10-16-2016Weekly ReflectionFr. Brian Jazdzewski

The annual event which gathers priests, deacons, and diocesan Curia Staff was held on Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning in our Diocesan Center in La Crosse. Primarily, four major presentations were regarding the topic of Hispanic ministry. The work of ministering to a growing immigrating population is one which every one of us needs to be concerned about. The priest speaker is a pastor of a parish in Sioux City, Iowa where the Hispanic population is larger than the Anglo population. We all know that there are areas in our diocese, Abbotsford and Arcadia are two examples, where the Hispanic population in the community is equal to and nearly exceeding the Anglo population. There are other places in our region of the country where Anglos are the minority. Whether or not we are comfortable with current immigration, it is a reality which we must face. And, let's face it, some of us can remember relatives speaking about being educated or praying in their native language such as Polish or German. In time, in the great melting pot of America, we all figure out how to live together.

Living together may be one of the primary points we all need to consider and pray about. After all, many Hispanic immigrants are Catholics and are our brothers and sisters in the Lord. Beyond that, they are God's creation and we ought to be sensitive to their dignity as people. Truth is, not too long from now, members of the immigrant population will be helping provide for our basic needs. And, as another fact, estimates show that there are about 40,000 Hispanics living in these 19 counties of west-central Wisconsin which we call the Diocese of La Crosse.

One final point to ponder for now, is the distinction made between race and ethnicity. Generally speaking, the U.S. Census lists 5 races: White, Black, Native American, Asian and Hispanic. Within each race, however, can be many ethnicities. Take White, for example, most of us are white, while we could have Norwegian or Bohemian ethnicity. In other words, there is typically only one race a person belongs to, while there can be multiple ethnicities within each race. Hispanics, for example, might be Mexican, Guatamalan, Venezuelan or from any place where Hispanic is the common language.

One other point to reflect upon regarding the Fall Clergy Conference is Bishop Callahan. First of all, he made comments about his local sensitivity to the second collections which the U.S. Bishops are encouraging for flood victims down south. He really encouraged us to take a second collection, however, knowing the effects of flooding within the diocese, he is asking the funds be used for local flood relief. We are inclined to take action on that request some time soon.

Of other significance is his health. His heart condition manifested itself in May of this year, July was when he had his heart bypass surgery. He has recovered well despite some pain and numbness in his right arm, hand and fingers. He also mentioned his energy level to be low and his stamina to be less than he expected. He did mention his desire to get back into the full swing of things following these Fall Clergy Days. In my opinion, he appears to look weaker and a little more aged; I invite you to join me in continuing to pray for his well-being. And, all indications are that Bishop Callahan is returning to the Confirmation schedule this weekend so we are likely to see him at our Confirmation in Arcadia in just a few short days.

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