Editor's Desk: A Daily Struggle
By Michael F. Flach
Herald Editor
(From the issue of 8/25/05)
Anyone remotely familiar with U.S. history knows the story. In the mid-19th century, the population of cities such as Philadelphia, New York and Boston exploded with newly arriving immigrants. Most of these "new Americans" were from Ireland and other parts of Europe. They traveled to this country to escape famine, religious persecution and economic hardship. They endured untold peril on crowded ships with the promise that U.S. streets were lined with gold.
What these people encountered was the complete opposite — crowded tenement apartments, filthy cities, no jobs, and vicious ethnic and religious persecution. Irish Catholics during this period were treated no better than dogs. The predominant Protestant citizenry recoiled at the idea of these "foreigners" invading their country, taking their jobs and threatening their economic security.
In most cases, the only place these immigrants felt any empathy was in the Catholic Church. Philadelphia’s parochial school system was established by Bishop John Neumann (he later was declared a saint by the Church) to help educate immigrant children. Later, Father Michael McGivney established the Knights of Columbus primarily to help support and care for Catholic orphans and widows. The Catholic Church was at the forefront of the fledgling labor movement that provided better wages and working conditions in the factories and assembly lines.
This is not merely ancient history. The same arguments can be heard today, more than 150 years later, in the streets and public houses of Herndon, where a local squabble has gained unwanted national notoriety. In a heated public forum last week, more than 150 people spoke on the subject of creating a permanent site for the town’s day laborer population (consisting of approximately 150 Hispanic men). These workers, many of whom are undocumented, gather daily near the parking lot of a local convenience store as they wait for local contractors to give them a day’s work.
Among those speaking on behalf of the day laborers were three Catholic priests, Father Eugenio Hoyos, director of the Spanish Apostolate; Father Richard Mullins, director of Multicultural Ministries; and Father James Angert, T.O.R., pastor of nearby St. Joseph Parish in Herndon. Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde also has spoken out in support of these immigrant workers.
Neighbors in Herndon began complaining that the growing mob was devaluing their property values and becoming a nuisance to the local community. Some of the criticism has degenerated into racial bigotry.
The Herndon case is not unique in Northern Virginia. Similar day laborer sites can be found in many locales throughout the region. Arlington County has at least three locations (Four Mile Run, Pershing Market and Culmore) where these men gather each morning.
The Herndon Town Council voted 5-2 to construct a permanent site for the day laborers at a cost of $175,000 in public funds. Two Loudoun County supervisors have threatened to use zoning laws to try and block the town’s decision to build a site, which is expected to be completed in 90 days.
In many cases, the day laborers assume the menial, thankless jobs that U.S. citizens tend to avoid. They lay the bricks, paint the houses, cut the lawns, wash the dishes and clear the tables. Regardless of their economic value to U.S. society, they are human beings who deserve the opportunity to provide for their families and create a future for their children. We should be proud that the Church in Arlington is speaking out in their defense and pledge our support, whether at the parish or diocesan level, to assist them in their attempts to assimilate into U.S. society. — M.F.F.
Copyright ©2005 Arlington Catholic Herald. All rights reserved.
