Thread: Wa: Conflict of faith

Conflict of faith
By THACHER SCHMID
THE DAILY NEWS

LONGVIEW, Wash. -- As more Hispanic parishioners have filled the pews for his Masses, the Rev. Jerry Woodman has had to adapt his services while trying to come to grips with his own feelings about the illegal status of many of those he serves.

While the English-language Masses at St. Philip Catholic Church in Woodland tend to be quiet and staid, Woodman finds it a bit disconcerting that during Sunday Spanish Mass, parishioners' children often roam freely, walk behind him or make noise. And the first time live music was included in the service, a full band showed up with keyboard, several guitars, and eight or nine singers.

"It was so loud in there, the paint was falling off the walls," Woodman said with a chuckle. "(Latinos) have a way of celebrating. ... The Anglos are a little bit more reserved."

Woodman is among a growing group of Catholic priests who are being called upon by a changing society to minister to both Latinos and whites.

Woodman, 61, has spent the last 11 years studying Spanish - he read the entire Harry Potter series in the language - and travels to Mexico frequently. Woodman has answered his front door to find local police officers in need of an interpreter, and volunteered to help a Spanish-speaking mother who didn't understand a local pharmacist's directions to administer a medicine.

And after a local hooligan defaced the St. Philip's front sign, "Father Jerry" saw an opportunity, and put in a bilingual sign that says "St. Philip" on one side and "San Felipe" on the other.

But Woodman admits he's "conflicted" on the issue of illegal immigration. During an English-language Mass in June, Woodman didn't mince words. "I choose to call them 'illegal aliens,' not 'undocumented,'" said Woodman. "We need to call a spade a spade."

Woodman believes illegal immigration is helping create what he calls an "underclass" of poor Mexicans here.

"(Illegal immigrants) are breaking all kinds of laws, they're defrauding welfare systems, food stamps, schools. ... There is a certain dignity that is lost when you're living in fear."

The illegal immigration issue is getting a lot of attention at the archdiocese level as well. On May 18, the archdiocese issued a memorandum from Archbishop Alex Brunett for pastors about offering refuge and assistance to illegal immigrants, an issue that can put priests like Woodman in a tough spot.

Archdiocese spokesman Greg Magnoni confirmed the church is committed to serving the needy no matter what their situation - but it must obey the law. Brunett's memo says parishes that wish to assist undocumented persons "should notify me of their intentions."

"If someone comes to our door, and they're hungry, we don't ask why they're hungry, we just feed them," Magnoni said. "It's an issue that is very important to us, that we be able to reach out ... and at the same time, acknowledge that yes, this is a nation of laws."

St. Philip's offers several English-language Masses each week and one in Spanish, but the Spanish Mass is the largest, Woodman said, with up to 200 participants.

But it's not easy. Woodman said he tried a bilingual Mass when he arrived five years ago but "it didn't work."

Lisa Ripp, the church's administrative assistant, said St. Philip's had 30 to 50 attendees at Spanish-language Mass when Woodman arrived five years ago. Now, there are 183 families registered as members, plus 35 more who are unregistered. A growing membership is something all churches covet, and Mexican immigrants tend to lean heavily Catholic or evangelical. But is the church playing a numbers game by moving to increase its Hispanic population?

Woodman said he is not competing with evangelicals for the "Latino soul" - or thinking about the collections basket.

"It's a net negative as far as (Hispanics') financially supporting the (Catholic) church," Woodman said. "We spend more money on them than we get back.

"My ego doesn't go up and down" depending on how many people show up at Mass, he added.

In May, the Archdiocese of Seattle and Archbishop Brunett advanced efforts to change the way the church approaches Latinos. A new document titled "Pastoral Plan for Hispanic Ministry: From Guests to Hosts," reflects a paradigm shift in the church's approach to this fast-growing group.

"The intent is that there not be two separate plans but that there be one church," Magnoni said.

For St. Philip, it is one church with two languages.

"The Mass in English fascinates me because it's so organized," St. Philip's parishioner Blanca Alejo, 43, said. "With (Hispanics), we have so many children that you can't control." Alejo said, laughing, she would prefer "a nice, quiet" Mass, but "it's very tough."

St. Philip's parishioner Maria Avelar, 33, characterized Woodman as "very open" to the needs of St. Philip's Hispanics, but said more could be done to bring them together with the white parishioners.

"I feel like a lot is still missing, that the American and Hispanic communities can get together more," she said. "We're very separated." Avelar said Woodman has not included a Hispanic parishioner in a trip the church is organizing to Guadalajara, Mexico, which might help smooth bumps in the road.

"We don't hardly interact (with non-Hispanic parishioners), but when we do it's great," said Addie Lopez, 25. Lopez said St. Philip's is taking steps to bring the groups together, such as holding picnics for the combined St. Philip's community.

"He tries," Lopez said of Woodman.

All the area's Catholic churches have seen growth in the number of Latinos in their congregations.

St. Philip, St. Rose in Longview and St. John in Vancouver occasionally organize functions together. At St. Rose, the Rev. Tim Iljen said Sister Dora Aguirre helps him minister to Hispanic parishioners, which he estimated at 10 percent to 15 percent. At St. Philip's, Woodman and parishioners praised Sister Teresa Rodriguez for helping Woodman bridge the cultural and language gap.

"A lot of people want the church in their own language - it takes a generation or two to assimilate," said Iljen, of St. Rose. Like Woodman, Iljen has studied Spanish and traveled to Mexico, and holds one Spanish Mass weekly.

"It's important to minister to the people in some capacity in regards to language and their culture," he said.

Iljen said St. Rose's Spanish Masses vary between 150 and 400 worshippers. Along with widely celebrated events such as Easter, Ash Wednesday, baptisms, first Communions and Christmas, significant events for Hispanic Catholics include December 12 -- the day the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared to Juan Diego on a hillside near Tenochtitlan, Mexico - and the "presentation" of children to God at age 3.

The changes in his church have also been a time of adjustment for his traditional members, Woodman said.

"I spend a lot of my time convincing Anglo parishioners that (Hispanics) are not second-class," Woodman said. "I speak of their dignity, of the beauty of their celebration." Woodman often mentions the idea of human dignity. His interpretation of this concept, central to many faiths, involves following laws and being educated, and Woodman strongly advocates for English as a Second Language classes for immigrants.

"In some ways the Spanish study has helped my priesthood," Woodman said. "It's a different way of being Catholic."

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/642 ... asses.html

"I spend a lot of my time convincing Anglo parishioners that (Hispanics) are not second-class," Woodman said.

Guess this statement about sums it up.