• there are 2/3 less Catholic churches in the area
  
• the Catholic clergy present in the small town is decreased by 75 %
  (This is more of an East Coast reality than a national reality)
  

The one area where history is repeating itself on a national level:

• Fifty years ago 25 % of the area clergy were foreign born
  
• Today many dioceses such as Chicago, Miami, New York and Los Angeles well exceed the national average

Let us consider the national picture––Catholic priesthood in the United States.

National statistics tell us the following:

• currently we have over 6,000 international priests working in the US
  
• the national average is between 16% to 18%
  
• in some dioceses the number of International Priests exceed 25%. These include Los Angeles, New York, Newark, Miami and Chicago.
  
• out of the ordination class of 2005, 27% were foreign born this is up three percent from the previous year (USCCB – Ordination Class Study)

The Global Reality is not much different:

On Easter Sunday the New York Times Magazine ran a rather long article entitled
Keeping the Faith: Can Pope Benedict XVI Re-Christianize Europe?
Looking at the “Landscape of the church in Europe”… the author noted… “with fewer new priests every year, the church in Western Europe is forced to import. It’s not uncommon to find African priests saying Mass in Tuscany.” (p. 42, 8 April 2007)




Optic One – The Bishop

Current Times:

You need not do expensive actuarial studies to realize the following diocesan concerns:

• priests are aging
  
• many dioceses across the US have experienced years with no one being ordained
  
• priests are working harder than ever before
  
• priests are stretched in many different directions
  
• many priests are responsible for multiple parishes
  ref: Sr. Katrina Schuth’s new research in Priestly Ministry in Multiple Parishes
  
• many dioceses had to remove priests from full time ministry in compliances with the Dallas Charter––making the ordained personnel pool even smaller.
  

We need to keep in mind that all of the above concerns are amplified in a mission diocese. Metropolitan dioceses are feeling the pinch but not as drastic as a mission diocese.

Having noted all of the above, local Bishops are still charged with the responsibility of providing for the sacramental needs of individuals and local communities within their diocese. How can they achieve filling this need with all the above noted limitation of the day?


Old Adage: Desperate Times require Desperate Measures – I would like to suggest the following adaptation to the old adage, Desperate Times require Creative Solutions.

A number of bishops working out of the attempt to find “creative solutions”––or some simply reacting to “desperate times”––began recruiting priests from other countries. The local bishop needs to be a pro-active shepherd who can evaluate and define the pastoral needs within his local Church, and work for the good of all in Justice. Regardless of the motive out of which they are operating there are several concerns that are operative, I would like to simply note four:

1. It is always better to be pro-active than re-active:
a. develop a protocol for the diocese regarding the incorporation of International Priests into your diocese-
b. make use of the protocol developed by the USCCB-
c. use the protocol once established (no exceptions)-
Exceptions to the rule often become undetected landmines that will explode in the future-

2. The bishop needs to be a pastor and shepherd to his priests – this is most especially true for the International Priests:
a. the International Priest must be more that a “cog in the wheel” filling the vacant spot. More than a Sacrament Dispenser.
b. Who addresses his need, personal and professional?
c. The local Church needs to be willing to invest some money in getting the International Priest the skills needed to engage in pastoral ministry here in the United States.

3. Is the International Priest a “short-term” or “long-term” solution to the pastoral needs of the local church?
a. Short term – 3 to 5 years / Long term 5 years +
i. student priest
ii. priest visiting family for special needs
iii. sabbatical or language studies

b. If the international priest is a long term solution - questions of a Just Compensation for the priest needs to be considered

Story from the USCCB Office of Priestly Life and Ministry:
They were contacted by an International Priest who had worked in a diocese as an extern––never seeking incardination for over twenty years only to discover that the diocese in which he labored never contributed to his retirement since he was not incardinated.

4. The question of just compensation for the diocese or religious community that educated the international priest––if his presence in the local church is to be long term or if he is going to seek incardination, the diocese / religious community that paid for his formation and education needs to be compensated, some form of reimbursement needs to be offered––that is a matter of Justice.




Optic Two – The International Priest Himself

Let us set aside all the horror stories we have all heard regarding international priests working in the United States. I would imagine we all would have the same number of horror stories regarding some of our recently ordained US born priests.

I would ask that you suspend judgment on the international priest for the next few minutes. Permit me to run through a list of bullet points from the optic of the international priest and then come back to develop a few of them.

• the International Priest that belongs to a international religious community does better than a international diocesan priest relocating to the United States
  
• if the International Priest had studied outside his country of origin or if he had been missioned in a country other that his birth culture before coming to the US his adaptive skills are better
  
• working under a formal contract between the US diocesan ordinary and the superior of the International Priest is better for the protection of the priest and the local church
  
• many of the International Priests note that they have experienced racism or xenophobia within the United States, either directly or in directly.
  
• within the parish––not wanting Fr. John to do their daughters wedding because of his heavy British accent
  
• within the diocese––is there such a thing as institutional racism? Assigning the international priest to a living situation that would be unacceptable to a native born priest (we will come back to this point in my conclusion)
  
• is there a “glass ceiling” that keeps the international priest from being assigned to the plum parishes- regardless of his gifts and talents?
  
• is racism expressed in isolation or the lack of inclusion
  
• the International Priest may come with a real sense of mission
  
• we have become once again a “receiving church”––this maybe a hard concept for us to buy into the International Priest often call us to stretch beyond our parochial boundaries to see the Church Universal often they invite us into a world view of Church that we did not have prior to their arrival.
  
• How does the International Priest learn the local culture?
  
• by happenstance (by the ebb and flow of living in a culture)
  
• One International Priest tells the story of scheduling an important meeting for the parish council for a Sunday afternoon––never realizing that it was Super Bowl Sunday. Needless to say the meeting had to be “rescheduled”
  
• by a structured program that can address questions of culture
  
• this would require the diocese investing in the international priest
  
• a bishop once noted if 3 or 4 unexpected vocations showed up at your door, the diocese would find the money needed for their seminary education. Should not the same be true for the ongoing formation of International Priests working in our US dioceses?
  
• when you think about what we in the US invest in a priest we are “sending on mission” to a foreign land––studies in language, and culture. Should we not do as much for the priest we are “receiving” from another country for ministry in the US.

Optic Three – The Local Presbyterate

The Local Presbyterate should play an important role in the integration of an International Priest into the local church.

Often, what happens is that the bishop recruits or invites an International Priest to engage in ministry within a local Church without consultation or dialogue with the priests of the diocese. The International Priest arrives and begins his ministry with a built in liability, created mainly by the lack of dialogue between the bishop and his priests, and all parties involved.

There are three things I think that need to be in place for a diocese or local presbyterate is willing to receive an International Priest:

ONE: There needs to be clear goals, objectives and responsibilities spelled out in writing before the international priest begins his ministry in the US.

Contractual arrangements are a very US mindset, yet spelling out in writing the expectations and responsibilities as well as the benefits of the job can protect both the host diocese and the international priest himself.

Be as concrete as possible, citing example of both expectations as well as benefits.

TWO: Some formal “acculturation program” for the International priest should be a requirement for an assignment within the diocese and a MUST for any international priest seeking incardination into the diocese.

The acculturation process is WORK! for the international priest, the sponsoring diocese, the parish,
and his mentor / coach.

Involved in this acculturation process must be the parish staff and the people in the pews as well. Parish staff members may well have a terminal degree in theology or related field, for the first time in history the staff or the people in the pews maybe better educated than the priest.

We can not leave the acculturation process to chance, it must be a structured program with measurable goals and outcomes, so that the process, program and participants can be assessed and evaluated. Clear goals and objectives can become tools for the evaluation and assessment of the international priest, realizing that not all international priests will make the needed adjustment to ministry in the United States.

It is interesting to note that there are FIVE national acculturation programs across the United States – all of which are undersubscribed.

Issues to be addressed: (just to name a few)
Leadership styles within the US Catholic Parish-
Accent Reduction / US pronunciation -
Collaboration within ministry, especially with women-
Rectory Life, what is provided and what is expected -
Financial Education regarding law and management -

THREE: Assign the international priest a Mentor / Coach.
(Maybe the most difficult)

Finding good mentors / coaches for the international priests was by far one of the most difficulty parts of the International Priests Internship (IPI) program at Oblate School of Theology.

This is a REAL assignment that will come with REAL work. It needs to be done through the personnel office or the bishop’s office.

The mentor / coach need not be the most exemplary pastor within your diocese – often these “types” have so many irons in the fire, they can not give the task of mentoring or coaching the time and energy needed.

The mentor / coach needs to be a good pastor and good priest who has a love for the priesthood and for the craft of pastoral ministry.

I do not find it helpful for the mentor / coach to be a fellow international priest. The insertion of the same culture or another culture only tends to complicate the mentor / coach relationship.

It should not be his pastor, assuming that the international priest is assigned as a Associate Pastor or Parochial Vicar.

The mentor should be a priest of equal standing, not a priest in the Chancery Office. A good rule of thumb to keep in mind “equal is good” in dealing with the issues in mentoring across cultural.

The mentor / coach will need to “show the International Priest the ropes” ALL OF THEM. That must include from the get-go, the Finance Committee, Parish Council etc. I was with a Mentor / Supervisor who told me that he works on a “need to know” basis with his International Priest.
The difficulty with the “need to know” mentality is that the mentor does not know when the International Priest is going to be asked to assume the role of Pastor––it may come sooner than later. Often the mentor does not have the luxury of time!

Often the mentor or coach will deal with “life issues” that are often beyond the boundaries of priestly ministry, for example:

• establishing a personal line of credit
  
• banking rules in the United States
  
• driving rules etc.
  
• political situations––Democrats / Republicans
  
• Red States / Blue States
  
• food / shopping etc.
  
• personal hygiene.

Optic Four – The Parishioners

I would like to focus on three points:

1. Language Skills
2. Relational Skills
3. Catching the Local spirit

(1) Language Skills

In the average Catholic parish, over half of the membership’s only experience of the parish priest is as the one who presides at Sunday worship. It is within that one hour on Sunday that the parish priest must connect with the majority of his parishioners.

Often I get comments from parishioners like this… “I am sure Father is a good and holy priest, but my husband and I just can not understand him when he speaks.”

Even for International Priests who come from countries that claim English as their first or the national language––it is very different from the English we speak in the United States.

• The Queen’s English is not US English
  
• Placement of accents, the tone and cadence all become a factor
  
• The task of Preaching in the US is unique to the cultural context of the US and requires a nuanced understanding of the language
  
• Accent Reduction is a major issue
  

During my four years at SS Cyril and Methodius Seminary, dealing with a majority of Eastern European seminarians, I came across a local program at Beaumont Hospital entitled “Accent Reduction for the Professionals” The program was geared to Doctors, Engineers, and Professionals who knew the English language yet needed additional attention to accent and US pronunciation. Accent reduction is not advanced ESL (English as a Second Language).

Dealing with accents has two sides:

• The International Priest will need to make a life-long project working on his Accent Reduction and US pronunciation.
  
• Recently, a staff writer for the local newspaper in Bethlehem, PA wrote a feature story on a Nigerian priest and his efforts to minister in Eastern Pennsylvania. The priest remarked that the congregation looked puzzled every time he spoke the word important – until he discovered that they thought he has said impotent.
  (A World Away by Andrew Maykuth, Inquirer Staff Writer, posted Thursday June 8, 2006)
  

On the flip side:

• We who are sitting in the pew need to be more tolerant of foreign accents. Here in the US we become spoiled being able to travel almost four thousand miles for the East to the West Coast and only need one language.
  
• Listening to someone with a foreign accent requires more work. Often we tire more quickly and turn the person off, not because of the message but because we don’t care to invest the energy needed to listen.

(2) Relational Skills

One of the most apparent areas of concern for the International Priest is the rapport between the international priest and his congregation is found in the area of interpersonal relational skills. Many of the international priests come from countries that are much more hierarchical. Therefore, ministerial skills such as collaborating with others and being a “team player” are often not part of the International Priest’s tool box. This is especially true when it come to relating to women, either on the parish staff or parishioners.

Often the difficulties arise when the parish staff or the parish secretary attempts to “teach the new priest” a crash course in Pastoral Care 101––all the more reason for a good mentor / coach. The International Priest should not be the student of the parish employees.

(3) Catching the Local Spirit

Tip O’Neil once said, “All Politics are Local Politics.” Can the same be said for the ministry of a parish priest, “All Ministry is Local Ministry?” Is this ideal? Or, should we strive to have our parishes reflect the popular bumper sticker of a few years ago that read: Think Locally Act Globally.

I believe that parochial ministry needs to be a delicate BLENDING OF BOTH––local and global.

The presence of the international priests can challenge the parish to be more global and less limited by the optic of our parochial mindset, to become more global and more universal. Parishioners often comment that the examples used to illustrate a point in the homily are often from Father’s homeland or family relationships and it calls the listener to realize the Church as Global, the Church as Universal, as truly Catholic.

Likewise, the International Priest himself must be willing to “Catch the Local Spirit” so for us in Texas that means Friday night football. I would encourage our International Priests to get a member of the parish to take them to the first few games and help them understand the game.

If an International Priest is going to be working in the United States for a long time, he needs to become aware that he will become a HYBRID––that is a blending of two cultures. He will need to sacrifice some aspects of his birth culture and will need to take on some aspects of his new host culture, in doing so he will become a hybrid. Likewise, he needs to be aware that in many ways, he is no longer fully associated with the culture of his birth and because of his accent and other factors; he is not fully part of the host culture either. He has become a hybrid, able to function successfully in two cultures and yet, no longer fully part of either.


In concluding, I would like to leave you with three areas of concern:
First:
I do not believe that the recruiting of International Priests for ministry in the United States is a long-term solution to the priest shortage within the United States. It may well be a short-term solution to a much larger systemic problem. Yet, if we invite or welcome priests from outside the United States for ministry in this country, we need to do all that we can to equip them to minister well and affectively to the people entrusted to their care. We need to give them the time and attention they deserve as brother priest and co workers in the vineyard. We cannot offer them a “quick fix” weekend workshop and say we have justified our providing an acculturation program for the International Priest. It has been my experience that a “quick fix” may fulfill the letter of the law but does little to assist the International Priest with the initial and ongoing challenges of acculturation.

Secondly:
I believe we need to look at the question of justice with regards to the employment and recruitment of International Priests for ministry in the United States. Often the International Priest is coming from a country where the “Priest per Catholic” ratio is far more servere that in the United States. For example:

South America 1 priest for over 7,000 Catholics
Africa 1 priest for over 4,500 Catholics
Asia 1 priest for over 2,500 Catholics
in comparison to
North America 1 priest for about 1,300 Catholics
(Statistical Yearbook of the Church 1998)

Does the statistical data cited communicate to you a kind of US consumer mentality––if we can afford it we can have it––be it a Hummer or a priest from a foreign country whose priest to people ratio is far more serious that our own?

Another consideration, under the umbrella of Justice is a concern for the economic well being of the local Church that provided the International Priest with his seminary education and formation. If an International Priest incardinates into a US diocese, does the new host diocese offer some form of financial reimbursement for the priest’s seminary education and formation?


The Third and Final Concern is that of racism:

Over the past several years, I have personally witnessed several situations that well could have been defined as racist. A number of the International Priests have been assigned to living situations that would not be acceptable for local diocesan priests. The International Priest, often not wanting to offend his host or lose face with his superior or local bishop, accepts the situation and makes the best of it.

On this rather delicate topic I would like to share two examples:

One is of a priest from India who arrived in the diocese to be assigned to a small parish of about 300 families. The parish did not have a rectory; the priest was expected to live in a small suite of rooms off the parish hall. The other example is of two priests from Africa who arrived at a well-established city parish only to discover that the rectory was judged by the city housing code officer “unfit for human habitation.” Lucky for them they were part of an international religious community and the community stepped in and got them an apartment near the parish.

Unlike their Irish predecessors, who were able to move up the ecclesial ladder quite quickly, the new wave in international priests has a more difficult time ahead of them. Some are quick to point out that it is language and culture that are making their assent more difficult. I am not sure about that.


Father John C. Kemper is a priest of the Diocese of Harrisburg, Penn. and a member of the Society of St. Sulpice, a society of Apostolic Life dedicated to the initial and ongoing formation of priests. For the past nine years John served as Vice President for Administrative Affairs at Oblate School of Theology, San Antonio and is currently on a sabbatical. He was on the advisory panel that produced the NFPC-commissioned book published by the Liturgical Press titled. International Priests in America: Challenges and Opportunities (2006). He has written articles on international priests for Priest and Human Development magazines.