B. Definition of Problems/Issues The title of the document Welcoming the Stranger among Us: Unity in Diversity, word by word, tells us four elements: the action, the subject, the reality, and the purpose (goal) in order to approach the issue of receiving immigrants in the Church. The document defines, “Unity in diversity is the vision that we bishops, as pastors of the Church in the United States, offer to our people as they welcome the new immigrants and refugees who come to our shores”. The document contextualizes the call to “conversion, communion, and solidarity” in Ecclesia in America as the way to pursue the vision of “unity in diversity” with a “new evangelization.” The spiritual reason for the unitary call is to imitate the trinitarian …show more content…
I would like to illustrate these calls by a “sandwiches model” (see picture) inspired from my reading of the WSAU.
Conversion means preparing the heart and identity. Pope John Paul II asks everyone to consider “the urgent need for a transformation of structures and a change of mentality...” because we have failed to carry out our baptismal vows and failed to practice hospitality toward others. In parishes, by not having appropriate pastoral plans for immigrants, we have not had a good welcoming practice. The WSAU has successfully identified problems of those who are not ready to welcome “the stranger.” First, nativism can be against “multiculturalism” and quickly want the process of the Catholic “Americanizers” toward new immigrants. The document reminds American Catholics that “their ancestors spoke different languages and worshiped in different ways not too long ago.” Second, competition for resources in multicultural parishes can be harmful to community life. Third, cultural fears prevent people from communicating and collaborating with each other for the sake of the multicultural community. The document emphasizes, “No culture is either permanent or perfect. All constantly need to be evangelized and uplifted by the good news of Jesus Christ.” Finally, the presence of new immigrants with their culture and language will cause major changes in pastoral programs of parishes. Thus, accepting and living with cultural pluralism, the Church requires “a profound conversion in spirit and in its
Dever argues that when you have a biblical understanding of the gospel, then you will have a biblical understanding of conversion. He points out that true conversion is coming from death to life by the power of God. He believes that true conversion is a change of nature as oppose to merely a change of attitude. Dever takes time to tackle the importance of understanding our need for change and if it is really possible. He looks at the particular change that we need, what this change will involve, and how this great change will take place.
Since more cultures are crossing geographical boundaries, it seems that it would be much easier to be a servant for Christ. Elmer says, the “focus is relational
Patel wants everyone to embrace the many different religions that we have while believing that they all can coexist in the community “I realized that it was precisely because of America’s glaring imperfections that I should seek to participate in its progress, carve a place in its promise, and play a role in its possibility. And at its heart and at its best, America was about pluralism” (Patel 89). Patel says that pluralism should be embraced and individuals should have a better understanding of one’s religion before mistaking. These mistakes can lead to disputes and ultimately to pandemonium characterized in this text.
The first Catholic missionaries, also know as Jesuits, came to New France in 1634 to spread Christianity and European values. The Jesuits established Sainte-Marie-aux-Hurons by the St. Lawrence River in 1639, creating a central base for all missionary work in New France. This paper will examine how the Jesuits ' feelings of superiority over the Huron people led to converting the native population to Christianity. Father Jean de Brébeuf saw both positive and negative aspects of the Huron confederacy. One aspect of the American Indians’ culture he approved of was their marriage customs.
1)The first article is called Portuguese Immigrant Families: The Impact of Acculturation this was written by MARIE MORRISON, M.A. and SUSAN JAMES, PH.D.. This article helps us understand what happens when some Portuguese families move to the United States and how they are able to be able to change adapt to the change in cultures. It also looks at how it affects their thinking. Morrison and James describes acculturations as “when groups of individuals having different cultures come into continuous, first-hand contact, with subsequent changes in the original culture pat- terns of either or both groups’’.
Throughout time diverse regions have considered other societies to be barbaric, causing them to have the desire of “civilizing” them. Likewise, During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the American nativist groups, possessed a similar perspective towards immigration. Nativist’s opposed immigration, as they believed that it would negatively impact the United States socially, morally, politically, and economically. Socially and morally, the nativists feared that foreigners were a threat to the American society, as they were culturally inferior, possessed many ailments, and committed crimes. Politically, the ethnocentric nativists believed that immigrants would corrupt the government and negatively influence American politics.
As a result of their emigration, America was now viewed as “multiethnic and multiracial” and “defined in terms of culture and creed” (Huntington 1). On the contrary, when people traveled across the border from Mexico, their culture was not so widely accepted. Mexican traditions and values were seen as a “serious challenge to America’s traditional identity” (Huntington 2). The “original settlers” of America were incredibly open to people travelling from Europe, but when people came from Latin America, they were
The “Outsiders” made me think about the rules that groups give us are strongly founded on what they see as defiance. It made me think that some rules are given within a group are not remotely necessary and that we as a society are to blame for what is deemed as “socially acceptable”. Deviants may not even be actually deviants but that’s what they are labeled by society because they think, what the deviant did was wrong, which could be made up by what society thinks is okay behavior. The relation to this reading and the sociology course shows how society controls us and how they consider we should act. It reminded me of how society tells us as women that showing off our body parts is deemed as trashy and not lady like, but men can do so without
In spite of multiculturalism hinders Christian evangelism in some way, we can take advantage of multiculturalism in another way. We can approach to many other nations without traveling overseas in Canada. There are varieties of people from many nations live in Canada who still actively and regularly connecting with their families, relatives, and friends from the countries they have come from. If we can evangelize them and make some of them faithful disciples of Christ, they will evangelize to their own nations.
However, what isn 't right is for people of a country to stereotype other racial, ethnic, or religious groups and disallow them from migrating to that place. Regarding this, any government should be willing to welcome the foreigner in their own search for a sense of security and safety from environments corrupted by violence, despotism, or poverty; this is the government 's first and foremost duty ("Catholic Church 's Position on Immigration Reform"). The Catholic Catechism further expands on this idea, saying, "The more prosperous nations are obliged, to the extent they are able, to welcome the
Introduction Informative, contemplative, and different are three words to describe “How Immigrants Become ‘Other’” by Marcelo M. Suárez-Orozco and Carola Suárez-Orozco from Rereading America. “How Immigrants Become ‘Other’” talks about unauthorized immigration. More specifically, this source talks about the other side of the issue of unauthorized immigrants; the human face of it all. “How Immigrants Become ‘Other’” depicts the monster from one of Jeffrey Jerome Cohen’s thesis in the article, “Monster Culture (7 Theses).” The monster seen in the source “How Immigrants Become ‘Other’” is the one that Cohen talks about in his fourth thesis, “The Monster Dwells at the Gates of Difference.”
Ivan Illich’s speech to the Conference on InterAmerican Student Projects entitled To Hell With Good Intentions is ironic, seeing as he criticizes humanitarian efforts in Mexico and Latin America to the people who volunteer to help these impoverished countries. His opposition to missionaries does not stem from personal views against helping others; rather, from the impact that is actually made upon these nations. Illich’s message that American missionaries are harmful despite their good intentions should be taken to heart by all American aid workers in order to reduce the negative impact of boasting American culture into impoverished Latin American nations. My initial reaction to Illich’s speech was one of disbelief—not at the subject matter itself, but at the audience to whom the subject matter was delivered. Making such a statement at a convention of American missionaries is a bold move, and was surely met with mixed reactions from those in attendance.
And sometimes to achieve such goals we have to take risks and move to new places or make decisions that put’s one in a grievous position. This story was just an example of the emotional toll we as humans take to make a gratifying life for ourselves. Some embrace change and some can only take small bits at a time. Overall it is important to make these moves and to find a niche with what little time we have on this planet; be it for yourself or your family. Embrace the good and cast-off the bad because whether you’re living in a place you have been your whole life or are just getting adjusted to new surroundings, the feelings of wanting to be accepted for faith, culture and ethnic back-round are as real as both places.
Response to “Our Fear of Immigrants” In “Our Fear of Immigrants” Jeremy Adam Smith takes a neutral stance on the immigration and anti-immigration argument. Smith begins by telling the story of a 4th grade class at Jefferson Elementary School in Berkeley, California who try to fight back against immigration laws after a classmate of theirs was deported back to his home country. Smith then goes on to compare the 4th graders to the adults of their town who fight for stronger immigration laws asking his readers what qualities the children possess that the rest of the citizens do not to make them react so differently.
Also, there are immigrants out there that have two faces; a face for around the family and a face for outside of family with friends. These people might also have similar obstacles as Faith. Especially, in the United States, people can choose what kind of cultures they want to practice. For example, there was a family, whose were originally practice Jewish culture, but their children never really follow the traditions of the culture. They sometimes just celebrate the Holidays that Jews have.