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Bishops from the Lone Star State represented San Antonio, Austin, Corpus Christi, Tyler, Galveston-Houston, Dallas, Beaumont, San Angelo, Lubbock, El Paso, Laredo, Amarillo and Brownsville.
This was the second meeting of bishops from the provinces of Monterrey and San Antonio. The last meeting occurred three years ago in Linares, Mexico, which was the last archdiocese having jurisdiction over the church in Texas before the state’s independence in 1836.
Bishop Emeritus John McCarthy of Austin opened the event with a lesson on the history of the church in Texas.
“Every section of the United States has its own distinctiveness but this is true in a very special way for the state of Texas,” Bishop McCarthy began. “Understanding the history, culture and environment of the state is necessary in order to understand the various relationships that Texas and the Catholic Church in Texas have beyond the confines of the state’s political boundaries.”
The bishop said any society is impacted and affected positively and negatively by a wide range of factors, and he examined five that he considered to be extremely important: geography, migration of peoples, war, and Mexico.
In discussing poverty and wealth, Bishop McCarthy said, “Petroleum and chemical industries, followed by high tech industries, have created an extraordinary amount of wealth in this state, but the enjoyment of this wealth has not been shared in an equal manner across the general population. This applies especially to minorities. Hispanics and African Americans were blocked from educational, economic and political opportunities until the 1960’s and the damage done in those areas in the preceding years has yet to be overcome.”
The retired bishop of Austin described the physical proximity of Texas with Mexico as one of the dominant features of life in this state.
“Today, approximately one-fourth of the population of Texas has either come recently from Mexico or has its roots in that country. That percent is increasing,” said Bishop McCarthy. “This has tremendous long-range implications for the state and, from our point of view, especially for the church.”
Msgr. Arturo Bañuelas from the Diocese of El Paso discussed the implications of the Vatican document “Ecclesia in America” (The Church in America) for the neighboring provinces.
In looking at parishes as ministerial communities, the monsignor said he sees a shift from the Council of Trent to Vatican II concerning ministry, and that ministerial communities serve to counter global and postmodern cultures.
Msgr. Bañuelas described parishes as centers of spirituality, especially in border areas, saying that the traditions of the Catholic Church and the great themes of faith counter global and post modern cultures.
That afternoon, Father Daniel Gagnon, OMI, examined the challenge of proselytism by sects on both sides of the border versus genuine ecumenism.
The first day of the meetings ended with a liturgy and reception at Mission San José. A special guest who joined the bishops at a fajita dinner following Mass was noted silversmith James Avery. Earlier on Wednesday, Auxiliary Bishop Patrick Zurek of San Antonio had given each of the bishops the gift of a silver pectoral cross made by the master jeweler, whose wife is Catholic.
The highlight of the gathering was a presentation on Sept. 2 dealing with legal and societal issues of migration. “Strangers No Longer: Together on the Journey of Hope,” the recent joint document by the Mexican and U.S. bishops on migration which stressed the importance of keeping families together, was explored by Bishop Nicholas A. DiMarzio of the Diocese of Brooklyn, N.Y. The prelate is a member of the USCCB Committee on Migration and Refugee Services.
Bishop DiMarzio thanked the bishops of the border dioceses for the leadership they have shown in the immigration reform issue. “In time, these efforts will pay off with the enactment of legislation which will help legalize those here without status and repair a broken immigration system,” he said.
The bishop explored church involvement in the immigration system by discussing “timeless principles” on this issue.
He began, “The first principle, not to migrate, plays to the strength of the church as a universal presence and actor. Our presence in all parts of the world, including the Third World, gives us to authority to speak about the push factors of migration and the conditions which force migrants to move. Contrary to public opinion in the United States, the migration decision is not taken lightly by those who make it: leaving your home and family and even to risk your life to smugglers and the desert. Much more preferable is a world in which migrants migrate legally by choice, not by necessity.”
Bishop DiMarzio continued, “The second principle, the right to migrate, is more current, topical and real. In order to survive and support a family, a person has a right to migrate and nations should accommodate that right. The third principle, the right of the sovereign to control its borders, indicated that sovereign nations, measured by the common good of its citizens, can reasonably restrict immigration.”
Finally, the bishop said, “The fourth principle, affording protection to refugees and asylum seekers, is a cornerstone of Catholic advocacy. This area of protection has been eroded since the events of September 11. It must remain part of the Catholic agenda, even more so today.”
Polls show that Americans, including Catholics, are divided on the issue of immigration. In order to change the status quo, the bishops of the Committee on Migration are planning on launching a Catholic Campaign for Immigration Reform, which will target dioceses and parishes with education material and outreach and will also include advocacy for immigration reform.
“No matter who is president come this November 3, the enactment of immigration reform will not be easy. Congress still holds leverage, but we have the facts and numbers on our side,” said Bishop DiMarzio. “The church can play a pivotal role in the movement toward reform and the pastoral letter has given us a moral and legal framework to do so. We now have to lead.”
After the speech, a recommendation was made by Bishop Michael Pfeifer, OMI, of San Angelo that ordinaries from the Texas border dioceses look at this issue further in a meeting later this fall.
Following the bishop’s talk, Mark and Louise Zwick from Casa Juan Diego in Houston spoke on the pastoral care of migrants.
In later sessions, Sister Mária Elena González, RSM, and Arturo Chavez from the Mexican American Cultural Center in San Antonio talked about youth and young adults in the life of the church and their formation for ecclesial ministry. Lastly, Father Eusebio Martinez from the Diocese of Brownsville addressed vocations to the priesthood and religious life.
On Thursday evening, the bishops concluded the gathering by concelebrating a Mass at San Fernando Cathedral, the oldest cathedral sanctuary in the United States. |