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Mexico City, Mexico, Feb 8, 2017 / 10:44 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The Catholic weekly of the Archdiocese of Mexico City criticized the city’s new constitution, saying that “it does not recognize what is most valuable for any human being, even from the maternal womb, the dignity of life.”

In their editorial published Feb. 5, Desde la Fe described the new constitution as “an illegitimate document, hasty, a recipe of ideologies and juridical absurdities.”

The voting on the articles of the Constitution ended on Jan. 31. The document will go into full effect on Sept. 17, 2018.

For the Catholic weekly, what ought to be a foundational document ended up being “hijacked by intolerant, murderous and absurd leftist positions by recognizing rights where they ought not to be and not recognizing those which ought to be in the legal document.”

“The debate on the right to life was unparalleled. By the imposition of the majority, the first of all rights was left out of the text.”

This reality, the publication said, “hides the immorality of euthanasia, and the lucrative and abominable business of abortion, which is worse than drug trafficking.”

“The Pyrrhic victory of the constitutional assembly serves to cover over the millions in revenue of the abortion industry that enriches a few persons more and more. In 2014, the World Health Organization stated that in Mexico there could be 1.5 million annual abortions, the profits for which would be greater than approximately $194 million.”

Desde la Fe pointed out that “the juicy and lucrative business of death mainly benefits pharmaceutical companies and laboratories that make medications to induce the death of human beings.”

“At 160 years after the promulgation of the 1857 Constitution and in the centenary of the Political Constitution of the United Mexican States that governs us, these anniversaries are overshadowed by the promulgation of a poor text, as opposed to the liberal principles of justice and equality: a murderous constitution has been produced that does not recognize what is most valuable for any human being, even from the maternal womb, the dignity of life,” they concluded.

 

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IMAGE: CNS photo/Andy Telli, Tennessee Register

By Andy Telli

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (CNS) -- A wave of demographic change is sweeping through the Catholic Church in the United States. According to projections, in 20 years, half of American Catholics will be Hispanic.

The Diocese of Nashville, like many dioceses, is already seeing this wave rolling toward middle Tennessee. One recent study found that 34 percent of the Catholics in the diocese self-identify as Hispanic, said Sister Mary Johanna Mellody, a member of the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia Congregation in Nashville whose assignment is to work in Hispanic ministry.

"It's the future of our church," Sister Mary Johanna said of the growing Hispanic population.

While the number of Latino families in the diocese and the country is growing, the number of Hispanic students enrolled in Catholic schools hasn't kept pace. Of the 14.6 million school-age children in the United States, 8 million are Hispanic, Sister Mary Johanna said. Of those 8 million, 93 percent were born in the United States and are American citizens, she added.

But only 400,000 Latino students are enrolled in Catholic schools, she told the Tennessee Register, Nashville's diocesan newspaper. And that poses a big problem.

"We're totally losing them," Sister Mary Johanna said of the younger generation of Latinos who are drifting away from the Catholic faith of their families.

"They want a good education for their kids," she said of Hispanic families. "They want the faith if they could get it."

All of the schools in the Diocese of Nashville are trying to reach out to more Hispanic families, said Therese Williams, superintendent of schools for the diocese. And several have had some success, including St. Henry, St. Edward, St. Ann and St. Cecilia Academy. "The more diverse the school is, the more real world experience it is for our students," Williams said.

But there are several barriers to increasing Latino enrollment, both cultural and financial. Schools have little choice but to try to find ways around those barriers, said Dominican Sister Anne Catherine Burleigh, principal of St. Cecilia, an all-girls school.

"Are we going to reach out with the message of the Gospel to a new generation of immigrants?" she asked. "The mission remains the same as with earlier waves of immigrants taught at Catholic schools. Catholic schools exist to evangelize. The primary mission is to share the truth of the Gospel."

This year, St. Cecilia has 21 students who are Hispanic, including 11 in the freshman class. That's about 8 percent of the total enrollment of about 270 students.

Rather than have a campaign to target Hispanic families, the growing number of Latina students at St. Cecilia is the result of "more word of mouth, person to person," Sister Anne Catherine said. "Word of mouth is the best publicity."

It's how Leonel and Julia Santos of St. Rose of Lima Church in Murfreesboro found a Catholic school for their daughter, Valeria, a graduate of St. Rose School and a freshman at St. Cecilia.

The Santos family is from Mexico and moved to middle Tennessee for Leonel Santos' job as an electrical engineer. Although Leonel Santos attended public schools in Mexico from kindergarten through college, his wife, Julia, attended Catholic schools. When they arrived in Tennessee, they were looking for a Catholic school for their daughter.

"We always want the best for our kids. We want to provide for them the best education," Leonel Santos told the Tennessee Register. "In Catholic schools they learn self-discipline and high commitment. They learn not only skills and academic subjects, but they also learn the faith and values. That's a complement to the education."

Marvin and Claudia Andrade both attended Catholic schools in their native El Salvador. And when they moved to Nashville, they were looking for a Catholic school for their daughter, Grecia, a junior at St. Cecilia who attended St. Edward School from fourth through eighth grade.

The Andrades wanted their only child in a Catholic school because "we want her to live her faith," Claudia Andrade said. When they came to St. Cecilia for an interview the first time, they saw that Mass was offered every day and the day started and ended with prayer, she said. The family found that appealing as well as the school's high academic standards, discipline and the foundation it can provide for college, she said.

A personal approach is important in recruiting Hispanic families, said Sister Mary Johanna, who is fluent in Spanish and acts as an unofficial bridge between Hispanic families and Catholic schools in the area. "It's all about relationships with Hispanics. It's not about a poster on the wall," she said. "You have to build a relationship."

Part of that is helping Hispanic families cross the language barrier. It's important for the schools to have people on staff who can act as translators and to help the families navigate a Catholic school culture they might not be familiar with, Sister Mary Johanna said.

In some cases, families need more practical advice, Sister Anne Catherine said, such as how to fill out the application, how to apply for financial aid, where to get uniforms, how to navigate the American college application process, how to get involved in the school.

At St. Cecilia, the school hosts a Family Night for the families of all new students, including the Hispanic families. But the school also held a second Family Night just for the Hispanic families that was conducted in Spanish, Sister Anne Catherine said.

Grecia Andrade and Valeria Santos and their parents all agreed that the school has made them feel welcome.

"It's been amazing. I've loved every moment here," Grecia said. "We're really like a family here."

Valeria echoed her schoolmate. She's had the chance to meet girls from other elementary schools and from all grades at St. Cecilia. "We're like sisters, she said. "We're a family."

But the biggest obstacle is most often financial, Sister Mary Johanna said. "We've got to figure out a way to get more assistance," not just for Hispanic families but for all families, she said. "We've got to do something. We've got to figure out some way to help families."

As the former principal of St. Pius X School in Nashville, Sister Mary Johanna understands the budget pressures and limited financial resources that school leaders face. "It's not that schools don't want to do this. They just have limited resources," she said.

Hispanic families, like all families seeking tuition assistance, go through the financial-aid application process. A third party looks at the family's financial profile and makes a recommendation on the amount of assistance they need, Sister Anne Catherine said. "And we go from there."

St. Cecilia already has endowed scholarships for particular groups of students, such as those with an interest in the arts or those who come from large families, Sister Anne Catherine said. She would like to establish a similar endowed scholarship for Hispanic students. "I know there are people out there with a heart for this ministry," she said of potential donors.

And the appreciation for how a Catholic education can change lives will spread throughout the Hispanic community, Sister Mary Johanna said. "Once you get a few families, then you get more. Once you get it started, it's self-propelling."

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Telli is managing editor of the Tennessee Register, newspaper of the Diocese of Nashville.

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IMAGE: CNS photo/Francisco Lara, Catholic Sentinel

By Rocio Rios

PORTLAND, Ore. (CNS) -- Father Raul Marquez had never seen anything like it. Eight men walked to the front door of St. Peter Church in Southeast Portland Jan. 29 and began bellowing during the Spanish Mass.

Dressed like hunters, they accused worshippers of not being true Christians, questioned the sexual morals of the women and harangued the congregation for being made up of immigrants.

The group, which calls itself "Street Preachers," has been setting up counter-protests at events criticizing President Donald Trump, including a late-January demonstration at Portland International Airport.

The harmony that naturally comes from Mass was shattered. The community, already living in fear because of federal immigration policy proposals, was shocked.

"All that Sunday I felt upset and didn't understand," said Father Marquez, a Colombian native who has been pastor of St. Peter for five years. "How I was going to be happy while I heard and remembered the verbal insult? I was looking for an answer."

The Gospel reading of the day said, in part, "Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you."

The following Sunday, Feb. 5, an answer to the priest's question came and the fear was soothed as more than 300 people formed a human shield in front of St. Peter Church during Masses. News of the previous week's attack had gone out on social media, drawing the crowd that stood in silence, holding signs.

"I didn't expect this outpouring of love for us," said Alberto Gonzalez, a native of Oaxaca, Mexico, who has been a member of St. Peter for 18 months. "This time is very difficult for us and here we are surrounded by love of all of the American people, who came to show they are here, we are one, we are one community."

With tears in his eyes, Gonzalez said he has not felt supported until now. At first, he thought the large group of white people had come to hurl more invective, but then he saw they had come to protect their brothers and sisters.

"This is solidarity," Gonzalez told the Catholic Sentinel, newspaper of the Portland Archdiocese. "This is love."

Parishioners got a lesson in nonviolent response to harassment. A table of coffee and sweets was put up near the front door of the church for protectors who came out despite chilly rain.

Joining Father Marquez in a sign of support were Father Ron Millican from nearby Our Lady of Sorrows Church and the Rev. Elizabeth Larson from St. Mark Lutheran Church.

"I wanted to come here and hug each person," Rev. Larson said.

Father Millican invited his parishioners to come and show support. "We need to be together," he said. "It is very sad that it takes something like this to make us come together. But it is beautiful -- the outpouring of support for the dignity of everyone."

Nona Carrasco was one of those outside who got completely wet. "This is my community," Carrasco said. "I don't stand for bigotry. I will stand for my community and this is what we do."

Also in the crowd was Matt Cato, director of the Archdiocese of Portland's Office of Life, Justice and Peace.

Father Marquez received hundreds of messages of support. The first was a letter from Portland Archbishop Alexander K. Sample, who told the people of St. Peter Parish he stands with them.

"I was saddened beyond words to learn of the terrible experience that many of you encountered as you came to church last weekend," the archbishop said in his letter. "It is so tragic that you were coming to celebrate God's love and mercy and yet you experienced cruelty and hatred at the hands of severely misguided protesters.

"I am especially upset to learn of the verbal abuse heaped upon members of our Hispanic community" and also what was "directed against women in your community," he said, calling it "vile behavior." Archbishop Sample also noted that the same group was targeting other churches as well.

"Please be assured that I, as your archbishop and shepherd, stand firmly with you in the face of such ignorant and hateful words," the archbishop told parishioners. "You are our brothers and sisters, and as members of the same family of faith, we must hold fast to our unity in Christ. ' Be assured of my love and prayers for all of you."

After the Feb. 5 Mass, Father Marquez walked out to thank supporters. He could barely move as people hugged him and asked for his blessing.

"This is the time to live the Gospel radically by praying for those men and their few sympathizers and to intentionally forgive them," the priest said.

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Rios is editor of El Centinela, the monthly Spanish-language newspaper of the Portland Archdiocese.

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