Print Issue: October 31, 2002
Social Service Groups Study Ways To Use Hispanic Survey To Help Their Ministries
By Priscilla Greear, Staff Writer
ATLANTA - As the members of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops confer Nov. 11-14 on increasing Hispanic ministry, the Archdiocese of Atlanta is evaluating the results of its own survey of Hispanic Catholics.
The Hispanic Apostolate, which sponsored the survey "Who Are We, What Do We Need?" completed in March, held an overview meeting Oct. 15 to answer questions and explore how the survey can be used to help them better serve some of the estimated 460,000 Hispanics across North Georgia. It was led by Martha Rees, an anthropologist at Agnes Scott College who conducted the survey, and was attended by individuals from organizations from the St. Vincent de Paul Society to Catholic Social Services.
"You people in this room are on the front line of helping this population which is the largest growing and the poverty population with the biggest need," Rees told attendees.
Sheila Bissonnette, executive director of the Atlanta council of the St. Vincent de Paul Society, attended the meeting to get some insight on better serving their increasing numbers of Hispanic clients. Thirty five percent of those surveyed expressed a need for more social services while only a small number expressed need for financial help.
"For us it said don't focus on giving money, focus on classes," Bissonnette said. "Up to this point (Hispanic) people have come and expressed what their need is. We're looking at the survey and saying, 'how can we be more proactive to see how we can take some of our classes out to the parishes and get volunteers to offer classes?'"
Help getting a driver's license was one of the highest social needs expressed in the survey after English classes and legal aid. Rees extrapolated from the survey data that, with two cars per Hispanic household, there are about 100,000 people in North Georgia now driving around without a driver's license. "I think that is a big public safety issue that everybody" is affected by, she said.
At the meeting Gonzalo Saldaņa, director of the Hispanic Apostolate, stressed the importance of collaboration between departments and organizations - such as the project with SVdP and Catholic Social Services - regarding the response to the dramatic growth in the Hispanic population.
Regarding the need to continually reach out to Hispanics and welcome them, it was also noted that some pastors have the mentality that they can't do much for Hispanics if they're not contributing financially, as that would foster a dependence on those services. Seventy three percent surveyed have never served in a parish ministry. Rees noted a system in Mexico where parishioners take volunteer roles in things like church maintenance and landscaping even when they can't tithe, fostering a sense of church ownership.
"Really the only way for us to expand in services is perhaps working in a pastoral conjunto - which is the first dimension of the National Pastoral Plan (for Hispanic Ministry) - is to have a collaborative ministry - and to have this in mind, that we need to serve another part of the population which is very large, very needy and which is also Catholic," Saldaņa added.
Rees further stressed the need for more communication. "You also need lists and horizontal communication like we're doing right here, not only vertical. And the priests need to get together with each other and the deacons need to get together with each other and the priests need to get together with you all. Every one of you has something to bring to this table . . . I'd also like to see focus type groups and listening type groups," she continued.
The archdiocesan Hispanic survey providing demographic information on Latinos attending all the Spanish Masses across North Georgia can be found on the archdiocesan Web site by accessing both the page for the Hispanic Apostolate and The Georgia Bulletin archives.
The archdiocesan Web address is www.archatl.com. For information call the Hispanic Apostolate at (404) 888-7839.
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