Workshops at Caribbean Catholic meeting emphasize multiculturalism

Published: 2007-08-27

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (CNS) -- Her father was from the Caribbean, while her mother was from Central America, so that's why Mary E. Davidson of the New York borough of Queens terms herself a Caribbean hybrid. Davidson also considers herself chosen. She explained that on Sept. 11, 2001, she was supposed go to a meeting a block away from ground zero. Instead, she decided that morning to go to Mass, and she was delayed afterward in Queens. "Had I not changed my route, I would have been a victim," Davidson said. "I am here for a purpose -- for whatever the Lord sends me." Davidson said that's why she was attending the second national convention of Caribbean Catholics in Rochester Aug. 17-19 -- to discover her purpose. Davidson's multicultural and spiritual outlook is the type that several speakers promoted during workshops held at the event. As participants defined the struggles they as Caribbean Catholics face in adjusting to life in North America, they were given strategies to maintain spirituality while blending their native and adopted cultures.

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