Wednesday, October 15, 2008

International priests, sisters are a blessing

Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan in the "Herald of Hope" column in the Milwaukee Catholic Herald, August 21, 2008, on our Archdiocese's approach to bringing in foreign clergy to help alleviate the shortage of priests.
Yes, we welcome and embrace international priests and sisters, but we are slow and careful in discerning who, when, or where. ... And we usually only accept one or two priests a year so they can be warmly welcomed and properly assigned.

Having first secured the diocesan border, the next essential step is a program of assimilation.
They need some time "on the ground" perfecting their English, softening the accent, learning American ways.

Beware of wondering if this approach might have any broader application, lest a bishop deem you under the spell of "anti-immigrant attacks often heard on talk radio, cable television and, sadly, even in the halls of Congress." [link to page capture at Internet Archive]

No comments:

Post a Comment