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By Priscilla Greear, Staff Writer
ATLANTA—This month the Atlanta Archdiocese conducted its
first survey of Hispanics, in 45 parishes of North Georgia with Hispanic
ministries, in order to obtain a real statistical understanding of this
community and its pastoral and social needs.
An archdiocesan committee has been planning the survey over the
last year and has retained the services of Martha Rees, Ph.D., professor of
anthropology at Agnes Scott College in Decatur, who lived for 15 years in
Mexico and has worked extensively in the Hispanic community.
Committee members included Jim Kantner, Ph.D., Secretary of
Catholic Charities; Betti Knott, archdiocesan director of operations; Donald
Sasso, Secretary for Education; Father Victor Reyes, pastor of St. Joseph
Church, Athens; Msgr. David Talley, judicial vicar; Gonzalo Saldaña and
Silvia Garcia-Maldonado of the Hispanic Apostolate; and Kathy Wolf, executive
director of religious education.
By determining social, educational and other needs, Msgr. Talley
hopes the survey will advise Archbishop John F. Donoghue and heads of Catholic
Center departments on how to best serve Hispanics on an archdiocesan level,
while revealing strengths Hispanics bring to the church community.
“We need to help (Hispanic priests) with their ministry. We
are looking for this survey to have a better sense of who our people
are—cultural identity, where they come from, spiritual needs, everything
involved with our Hispanic population. Our priests and deacons—they know
most of this. We need to know. It should help us to do a better job in
assisting priests and pastors and deacons who (minister) to our people,”
said Msgr. Talley. “We all believe it’s a gift from God we’ve
been given so many from so many different countries and they’re part of
us—brothers and sisters—hermanos y hermanas en Cristo. We’re
trying to do all we can, not only to accept that and celebrate, but to learn
about how to make our diocese stronger through their faith, fidelity and
faithfulness.”
Saldaña, director of the Hispanic Apostolate, agreed that
results of the survey would benefit not only his office but also the whole
archdiocese. The mission of his office is to advise the archbishop and his
department heads, provide archdiocesan programs for Hispanics and serve as a
resource for Hispanic ministries. The results of the survey “could affect
practically everyone, not only my office, every department in the
archdiocese,” he said.
Archbishop Donoghue wrote in September to priests and deacons in
parishes with Hispanics asking for their support. “This work is vitally
important to us, for it will give all of us a clearer picture of the size and
make-up of the Hispanic communities that have become a blessing to the Church
of Atlanta,” he wrote. “I ask for your support of this statistical
assessment, under the direction of Dr. Rees. This survey will provide us with
needed information—and with this information, I pray, we will be able to
serve our Hispanic brothers and sisters more fully.”
Rees called the survey a “first look” at Catholic
Hispanics, which will indicate the way to continue evaluating the changes that
the Hispanic population is undergoing.
The survey had 49 questions and did not ask for the
participant’s name. Questions covered demographic, economic, migration and
religious information about the individual and his/her household. Topics
included educational level, birthplace, employment, marital status, languages
spoken, children, transportation, housing, family in another country, and needs
from and participation in the church.
Participants weren’t asked their legal status. “We
definitely didn’t want to make people nervous and this is a population
that is very docile out of fear. They are afraid to ask for minimum wage and
health benefits,” Rees said.
The anthropologist predicted that in addition to the majority
being Mexican that many have weak ties to the church “in the sense that
many may come fairly regularly but don’t participate in any way except
coming to Mass.”
The surveys were distributed to 50 adults per service, a random
sampling of every 15th person in the pews, during all weekend Masses. There are
an estimated 30,000 participants in the 73 weekly Spanish Masses, with 63 being
held on Saturday and Sunday. At each parish, a volunteer made an announcement
during the Mass explaining the survey, after which the survey was distributed
during or after the service. Volunteers also counted the number of men, women
and children under 18 attending. Survey data will be weighed in proportion to
Mass size through a statistical analysis computer program.
Saldaña went to five of the churches where he found
parishioners glad to be able to contribute. “The people were receptive.
They don’t mind filling in the questionnaire. They actually welcome the
project.”
The final report will be out in February 2002, which will include
a description of the demographic, economic, social and religious
characteristics of the Hispanics who attend Mass in parish ministries
collectively and individually, and recommendations by Rees. It could help the
archdiocese in everything from determining the need for English classes to
considering the need for a school for poor Hispanics seeking Catholic
education, Saldaña said. Results will be sent to all churches.
Rees noted the church is not alone in its search, as schools and
other institutions across Atlanta are all facing similar challenges on how to
better serve this community, as the Hispanic population in North Georgia has
increased by 200 percent in the last decade, most of this since 1995.
“In Atlanta we Anglos have been taken unaware by the rapid
change in our population and it’s not too surprising it has taken this
long for an institution like the church to catch on (and do this survey)
because looking at the Census Bureau they barely figured it out last
count.”
In March 2000 various archdiocesan department heads and priest,
laity and deacon representatives began meeting to discuss the church response
to the Hispanic presence in the archdiocese, after which the meetings expanded
to include other offices and organizations like the St. Vincent de Paul
Society. From these meetings emerged a proposal for the survey from Father
Jorge Christancho, on behalf of Hispanic priests, and the core committee began
planning the assessment with Rees.
Saldaña added that an archdiocesan-wide survey was also
discussed, but members decided to begin with a Hispanic survey, as they’re
the most misunderstood group.
Meanwhile, Msgr. Talley said Hispanic priests and others involved
with Hispanic ministry last year also began holding a second set of
“listening sessions” with him on Hispanics and the church, where they
made the same recommendation for an assessment. Whether the committee on
Hispanics continues meeting will depend on the “direction the archbishop
offers after he receives the survey,” Msgr. Talley said.
He also said that the archbishop, in response to concerns among
priests, has formed a separate steering committee headed by Father Reyes and
with priests and others to restructure the Hispanic Apostolate and to make
suggestions on ways it can be more responsive to the priests and deacons in
parishes.
With the possible restructuring process of his office, “this
project could give a more clear direction as to what role our office
plays,” said Saldaña. He hopes dialogue on Hispanics will continue
between his office and other archdiocesan departments and priests ministering
to Hispanics in the archdiocese, with whom he doesn’t regularly meet.
“It is necessary. I, at some point, think it would be very nice to be able
to get together, to come talk about situations and share and learn what is
happening. I think it could help us plan. I think we’ll be working in
collaboration more.” |
