 |
|
St. Martin de Porres, Partner Parish -
A Perspective
In the territory covered by the parish, in the heart of North Central Philadelphia, according to the 2000 U.S. Census, live almost 71,000 people, 97% of whom are African American, and 1% of whom are White. 2% of the African Americans are Catholic, and likewise 2% of the Whites are Catholic.
Forty percent of all the people live below the official poverty level. Specifically:
Those eligible for the workforce total 50,734, because they are 16 years of age and older. But, 54% are homemakers, retirees or students, and 20% of those in the workforce are unemployed. So, 63% of those 16 years and up do not work.
Of the people who have jobs, 76% are sales/office, service jobs, or production work.
Of the people 25 years old and older, 79% have at the most a high school education; 44% have not completed high school.
There are 25,928 households, of which 4,404 have married couples or 17%. There are 22,172 children under 18, and they live with:
This area is served by one catholic parish, served by on priest. The mission of every parish, "to preach the Gospel to every creature," and to nourish the faith of its people in Word and sacrament, requires careful adaptation to the region.
Likewise, the region is served by one catholic school, with an enrollment of 407 children, involving 307 families. There are 113, 561 children ages 5-14 (grade school age) in the area, and, as noted above, 25,928 households.
The parish and its school, are clearly in a mission territory. The region is vast, the people are poor, unemployed, underemployed, at the lower end of the educational scale, and very few are Catholics. The people of the re3gion are overwhelmingly African American, having experienced the ravages of racism, violence, addiction, degradation of family values, and debasement of human dignity.
What is the parish to do?
The mission of the parish determines the catholic identity of the school. The Catholic identity of our school is manifest and strong. It is a Catholic school: it teaches the catholic faith, in classes of catholic doctrine, in the example of the staff, in the mandatory practices of prayer and regular liturgy. Classrooms are replete with sacramentals to keep focus on the faith.
The Catholic identity addresses both Catholic and non-Catholic children. The Catholic identity of the school is actualized in both catechesis for the Catholic children, and in evangelization for non-Catholic children.
Catholic children receive the substance and nourishment of their faith. They are catechized. Particularly here, in North Central Philadelphia, the words of the catholic Bishops of the United States, are pertinent:
"It is the responsibility of the entire Catholic community - bishops, priest, deacons, religious and laity - to continue to strive towards the goal of making our catholic elementary schools available , accessible and affordable to all Catholic parents and their children, including those who are poor and middle class"
"We are convinced that Catholic schools continue to be 'the most effective means available to the Church for the education of children and young people' who are the future of the Church."
"Catholic schools are often the Church’s most effective contribution to those families who are poor and disadvantaged, especially in poor inner city neighborhoods and rural areas. Catholic schools cultivate healthy interaction among the increasingly diverse populations of our society.
In cities and rural areas, Catholic schools are often the only opportunity for economically disadvantaged young people to receive an education of quality that speaks to the development of the whole person."
Non-Catholic children are exposed to the Catholic faith by way of evangelization. They must study the tenets and morals of the Catholic faith; they must pray in a Catholic atmosphere; attending Catholic prayer experiences and liturgy; they must study other subjects in an atmosphere where the Catholic faith holds sway. Of course, we respect whatever religion their families profess; alongside that, we provide an awareness of what the Catholic faith is, and we do it lovingly. They may never choose the Catholic faith in the future, but they will know it, regard it with fond memories, and know that serving others is an essential teaching of this faith.
Parents and guardians of our non-Catholic students are required to attend four sessions of introduction to catholicism, and attend Sunday Mass so that they will know what their children are being taught. That is also an opportunity to invite those who are un churched or wavering in their present faith, to examine the catholic faith in greater depth.
As the Catholic Bishops of the United States have said:
"They are the privileged environment in which Christian education is carried out . . . Catholic schools are at once places of evangelization, of complete formation, of inculturation, of apprenticeship in a lively dialogue between young people of different religions and social backgrounds."
Perhaps Catholic Bishops of the United States have said it best in addressing several of these issues:
"Research conducted by the United States Department of Education, the National Catholic Educational Association, and other independent agencies shows that Catholic schools make a major impact in closing the achievement gap for poor and minority students in inner-city environments."
"It is essential that every possible effort be made to ensure that Catholic schools, despite financial difficulties, continue to provide a Catholic education to the poor and marginalized in society. It will never be possible to free the needy from their poverty unless they are first freed from the impoverishment arising from lack of adequate education."
"In areas where there currently are no Catholic schools, we should open schools that have a mission to evangelize."
"Wherever possible, Catholic schools should remain available and accessible in all areas of a diocese for children who are from poor and middle-class families who face major economic challenges. In addition, Catholic schools should be available to students who are not Catholic and who wish to attend them. This has been a proud part of the history of Catholic schools in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. We must continue this outreach in the new millennium."
While catholic schools manifestly serve the causes of catechesis and evangelization, their service to the poor is noteworthy on several levels. To catechize and evangelize the poor are indeed at the heart of the Church's mission, but even were we to provide solely a secular education, this effort would still merit the attention of the Church.
To provide the gist of education in an affordable and accessible way is all by itself worthy of the Church's efforts. If we are present to the poor, it is incumbent upon us to do all in our power to be a leverage against the ravages and effects of poverty; the vestiges of racism; violence; addiction; degradation of family values; debasement of human dignity. The leading, most powerful force out of poverty and all its attendant ills is education. Along with food cupboards and social services, education of the young is the single most beacon hope and enhancement of human dignity. Even on a secular level, this activity is inherent in the mission of the Church.
So, to be able to provide education superior to all else that is offered to the people in poverty-stricken areas of the city, and to imbue that education with catechesis and evangelization, - no wonder the Bishops in statement after statement have emphasized the centrality of Catholic schools, especially for the poor.
In 1993, when the Archdiocese created Saint Martin de Porres Parish from the consolidation of three parishes, - Saint Columba, Saint Elizabeth and Most precious Blood, - there was considerable consternation and confusion. The catholic people, local leaders and the public in general felt the Archdiocese was diminishing its presence among the poor (those who could not pay). They recalled that a number of parishes in the region had already been closed in the not-too-distant past: Saint Ludwig (German) in 1975; Saint mary of the Eternal (Italian) in 1976; Our lady of Mercy in 1984; Corpus Christi in 1987; Our lady of the Holy Souls in 1993; and the Gesu in 1993. Some of the new parishioners of Saint Martin de Porres had already belonged to two suppressed parishes before coming to Saint Martin de Porres.
Therefore, at that time, the Archdiocese committed three priests to the consolidated parish. That commitment has not been able to be sustained, as the number of priests has continued to decline. The Archdiocese also made a strong commitment to the school. There was a major investment of capital and renovation, so that a strong school, for Catholic and Non-Catholic children of the neighborhood alike, might stand as a bulwark of the Church's commitment to the people of North Central Philadelphia. This was to be the flagship Catholic school of the area, a sign that the Church was indeed not going away, and would not allow its commitment to dwindle or erode.
Of no little import is the fact that the parish is overwhelmingly African American. Church history in the United States is indeed a dubious record of marginalized and inconsistent evangelization among African Americans. Documents even as recent as the letters of Cardinal Dougherty (1918-1951) lament the lack of intense efforts among this population. It must be said that the Office for Black Catholics, now 25 years old, is an acknowledgement of the place of African Americans in the Church, and the existence of the Interparochial Cooperation Commission has been of enormous help.
The searing image among African Americans in general is that the Catholic Church is a "white" church. African Americans have long struggled to have a real sense of "belonging" in the same secure, grounded way that other ethnic groups do.
How important, then, is the recent history of parish closings, consolidations, priest paucity, and diminution of funding among the African American parishes, specifically Saint Martin de Porres! The United States Catholic Bishops have articulated in the inherent spirituality of the Church a 'preferential option for the poor", but we need to be jarred into implementing an important component of our spiritual policy.
The recent renovation and embellishment of the Seminary library is a tremendous Catholic achievement for the Archdiocese. If we can be so bold in a financially challenged era to undertake such a project, why not "build up" the Church in North Central Philadelphia, rather than plan further cutbacks?
How many means has the Church at her disposal to enter this mission territory and"...preach the Good news to every creature?" The field is so vast to be overwhelming! Programs of evangelization, such as knocking on doors, Bible Study, Disciples in Mission, have indeed been part of life in this parish, and efforts of various kinds are made. But the school has contact with over 400 children every day, and therefore with 307 families every day. Admittedly, this number appears insignificant compared to the demographics noted throughout this statement. If we had the means to do more, by all means, let us!
In what other manner and by what other means could we carry the message of the Catholic faith to so many children and their families? Admittedly, we cannot control whether they embrace it, and we may never have the luxury of boasting of great numbers converting to the faith, but non-Catholic children and their families will know the Catholic faith apart from the stereotypes, and, indications are, respect it with affection. The impact of the values taught in school on families and individuals can never be known. But we are commanded to try! There is no other known instrument of evangelization that can do this much. If our school were not here, we would want to invent it in order to be faithful to the mission of the Church in this part of the city at this time.
St. Katharine of Siena Parish Wayne, PA USA |