By Irene Lagan
Herald Staff Report
(From the issue of 6/12/03)

A new project aimed at reaching out to the ethnic communities in the Diocese of Arlington is reflective of the need to welcome the growing number of immigrants and refugees who come to our shores. The Multicultural Ministry Project, an outgrowth of a statement by the U.S. Catholic bishops, "Welcoming the Stranger Among Us: Unity in Diversity," is a one-year initiative ultimately aimed at integrating different cultures into parish life.

The pastoral statement, issued in the year 2000, is a "call to communion" that recognizes the challenges of welcoming diverse ethnic communities with distinctive styles of worship. The document followed upon Pope John Paul II’s 1999 apostolic exhortation, "Ecclesia in America," which called for a new evangelization centered on the person of Christ.

Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde established an Ad Hoc Committee for Multicultural Ministries following a May 2002 conference co-sponsored by the Bishops Committee on Migration and the Office for the Pastoral Care of Migrant Workers.

With a special grant from the USCCB to implement multicultural programs in the diocese, the bishop initiated the Multicultural Ministries Project to study the presence and needs of the multicultural community in the diocese. Ann Meier, a native of Alexandria and member of St. Timothy Parish in Chantilly, was recently hired as project coordinator.

"Over the past decade, the Diocese of Arlington has experienced a tremendous growth of people from many different cultures," said Bishop Loverde. "We are challenged to become evangelizers of the Gospel and collaborate in a spirit of charity and unity. I am very pleased that Ann Meier will study the many different cultures present in our diocese and through the results of her work assist me to better provide pastoral care to all of the people in our diocese."

Meier said the ultimate goal of the study is to find ways to make newcomers to the diocese feel welcome and to enable the diocese to implement parish programs that reach multi-ethnic communities.

"With so many different cultures in the diocese, the Church must open Her arms wider," Meier said. "Welcoming strangers applies to all newcomers, not just refugees or immigrants," said Meier. "Catholics from other cultures celebrate their faith in different ways. The Multicultural Ministries Project studies how to bring cultures together and to allow people to feel at home in the Church. It addresses in a spiritual context the universality of our Church."

Meier, a mother of four and the wife of a Fairfax County high school principal, said the decision to pursue the position was a family affair. She said the job will allow her to balance the needs of family and work responsibilities.

"I love the Church and have received so much," she said. "This is a way to give something back."

Meier’s enthusiasm for the project comes from her desire to contribute to the unity and welfare of the Church. A recent incident, she said, underscored the difficulty immigrants face as strangers in a diocese. While traveling on business with her husband in San Francisco, Meier said she attended a Mass in French.

Quoting "Ecclesia in America," Meier said a particular passage impacted her as a result of her experience. "Because the Catholic immigrant struggles through the English Mass, the deepest expression of their spirit cries out silently in another language."

"Although the liturgy was beautiful, we did not understand the language and were not able to participate fully," Meier said. "It made me realize how those who do not speak English must feel when they do not understand the Mass. As English speaking Americans, we often forget that most of our forefathers were immigrants."

According to Meier, a significant number of Catholic immigrants turn to Evangelical churches in the area that have multicultural outreach programs. Meier’s role as project coordinator is to study the needs of newcomers to the diocese from a faith perspective.

Although the Office of Resettlement deals exclusively with refugees, most of whom are not Catholic, the Multicultural Ministries Project addresses the spiritual needs of Catholics from all cultures. Seyoum Berhe, director of the Office of Resettlement, said the project will benefit his work as well, since parishioners will become more aware of the presence of immigrants and refugees.

"When we welcome immigrants, we are not welcoming guests. We are welcoming people who are a permanent part of the diocese," Berhe said. "This is their home. We must learn to interact with other cultures who celebrate the Faith in unique and diverse ways."

In the initial phase of the project, Meier will visit all the parishes to study the demographics of the diocese. In addition to collecting basic facts about the make-up, number and location of different ethnic groups, she will gather information about how Catholic communities cope with ethnic diversity.

In the second phase, Meier will propose to Bishop Loverde several models for programs to be implemented on the parish level. Although many parishes throughout the diocese have a ministry to Hispanics, Meier hopes the study will result in programs for all cultures. To date, Meier has spoken with representatives of the Vietnamese, Korean and Filipino communities.

In addition to language barriers, Meier said that some immigrants fear losing their cultural heritage among their young people. Part of the project, she said, will aim at addressing particular needs and fears of cultural communities as well as developing programs that preserve the distinctiveness they contribute to the Church universal and allow different ethnic groups to flourish.

"The project illustrates Bishop Loverde’s commitment to unity in the diocese," Meier said. "I am excited about the possibilities and look forward to working with program directors and others in the diocese to develop multi-ethnic programs."