USCCB - (MRS) - South East Action Plan Summaries

MRS > Migration Policy and Public Affair Office > South East Action Plan Summaries

Charleston

The diocesan bishop is asking each parish to develop a plan and create structures “for welcoming, integration and accompaniment of immigrants and refugees and other newcomers.” To assist in this effort, the diocese will provide training to assist parishes “to empower parishioners in becoming part of the welcoming process,” to locate the necessary resources to achieve their goals, and to incorporate advocacy activities into their plans.
The diocese, particularly through the leadership of its Ethnic Ministries Office, will work to increase its capacity and service level to all ethnic groups (instead of solely providing services for “the top three ethnic groups: Hispanic, African American, and Vietnamese).”
The diocese will provide sensitivity training to its own staff and leaders such that they are better able to work with and value persons whose first language is not English.

Houma-Thibodaux

The diocese, through the leadership of the Priests Continuing Education Committee, will provide two days of workshop training to respond to the requests of priests, diocesan office directors, principals, pastoral ministers as well as parish and chancery support staff who wish to increase their capacity to serve diverse newcomers.
The diocesan Communications Office in collaboration with the Office of Pastoral staffing will develop a Spanish-language video to provide new immigrants basic information about the diocese and parishes of Houma-Thibodaux and invite them to become an active part of their respective parish communities.
The diocese will offer a Spanish immersion program - Español Rapido - for priests and pastoral ministers. The course is designed to help participants rapidly acquire Spanish language skills in an enjoyable, fast and easy manner. The course will be offered in three sessions of five days each over the course of nine months. It has been proven very effective in other dioceses.
The diocese will also work to assist in the language development of those who speak only Spanish by establishing diocesan cooperative ESL programs.

Jackson

The diocese has developed a two-year plan to provide training an technical assistance to parishes to help them become “open, inviting, welcoming, and inclusive ‘Catholic’ communities.” The first-year syllabus includes an exploration of the “broad experience” of immigration and its impact on the US and the Church. It will help the participants explore their own personal experiences (i.e. “who are my ancestors? how did they come to this country? How were they treated on arrival, what can be learned?). With the global and personal experience as a backdrop, it also focuses on addressing fears of the community in accepting and incorporating immigrants. The second year syllabus will focus on “dialogue with the stranger;” including processes for exploring stereotypes, dispelling myths and separating fact from fiction.
The diocese, through the leadership of its Hispanic Affairs Office and a multi-departmental “welcoming the stranger” committee, will train parish facilitators to run the training program.
At the end of the two-year program, the diocese hopes that the renewed climate and enhanced capacity of the Church to welcome and incorporate “the stranger” will help facilitate diocesan-wide “Evangelization Program” particularly targeted to increasing the number of immigrant and ethnically diverse Catholics to become fully active members of parish communities. The diocese will develop “external signs and symbols” of the welcoming commitment of the Church which will be placed outside Catholic parishes and in community centers throughout the diocese.
The committee will utilize low cost media opportunities (such as op-ed pieces, diocesan newspaper, etc.) to promote the message that the Catholic Church is inclusive and that all are welcome at the table.
The diocese will build on its ‘cluster structures,’ which link together parishes in geographically decentralized locations, to overcome the separation and nonparticipation of isolated communities.

Lexington

The diocese will use a multi-phase approach to implement steps in a process to welcome and integrate migrants and newcomers. To begin, they are planning to develop a diocesan-wide vision statement on diversity followed by a diocesan-wide training program. The training program will be for all parish leadership (pastors, pastoral directors and associates, deacons, lay leadership, etc.) and will cover the “philosophy of multi-ethnic ministry and inculturation.” The training will also offer examples of practical methods, best practices and samples of curricula.
Posters and materials with the diocesan vision statement will be given to each parish during the training. They will be encouraged to display these prominently in their parishes to demonstrate the commitment of the Church to welcoming newcomers and diverse peoples.
As part of the training and follow-up communication with the pastoral leaders the dioceses will provide “best methods” for incorporating the Church’s teaching on welcoming the stranger into homilies, formation classes, etc.
The diocese will also determine which parishes have the highest concentrations of ethnically/ culturally diverse parishioners. The diocese (at its own expense) will then make available, a packet of books, workbooks and resources to these “ethnic parishes.” The resource packet will also be available upon request to other parishes that find themselves over time as host to new ethnic communities or who wish to become more involved in multicultural ministry.
The diocese will update its communications vehicles to promote the “welcoming the stranger” initiative. As such, the diocese will develop a “master diocesan calendar” to draw parish communities into both “common and culturally specific liturgical practice.” Items to be included on the calendar include: special feast days, Heritage Day Mass, Migrant Farmworkers Week, etc. Furthermore, the diocese will publish worship aides in various languages or supply them on the Diocesan website. It will also pursue opportunities in the diocesan and secular media to promote Catholic Social Teaching on “welcoming the stranger.”
The diocese will undertake new efforts to insure that its diocesan celebrations are “culturally inclusive.”

Memphis

The diocese will organize four training sessions to work to enable the parishes to develop comprehensive action plans which provide outreach to diverse newcomers, such that “immigrants, migrants, and refugees…feel and become a part of the parish life."
The training will be designed to encourage and assist parishes in reorganizing basic structures to recognize the presence of diversity in the midst of each parish. For example, pastoral councils will be expected to include representatives "for the ministry of welcoming diversity," and parishes with large ethnic minorities will be expected to "have a member of the ethnic community as a co-worker or will hire a member to assist in ministry."
As part of the training program, parish leaders will be offered specific strategies for reaching out to newcomers, such as assisting them with efforts to secure proper housing, health care and other basic services and including the diverse newcomers on "committees and ministries in diocesan and parish life."

Orlando

The diocese will use the resources of its Social Development Secretariat, along with other offices when appropriate, to organize two phases of training and evangelization. This program of diocesan and parish training programs will work to “build bridges and inclusive models of church among the diverse cultures and languages present in diocese” and to work on how parish leaders can be “bridge builders between the established parishioners and the new comers to their community.” They will also focus on on “dismantling…myths, providing face to face encounters with immigrants and refugees in order to hear their stories, giving the opportunity to hear how other dioceses and parishes…have handled positively the challenges of multiculturalism,” and developing the resources necessary to overcome obstacles.
The diocese will continue to encourage processes of welcome already in place, including immersion experiences -- especially with farm workers and its sister diocese in the Dominican Republic-- advocacy trips to the state capital to legislate in behalf of immigrants and refugees, and pastoral care that is respectful of cultural differences.”
In order “to bless…transformation of hearts,” the diocese plans “a multicultural liturgical celebration” of the fruits of its work to welcome its diversity.

Pittsburgh

The diocese will hire a coordinator to implement a comprehensive plan for identifying and addressing the needs of various newcomers in the diocese. One major project will be the development of "a database of appropriate information, statistics, resources, and educational and training materials that may be used for advocacy, outreach, and promotion of pastoral awareness and education in welcoming the newcomer in the diocese."
The diocese will offer new education and formation opportunities "in order to help clergy and laity to recognize the blessings and giftedness of newcomers to the Pittsburgh region, and the centrality of this initiative to the Eucharist."
The diocese will also offer special forums to highlight "laws, policies, concerns, questions, resources, and Church teachings on immigration (legal & illegal), refugee and migration issues," targeting a broad audience of diocesan leaders, parish leaders, educators, and the laity.

Savannah

The diocese will make special efforts to accommodate and welcome the “tremendous growth in Hispanic population” (its primary immigrant population) represented by a 128% increase in Hispanic residents from 1990 to 2000.
Spanish-speaking personnel will be added to the three bilingual priests of the diocese. Seminarians will be required to study Spanish. The diocese will provide scholarships to allow lay the option to attend local community college Spanish classes or to attend an intensive three week Spanish language training program conducted by the diocese.
The diocese will incorporate the Encuentro process into its ongoing activities and use its resources to offer a program of training for ministry in a multi-cultural church using the expertise of the mobile team of the Mexican American Cultural Center (MACC). This MACC program will invite, inform, train and provide resources to pastoral council members, catechists, teachers, parents, social service providers, Disciples in Mission leaders and others.
The diocese will encourage “elementary and secondary Catholic schools to recruit Hispanic students through scholarships and supportive services like tutoring.”
The diocese will develop a “Diocesan Resource Library,” from which they can circulate and share resources on multicultural ministry and welcoming the stranger with the parishes. Examples of resources which will be included in the lending library are; Who Are My Sisters and Brothers educational guide, video and reflections; copies of the video tape and parish guide for Many Faces in God’s house; and the Welcoming the Stranger Among Us statement, brochures and parish kit.