As a Strategy Kir Inculturation Among
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THE mTIOhlAL PASTU!!PLAN FOR HISPANIC MIIVISZRY AS A STRATEGY KIR INCULTURATION AMONG MEXICAN AMERICANS A thesis submitted to the faculty of Regis College and the Pastoral Theology Department of the Toronto School of Theology in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Theology awarded by Regis College and the University of Toronto Michael E. Connors National Library Bibliothèque. nationale 191 du Canada Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliographie Services seMces bibliographiques 395 Wdlingtori Street 395, ru8 Wellington aEawaON KtAON4 OttawaON KIAON4 CaMda Canada The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accordé une licence non exclusive licence allowing the exclusive permettant à la National Library of Canada to Bibliothèque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loan, distrriute or sell reproduire, prêter, distxicbuer ou copies of this thesis in microform, vendre des copies de cette thèse sous paper or electronic formats. la fmede microfiche/film, de reproduction sur papier ou sur format électronique. The author retains ownership of the L'auteur conserve la propriété du copyright in this thesis. Neither the droit d'auteur qui protège cette thèse. thesis nor substantial extracts &om it Ni la thèse ni des extraits substantiels may be printed or otherwise de celle-ci ne doivent être imprimés reproduced without the author's ou autrement reproduits sans son permission. autorisation, Title: 'The NiztionalPastoral Phfor Hiqmic Ministry as a Strategy for Indturation arnong Mexïcan Americans" Director: Prof Car1 Starkloc Regis CoUege The relationship of fâith to culture has taken on many fomover the two thousand years of Christian history, as attesteci by H. Richard Niebuhr's Christ and Culture. Muenced by modern historical consciousness and heightened awareness of cuIturaI pluralism, the Second Vatican Council gave irnpetus to critical refledon upon the nature of that relationship in the Romen Catholic communion. Much of this refiection now takes place under the theological heading "inculturation." The first movement of this project is a survey and summary of a cuntemporary theological perspective on inculturation. The study adopts the 'happing" technique of Robert Schreiter (ComtmctivgLmi Theolugies)as its basic dytical fhmework. Development of dturaiiy-sensitive pastoral praxis is an imperative for the church today. The focus of this project is a critical evaluation of a USCatholic planning document that purports to promote and guide such an inculturative pastoral praxis viz., the Naîional Pastoral Pbfor Hispanic Ministry. The projezt asks whether, to what extent, and how the NPPHM may succeed as a strategy for indturation for one Kispanic group within the United States: Mexican Americans. To achieve tbis goal the study then reaches for a coherent understanding of the MeGean American cultural milieu. The cultural values and pastoral situation of Mexican Americans are surveyed, primarily through two of that community's leading theological spokespersons, Vigil Elizondo and Man Figueroa Deck. Mer tracing the history of the plan's development through au extensive consultation proces, and reviewing the components of the plan, the project then approaches its evaluative goal by stepping through Schreiter's ''map." The NPPHM is evaluated with respect to the methodological requirernents of each of the nine steps outlined by Schreiter. Strengths, weaknesses, and omissions of the plan vis-a-vis Schreiter's method are noted, with special attention given to the leading strategy proposed by the plan: the formation of smaii desial communities. The resulttis a composite and balanced assessrnent of the doaunent with respect to the Mexicatl Amencan community. The study concludes with some brief remarks about what fùture pastoral planning efforts may leam Corn the NPPHM. The relevance of this Council for the life both of the Church and the world can hardly be emphasized enough. Vatican II will be for the Church an all- embracing, paradoxical event of joy and distress, of hope and uncertainty, of spiritual richness and unthinkable humiliations. Marcello de Carvalho Azevedo Incul turation and the Challenges of Moderni ty LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ................. vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ....................vii Chapter Page 1 . INTRODUCTION ................... 1 La. Faith and Context .............. 1 1.b. The Research Question ............ 7 1.c. Methodology ................. 11 1.d. Appendix: A Glossary of Key Terms ...... 21 2 . CULTW AS A THEOLOGICAL LOCUS ........... 29 2.a . Faith and Social Context before the Second Vatican Council ............. 28 2.b. Official Teaching: Vatican II and Its Aftermath ................ 49 2.c. Contemporary Inculturation Literature .... 95 2.d. A Theology of Inculturation .........132 3. THE NATION= PASTORAL PLAN FOR HISPANIC MINISTRY . 14 3 3.a . The Mexican Arnericans ............146 3.a.l. History: La Raza berges .......146 Religion: Institutional and Popular ......... iii 3.a.3. CulturalValces ...........183 3.a.4. Pastoral Challenges .........190 3.b. Fomulation of the Plan ...........206 3.c. Review of the Plan .............233 4 . AN EVALUATION OF THE NATIONAL PASTORAL PLAN FOR HISPAATIC MINISTRY AS AN INSTRUMENT OF INCULTURATION FOR MEXICAN AMERICANS .......258 The Starting Point ................259 Step #1: Previous Local Theologies ........265 Step #2: Cultural Analysis ............267 Religion ...................273 values ....................280 Socioeconomic Location ............ 282 Step #3: Emergence of Themes ...........290 Identity .................. -290 Liberation ..................292 Welcome ...................296 Steps #4 and 5: Opening Church Tradition ...299 Steps #6 and 7: Cultural Themes Meet Church Tradition and Shape Local Theology .......315 Steps #8 and 9: Impacts upon Tradition and Culture .................. 324 Recapitulation: The Five Criteria for Local Theology .................328 CONCLUSION .......................333 SOURCES CONSULTED ...................341 iv Inculturation ...................341 LatinAmerica ................... 349 Methodology and Foundations ............ 352 U . S . Hispanics .................. 357 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Spirit and Gospel: Shaping the Community Context (R . Schreiterrs "Maprr of Local Theology) ...... 112 Third Encuentro Process ................ 221 Pastoral Planning Process (NPPHM) ........... 239 The prayers, encouragement, challenge, and insight of rnany people have made the completim of this project possible. Foremost among them 1 wish to thank Professor Car1 Starkloff, S.%, who directed the work and whose example of intellect in service of Godrs people sustained me throughout. 1 salute as well the faculty and students of the Toronto School of Theology, especially those of Regis College. I am deeply indebted to my confreres in the Congregation of Holy Cross, and to colleagues and friends both in Toronto and at Notre Dame. Finally, 1 dedicate this work to the Hispanic peoples of North America, whom the Roman Catholic bishops of the United States rightly hailed as 'a blessing from God." vii CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION La. Faith and Context My interest in issues of pastoral or practical theology has been developing over a number of years. 1 entered doctoral studies in this field fresh from several years of full-time pastoral ministry in the South Bend, Indiana, area. For me, these were years of adjustment, exhilaration, fatigue, frustration, affirmation, and much persona1 and professional growth. Parish work has many different facets. Demands of varying kinds, presented through people of diverse personalities, cultural backgrounds, and religious stances, cal1 upon the minister to develop a broad spectrum of practical skills. Indeed, it is difficult to imagine an occupation which makes more wide-ranging claims upon the wits and good will of the minister, Shrinking resources and the burgeoning expectations of parishioners in the post- Vatican II Roman Catholic Church only compound the matter. My experience of working on the pastoral team of a parish formed in me the conviction that that ministry, in particular, suffers from a lack of adequate reflection upon its goals, relationships, and strategies. That is to Say, what transpires in a Roman Catholic parish frequently just happens because 'wefve always done it that way." Repetition, canon law, and episcopal directives tend to count for more on the practical level than either discerning the pastoral needs of people in one's context, or a fresh confrontation with the classic sources of Christian tradition, The result, on an institutional level, is often that rigidity, staleness, and narrowness which customarily accompany any "applied" theory-to-practice model. At its best, on a day-to-day level, much of pastoral ministry involves listening and attending: counselling, collaborating with professional peers and volunteers, accompanying families in moments of joy and grief. Other moments invite the minister to diverse forms of speech: committee meetings, catechesis, preaching. For me personally, 1 was never more aware of the collision between the living word of Christian faith and the structures, concerns, and stresses of people's daily lives than when 1 stepped into the pulpit. The crafting and delivery of a hornily, week after week (almost day after dayl, taxed to the limit my abilities to remain accountable both to the tradition and to the real-liie social situation of the people. Over the years, parish ministry induced me to grow in awareness of the unwritten rules and the intangible