Re: Has anyone heard of phasing out English and replacing it with Spanish?

[Louie Crew <lcrew@ANDROMEDA.RUTGERS.EDU>]

XXXXX, I urge you to be in solidarity with both groups as you analyze the
possibilities for ministry and common goals at St. Mark's.
Imagine how you could word your assessment with both groups as a part of
your audience.  Suggest specific steps they can take to avoid being winners
and losers.

Otherwise, we risk underwriting and perpetuating the divisions (us and them)
that we regret, especially if we give more time to assessing blame than 
to promoting shared, cross-cultural ministry.

Why have this conversation gringo to gringo?  From the get-go, we need to
have it with all who are party to the hope that is in within us. Otherwise, 
the group talking suggests (and too easily thinks) the feast belongs to us 
and we are being super generous inviting those others.

Try talking with one of your own Hispanic/Latino friends about how
collaboration can work. Check with some of the people and resources on the
website of "Hispanic Ministries" of the Diocese of New York, at
http://www.dioceseny.org/index.cfm?Action=Programs.HispanicMinistries.

Ask Father Tim Holder revdtim@earthlink.net how cross-cultural ministry
succeeded in an Anglo parish in Birmingham, Alabama, when one Easter morning
he saw a group of Guatemalan males walking toward his parish for worship.
Ask Father Greg Perez greg.perez@comcast.net, one of the outstanding gay
priests in TEC about what might be done, about what he hopes to achieve at
Trinity in Bayonne.  Ask Jim McGreevey jemcgreevey@hotmail.com about his
aspirations to minister with the poor...

We don't have to have a limo to fall into the trap of being limousine
liberals.

Love makes it possible to have great expectations and to work vigorously to
make them happen.

Louie