to have a place to go as they grow into the Church.  

I was once accused, many years ago, of discriminating against Spanish speaking parishioners because I didn’t provide special services to them, services which we didn’t offer to the parish at large.  It struck me as odd at the time, because it would be discrimination to not serve, consider, and include everyone the same.  As much as we sometimes might not want to admit it, God has no favorites.  Not according to righteousness, not according to wealth or status, nor language, nor race, nor country of origin.  All sons and daughters of one Father.  And the home has to stand for all to enter and abide.

Pope Francis said something in his homily last weekend that stuck with me, when he was speaking about the Pharisee and the tax collector parable.  It’s worth looking up, his homily at the close of the Pan-Amazon Synod of Bishops (27 Oct) and what he calls “the religion of the self” in which we canonize ourselves.  How often in the sad history of our world have we introduced division between us and “strangers,” even to the point of denying their humanity!  If we alone are righteous, then that doesn’t allow space in our system even for God, because as the Author of righteousness, he requires more space than we can afford.

God bless you.

Dear Good People of Saint Bernadette,

It's not too early! Mark your calendars for our 2020 School Auction on March 25!

The Theme this year is "60 Years of Wisdom and Grace" honoring, on our 60th Anniversary since the founding of Saint Bernadette School, both the legacy of the Sisters who started the school, the Daughters of Wisdom, and the Grace of God which has held us together all these years.

 We are calling on the entire parish, as we did for the first time last year, to come for a nice dinner, bid on silent and live auction items, and by way of a very fun evening, help us in our school's operating budget to excel in good works and academic excellence. You will be invited to consider donating goods or services, especially larger items that might set off a bidding contest like time share vacation destinations or collectibles. Perhaps you have a business that can donate products, time or services which will be desirable to many. Are you an artist or craftsman? Consider creatively how you might be able to contribute to the school in ways that do not necessarily deplete your needed income.

Auctions are great opportunities for you to become visible to the community, too, especially by taking advantage of advertising spaces in our auction website and program book. Last year we served dinner to about 300 attendees, and this year we hope to reach an even wider audience through the use of online bidding.

At any rate, our committees are forming and our plan of action is in place. Our goal is to at least equal last year's amazing success, to net as close to $90,000 as possible. If you are on fire to get involved in planning or production of the school Auction, "60 Years of Wisdom and Grace," please talk to me or our principal, Barbara Dalmut! Or, if you have somebody's autographed jersey and can part with it, it will serve a wonderful purpose here.

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There is a reflection I would like to share with you this week after participating again in the Lord of the Miracles feast day last weekend. Somebody showed be a YouTube video of the procession in Lima, Peru, and I was amazed. The crowds go on as far as you can see. This enormous bier carrying the richly decorated sacred image with candles and flowers is carried by dozens of faithful, taking turns, one group after another, just to get a chance to carry the cross. You can see a photo of ours on the front cover of the bulletin this week.

My core and my legs are still sore from helping carry the bier in the procession last weekend. It was so incredibly heavy. If 24-30 people are struggling to carry it on their shoulders, you can get a sense of how much this thing must weigh.

It is powerful to think about participating in the Lord's carrying of his cross in this much later and symbolic way. You feel in your own body maybe a glimpse of the suffering he endured. Moving forward so slowly, slowly. The crowd is following, keeping the slow pace.

But what is really more powerful that this is the fact that this is something that we can never carry alone. We would be totally crushed. But together, as the community slowly advances the journey, we can accomplish the task at hand. It is possible when we are together.

These kinds of intense devotions are found all over the world in cultures which have retained these remarkable expressions of deep faith as we witness in countries all over the world, even here. There is a noble dignity to it that you cannot deny, something that we must not lose to the conventions of pluralism and indifference.

I could only imagine, as I was feeling the crushing weight of this cross, how the Lord had to have been pleased with his little flock, his pequeño rebaño.

God bless you.