Thread: Schism hits church

Schism hits church
Some feel left out by Latino culture shift
Stephen Wall
Posted: 03/13/2010 11:02:53 PM PST


Elaine Cartwright has been a loyal parishioner at her Fontana church for 50-plus years.
Her three sons were altar boys there. All four of her kids received their First Communion and were confirmed there.

Her father donated the statue of Jesus that is placed on the left side of the sanctuary during Easter season.

She and her late husband contributed $1,000 to build the social hall.

But she doesn't feel part of the church anymore.

As she tries to cope with the changing demographics, Cartwright said she feels out of place in a church where Spanish is now as common as English.

"My church isn't my church anymore," said Cartwright, a 72-year-old Fontana resident who attends Blessed John XXIII

Blessed John XXIII Catholic Church in Fontana, like many parishes in the San Bernardino Diocese, has seen an increase in Latino attendance as area demographics have changed. A few longtime parishioners, though, say they are feeling out of place as celebrants of English Masses decline and Spanish Masses become more common. (Al Cuizon/Staff Photographer)Parish.
Cartwright isn't the only one opposed to the changes taking place in the Catholic Church.

Carolynn and Dennis DeJarnette were faithful followers at St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church in Rialto for three decades.

When the church burned down in 1985, they pitched in money and labor to rebuild it.

Carolynn taught catechism classes for 10 years, and the couple served on the baptismal committee and helped out with Bible study.

But they don't go to church there anymore.

The church's embrace of illegal immigrants, along with the increasing number of Spanish and bilingual masses, made Carolynn DeJarnette feel left out.

"You don't feel at home anymore," said DeJarnette, a 63-year-old Bloomington resident.

The Diocese of San Bernardino serves about 1.2 million Catholics in San Bernardino and Riverside counties.

While church officials say they don't keep track of numbers, they estimate the demographics of the diocese are roughly similar to the population of the two counties. Latinos make up almost half of the residents of San Bernardino County.

In some heavily Latino parishes, English Masses have sparse attendance, while the pews are filled for Spanish Masses.

Latino parishioners say they have nothing against Anglo worshippers.

"We want peace with everybody," said Maria Prieto, a naturalized citizen who is a member of St. Catherine of Siena Church. "We are all human. We don't want to exclude anybody."

Roger Miranda, a 33-year-old legal immigrant from Mexico, said he doesn't think Latinos have taken over the Rialto parish.

"I don't see any difference between the people," said Miranda, a Rialto resident. "I see everybody is happy here."

Teresa Flores, a longtime parishioner at St. Catherine of Siena, said there weren't nearly as many Latinos when she arrived at the parish 15 years ago.

"It's sad that the Anglo-Saxons are leaving," said Flores, a naturalized citizen. "If there wasn't such a need, there wouldn't be so many Masses in Spanish."

But some Latino immigrants believe that Anglos don't want to be around them.

"There is a lot of racism," said Gabriela Maldonado, a 39-year-old illegal immigrant from Mexico who attends Our Lady of Guadalupe and St. Anthony churches in San Bernardino. "It's the immigrants who come here to work for the Americans."

While stressing that they don't harbor prejudice toward anyone, DeJarnette and Cartwright say the church goes out of its way to cater to Spanish speakers.

"Most of them can speak English," Cartwright said. "To me, they're enabling them."

DeJarnette said her church's decision to offer separate ministries for English and Spanish speakers was divisive.

"For me, it seemed like it was drawing a line in the sand," she said. "It was them and it was us."

DeJarnette said the loss of fellowship left her feeling cold and isolated.

"You used to go to the hall after church and have coffee and doughnuts," DeJarnette said. "Now, you have menudo and tamales and everybody speaks Spanish. We used to have a church carnival to raise funds. Now, we have a fiesta."

DeJarnette said she has nothing against Latinos, pointing out that two of her grandchildren are of Mexican descent.

Her problem is the church's support for a new immigration policy that would allow illegal immigrants to become legal residents and earn a path to citizenship.

"My issue is with the church basically welcoming them to the point where the rest of us feel excluded," DeJarnette said. "The church refuses to recognize the illegal part of immigrant. That's the thing that bothers my husband and I the most."

John Andrews, spokesman for the diocese, said the demographic transformation can be "understandably frightening or dismaying" to some parishioners.

When the Diocese of San Bernardino started in 1978, there was only one parish that offered Spanish Mass, Our Lady of Guadalupe. Today, most parishes offer at least one Spanish Mass.

"We're in the midst of a wave of change," Andrews said. "That's difficult for people. It needs to be acknowledged. Somebody who feels that way should not be ignored or dismissed. They should be ministered to."

At the same time, Andrews said the church preaches the need to "welcome the stranger." That means including people from other countries who don't speak English.

"Maybe there's a feeling among some Anglos that this church belongs to them or something is being taken away that belongs to them," he said. "But the church belongs to everyone who calls themselves a Catholic, and we need to pay attention to the needs of all people coming to the church."

Cartwright wrote a handwritten letter to parish leaders last year offering her views. She said she never got a response.

Her family does not attend the annual Summerfest carnival anymore because "the music is all Spanish," the letter said.

She also noted that two-thirds of the announcements in the Sunday bulletin are in Spanish.

In an interview, Cartwright said she stopped going to Thanksgiving Mass and Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve when they became bilingual services.

She also cut back on her donations to the church because of its position in support of amnesty for illegal immigrants.

"I don't want my money to help illegals," she said, noting in her letter that her three sons married women of Latino descent.

"You're slowly but surely alienating your English-speaking base and that does not bode well for donations," she wrote.

Andrews said the diocese doesn't want to see anyone leave the church and that it is unfortunate when people decide not to give to their parish.

"We need to work with the folks who are feeling this way so hopefully they can become more comfortable with these changes that are taking place and they can feel ownership in their church and their faith," Andrews said.

Elaine Craig, who sings in the choir at Blessed John XXIII Parish, said she realizes that Anglos aren't the majority at the church anymore.

"I have no objection to the Hispanics coming to this country to make a better life for themselves and their families," said Craig, 67, a member of the Fontana church for more than 40 years. "I feel they should learn the language and become citizens. That's what my Italian ancestors had to do when they came here."

Despite her dispute with the church, Cartwright said she has no plans to leave.

"I love the church; that's why I keep going," she said. "I no longer feel welcome there, but I'm not going away. They're not going to drive me out."



http://www.sbsun.com/news/ci_14673529

It's so sad. You can't be at home if you're surrounded by strangers.

Related
Poll: Most Christians and Jews at Odds With Their Leaders Over Illegal Immigration
http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-183511.html

"You used to go to the hall after church and have coffee and doughnuts," DeJarnette said. "Now, you have menudo and tamales and everybody speaks Spanish. We used to have a church carnival to raise funds. Now, we have a fiesta."

The new definition of assimilation....

Notice the glaring difference......


"We want peace with everybody," said Maria Prieto, a naturalized citizen who is a member of St. Catherine of Siena Church. "We are all human. We don't want to exclude anybody."


But some Latino immigrants believe that Anglos don't want to be around them.

"There is a lot of racism," said Gabriela Maldonado, a 39-year-old illegal immigrant from Mexico who attends Our Lady of Guadalupe and St. Anthony churches in San Bernardino. "It's the immigrants who come here to work for the Americans


The first thing the illegal alien does is cry racism and spout the obl crap about latino immigrants doing all the work "'for''' Americans