In my 1988 Pastoral Letter, "We are God's Priestly People," I offered a vision for the Church of Albany as we entered the last decade of the 20th century, and set forth some challenges to be addressed and goals to be met.
As with any human enterprise, some of those goals have been achieved quite successfully; some are still in the process of fulfillment; and others remain open-ended -- never to be fully realized until the parousia.
There is, however, one specific challenge I outlined which, for a variety of reasons, we as a Diocese have been slow to embrace, but which, I believe, is now ripe for an effective response.
Sister diocese
The 1988 letter stated: "I have been searching for some tangible ways to create a greater awareness of the fact that we are members of a global family and to give concrete expression to that awareness. An excellent way to do this, I think, is to follow the example of other dioceses in our country which have entered into a 'sister relationship' with a diocese from a Third World nation....
"Given the growing presence of the Hispanic community in our country, and the fact that our future as a Church and nation is vitally intertwined with that of our brothers and sisters in the southern half of our hemisphere, I am suggesting that we pursue a relationship with the diocese in that part of the globe."
Quite frankly, over the past 12 years, a number of people from our Diocese have explored how best to give flesh and blood to this dream; but for reasons of timing, finances and clarity concerning the best approach for developing a sister diocese relationship, this project has never gotten off the drawing board at the diocesan level.
Parish example
Fortunately, three parishes in our Diocese -- St. Bridget's in Copake Falls, Sacred Heart in Stamford and St. Mary's in Crescent -- have taken the challenge to heart and fostered parish-to-parish relationships with Catholics in Nicaragua, Honduras and Guatemala.
The parishes offer financial assistance for education, job training and development projects, send volunteers to assist in specific tasks, and engage in exchange visits to create a better understanding of each other's culture, language, history and traditions.
Not only have members of these parishes engaged in meaningful social and spiritual interaction with sister parishes in Latin America, but they have also kept alive the vision of a "sister diocese" concept, and their practical pastoral experiences now serve as a solid foundation for embarking upon a more concerted diocesan-wide effort in this regard.
First step
Hence, I have asked Father Richard Broderick, former director of the Spanish Apostolate in our Diocese and former pastor of St. Mary's in Crescent, to take leadership in fostering a "Pueblo to People" process of accompaniment of parishioners from our Diocese with a sister diocese in Latin America.
This project will build upon the experiences of the Copake Falls, Stamford and Crescent parishes; explore the expansion of relationships; and facilitate the process of linking faith communities together in a mutual partnership of accompaniment.
The term "accompaniment" (acompanamiento) connotes journeying alongside people rather than in front of them. Accompaniment describes the position of those who come from outside a community but who voluntarily cast their lot with the struggling poor. It seeks to avoid a "colonialism" mentality, a "paternalistic" attitude or a "do it for" approach that suggests dominance or superiority. Rather, the emphasis in accompaniment is on partnering and mutually enriching exchanges.
Global view
During the 21st century, the challenge for the entire Church -- and for each of us personally -- is to develop a global consciousness wherein we seek to shed our narrow parochialism and come to appreciate more fully the solidarity we have with one another in the Christian community and human family.
This project, I believe can help us expand our awareness that we are one people of God with different gifts, called to help bring about the reign of God on earth. It can assist to break down the walls of isolation, racism and xenophobia that have affected our culture in the past.
The project can also be a prophetic sign of global harmony among the peoples of the earth sharing in and mutually concerned about each other's destiny.
Further, "Pueblo to People" can offer an opportunity to review and deepen spiritual values that can so easily be lost in the vast, workaholic pace of our consumer culture. It can help us reflect on the nature of community, family and religion. It can enable us to regain a sense of balance.
Jubilee moment
The launching of this project could not be more timely. For example, we bishops have stated that "the Jubilee 2000 offers U.S. parishes a graced moment to strengthen our international solidarity, since the themes of the millennium call us so clearly to this vital task" (from "Call to Global Solidarity: International Challenges for U.S. Parishes," issued by the National Conference of Catholic Bishops in 1998).
The same document makes the point that "a parish reaching beyond its own members and beyond national boundaries is truly a Catholic parish." It reminds us that "one of God's greatest gifts is the universal character of the Church...calling us to live in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in faith."
In his magnificent encyclical "Centesimus Annus," Pope John Paul II pointed out that our duty to care for others "is not limited to one's own family, nation or state but extends progressively to all...so that no one can consider himself/herself extraneous or indifferent to the lot of another member of the human family."
Challenges
Certainly the challenges confronting our brothers and sisters in the human family are great. Consider the following:
* 35,000 persons die of hunger and its consequences every day around the world.
* The specter of genocide and ethnic violence has become sadly familiar in Central America, especially in Guatemala.
* More than 80 percent of the world's people live in developing countries. They use just 20 percent of the world's wealth. The remaining 20 percent of the world's people live in industrialized nations and control 80 percent of the world's wealth.
* Women perform two-thirds of the world's work, but receive one-tenth of its income and own less than one-hundredth of its property.
* The United States ranks first in the world in weapons sold to poor nations, yet near last among industrialized nations in the proportion of resources devoted to development for the poor.
* Foreign debt crushes hopes and paralyzes progress in too many poor nations.
* Forests, rivers and animal species are being destroyed by environmental neglect and devastation.
* Some nations and nongovernmental organizations resort to attacks on human life, including coerced abortion and sterilization.
* Military budgets of many nations take away money for health care, nutrition, housing and education.
* The gulf between rich and poor nations has widened, and the sense of responsibility toward the world's poor and oppressed has grown weaker.
Call to solidarity
Those bleak statistics, coupled with the millennial call to global solidarity, provide more than ample motivation to initiate a "Pueblo to People" project as our diocesan response to the urgent need to build global bridges.
During the course of the next year, I have asked Father Broderick to form a diocesan accompaniment committee, to locate possible sites and partners in Latin America, to meet with parishes or schools interested in partnership projects, and to develop a coordinated plan to link participant parishes, schools and diocesan departments and agencies with counterparts in participating sister dioceses.
I ask your prayers for this important venture as we become more aware of the multicultural composition of our Church in the United States, and of the opportunities for mutually enriching exchanges with our brothers and sisters in Latin America.
The Evangelist will keep you posted on the progress made and the partnering opportunities available.