Catholic parishes in South growing with influx of immigrants

Published: 2003-12-19

CHICAGO (CNS) -- When immigrants from Latin America arrive in the South, they often find that there is no Catholic church or a priest in areas where Catholics account for only a small percentage of the population. "Suddenly, small Catholic communities are springing up in small Southern towns that have never seen a priest, much less a Catholic church," Bishop William R. Houck, president of Catholic Extension, the Chicago-based supporter of missionary work in America, said in a statement. Bishop Houck, retired head of the Diocese of Jackson, Miss., noted that bishops in the Southern states "need help to provide churches, clergy and religious education to Spanish-speaking Catholics in their dioceses." Catholic Extension estimates that Hispanic ministry programs and outreach account for at least half of the $14 million the organization distributed to missions throughout the United States last year.

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