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PONTIFICIA UNIVERSITAS GREGORIANA FACULTAS MISSIOLOGIAE _________________________________________________________ Following Jesus Christ to the Margins: Understanding and Evangelizing Second Generation Latino Youth in the United States Osmar R. Aguirre DISSERTATIONE AD DOCTORATUM IN FACULTATE MISSIOLOGIAE PONTIFICIAE UNIVERSITATIS GREGORIANAE ROMAE 2012 Vidimus et approbamus ad normam Statutorum Universitatis Romae, ex Pontificia Universitate Gregoriana Die 21 mensis Maii anni 2012 R.D. Prof. Michael Fuss R.P. Prof. Thomas Casey, S.J. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Years of doctoral work leaves one grateful to God for the gift of many people and for many graces. First of all, I give thanks to God for all the blessings while studying at the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome. While grateful to the many outstanding faculty members at the University, I especially thank Fr. Michael Fuss for directing this dissertation. His precision of mind, theological insight, breadth of his knowledge and vision of contemporary missionary challenges and opportunities, love for his craft, and, above all, his truly fraternal concern for my own priestly efforts in the process of writing this dissertation, have been a tremendous source of inspiration and guidance for me throughout these past years. I am grateful to Casa Santa Maria, the North American College, for offering me a home in the heart of the eternal city. To all resident priests, for their friendship, ongoing advise, and support received. I owe great thanks to Fr. Richard F. Keolker, Spiritual Director and Professor at Mount Angel Seminary, Oregon State, for proofreading the final draft of this dissertation. I also thank Patricia Murillo Fernández, who has been a long- suffering proofreader, 2nd generation consultant, contributor in psycho-pastoral issues, and a good friend. My gratitude also extends to many people who have seen this project through - by their prayers and support of me. I thank Mary Arthur for her unconditional love and belief in me and in this project; her positive outlook of life and graciousness have provided me with comforting prayers, unfailing support and timely encouragement. I also thank Fr. Ronald Patnode, my Spiritual Father since I came to the United States. His love for Jesus Christ, the Church, and marginalized people have been a great inspiration, support and guidance to my ministry. I offer special thanks to the Diocese of Yakima and all brother priests for their solidarity and friendship, prayers and companionship. To Bishop Emeritus Carlos Sevilla, S.J., who initially provided me this opportunity - believing in me and in the missionary purpose of this research, and for Bishop Joseph Tyson, who allowed this project's process to run its course to a positive outcome. 4 FOLLOWING JESUS CHRIST TO THE MARGINS Finally, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to my family, especially my grandmother Romana Aguirre (in heaven) and my mother Florita. They have been my first, and best, teachers of God's generous and sacrificial love. Their humble and loving testimony has nourished my faith over the years. To the rest of my family and friends who have supported and encouraged me these past years, I offer my sincere appreciation and prayers. To the living memory of Archbishop Oscar A. Romero, who loved the youth of El Salvador so much, and who inspired my service in the Church, I dedicate this dissertation full of hope. San Romero of El Salvador; Pray for Us! INTRODUCTION Latino immigrants by and large come to the United States in search of a true human and spiritual fulfillment. Within the venture they carry over their faith, culture, and traditions to be expressed and handed down to future generations. They also bring an outlook filled with hope and illusion, setting the foundation for their new homes. At the time of migration the Latinos may consider what they might lose through the process, namely, supportive family ties, occupations, religious communities, etc., meanwhile hoping to preserve the most important values interconnected with their cultural traditions from the land that once provided them with life. Although it is impossible to know what characteristics the future might conceal, as the individuals immigrate to a new country, they are open to embracing new values the «promising future» could provide. Nonetheless, some of the «hidden» traits are now evident and are currently found embedded within the children of the migrant-labeled, second-generation Latino youth. This dissertation specifically provides informative guidance and special attention to the predicaments faced by the second-generation Latino youth, meanwhile presenting a plausible resolution with the hope of prompting the Church to better understand and respond to the modern missiological challenges for evangelizing this population. Latino immigrant parents see themselves vividly present in the lives of their children, and thus aspire to become and have in them all they did not. Furthermore, their reason for living comes from the ability to provide adequate nurturance, with the hope of shaping them into productive adults who appreciate themselves and others. Thus, in being raised with these values, the second-generation Latino youth should be prone to adopting this manner of thinking. However, since they are living in an obscure and ambivalent process of growth and development, many complexities impede them from reaching their fullest potential. As a result, it can destine them 6 FOLLOWING JESUS CHRIST TO THE MARGINS and their offspring to a continuous state of poverty and marginalization with under-developed tools for fulfillment. In addition, the negative reception received from the dominant culture regarding issues of differentiation and the correct process of assimilation also contributes to and affects the youth’s clear cultural hybrid identity and purpose in life. In general, the second-generation Latino youth in the U.S. do not seem to comprehend and appreciate the unique potential of their missionary role in this country. This is elicited and visible in the lack of personal investment towards their human capital, which paradoxically goes against the continual search for the better way of life their parents first sought to find in this country. Furthermore, many are unaware of their true identity and are unable to acknowledge that as marginal youth they possess a divine purpose. Clearly, they have not been assisted in realizing that their purpose in life can be as great as, and can be parallel to, the biblically marginalized. For it is within the conditions of those who are pushed to the margins of society that God chooses the locus for divine transformative and fulfilling encounters. Thus, through the proper aid of this understanding the children of the immigrant could come to value and treasure their true sense of being and reach a transcending life. In parish life one finds that many of these youth are lacking in academic commitment, success, and participation in the life of their Church’s communities. In my pastoral experience as an immigrant and pastor in the United States, and based on the sociological and ecclesiological studies on this particular group, I have come to find what I suspected. To my sorrow a great percentage of the second-generation Latino youth in the U.S. is not worshiping or practicing their faith. They seem to be short of recognizing and/or appreciating all the wonderful traits the Church has to offer. On the other hand, the U.S. Church has failed to make the second-generation Latino youth a missionary pastoral priority. Now, since the issues these youth are undergoing are not equivalent to those experienced by the youth in mainstream society or the first generation Latino youth, they are not being attended to in the most suitable manner. Hence, the second- generation Latino youth has been forced to deal by themselves with the additional unique stressors of finding themselves within the Church and society. The Church does not currently have a targeted and specialized pastoral program that takes into account the particular needs of the second- generation Latino youth. It is evident they must be reached out to and attended to with a more innovative Christian perspective that addresses their contextual social-cultural reality. This notion in turn propelled my INTRODUCTION 7 initiative of finding a way to once again have the youth become involved within the Church, meanwhile focusing on establishing the reality that the Catholic Church, and Christianity itself, despite complex contemporary secular challenges, does indeed have and proclaims a hopeful future for them. Furthermore, the fact that currently more than half of all Catholic youth in the United States are Latino highlights the urgency of making them a missionary priority. I believe that through a liminal process, whereby these youth can receive a personal reaffirmation, they can experience a personal conversion which would lead them into an active social participation and reincorporation within the context of a ministerial group. Needless to say that if the Church does not want to risk losing a great percentage of its future members, it must specifically address and assist in this population’s unique pastoral needs. She can adequately serve as the answer to their dilemmas by helping them discern who they fully are, thus discovering who they are supposed to be, and aiding them to recognize their God-given identity and purpose in the current Church and society. In turn, this will allow the youth to uncover their talents, while encountering an inculturated Gospel message that liberates and empowers them to live within a transcendental state of being. 1. Purpose and Method For this reason, this dissertation proposes a new pastoral response, labeled «Integral Liberating Evangelization,» which embraces the objectives of the triad, a «New Evangelization, Human Development, and Christian Culture,» initially called for by Pope John Paul II,1 and currently promoted by Pope Benedict XVI,2 along with their teachings pertaining to an Authentic Human Liberation.