Guidelines for Receiving Pastoral Ministers in the USA

provide testimonials from international pastoral ministers who are already serving in the region. Internet and video connections can link inter national pastoral ministers with the specific commu nity that they will serve, if that designation has been made. This pre-arrival contact enables the individ ual minister’s smooth entry into the community and establishes their connection with it. Video contact can also surface potential difficulties that might need attention. The diocese, eparchy, institute, or society should assemble a packet of documents to inform interna tional pastoral ministers of policies and practical details of their ministry in the United States. 3 These documents can be sent in advance by email. The content of the packet will vary according to the size, conditions, and policies of the diocese, epar chy, institute, or society. In those instances where the local assignment is already established, the packet may include information pertaining to that particular assignment. When a diocese, eparchy, institute, or society receives multiple ministers from the same region, officials or representatives of the receiving commu nity might visit the sending community and meet with potential ministers in their home environment. Although such a visit entails an expenditure of time and money, it clearly demonstrates respect for the sending community and offers an effective means to achieve genuine insight into the qualities of the potential ministers. Stage 2: Welcome and Initial Orientation Welcome The quality of the first “hello” is crucial to the success of the reception process. Two considerations need to be kept in mind. The first is the extraordinarily high stress level of the journey itself. The arriving individuals are likely to be physically exhausted by the journey and emotionally spent after the fare wells to family, friends, and community. They will probably have been subject to intrusive and lengthy 3 The canon law considerations chapter of the Guidelines calls for a written agreement governing the work and living arrangements of the minister. That document will cover most of the information suggested here. Nonetheless, it is likely that the more technical lan guage and information of such an agreement may need to be supple mented by this packet.

Apart from a formal pre-arrival program, the internet, social media, mobile phone apps, and the tools of distance learning can facilitate this process in three ways: (1) to deliver information and give a sense of cultural context to international ministers before their arrival; (2) to begin establishing rapport between the international ministers and the com munities that will receive them; and (3) to assist the vetting process, for example, by conducting initial assessment interviews or testing. After a potential international pastoral minis ter applies for service in the United States, a video link can enable an interview. This interview form offers a way to assess linguistic competency. A video interview can also facilitate initial psychological screening with, of course, appropriate safeguards for privacy in place. These forms of electronic communication do not allow for a comprehensive screening process, but they offer the possibility of an important initial assessment. 2 Finally, in a very helpful way, video interviews can be used in advance of a visa process. The various receiving church communities can produce web-based introductory content for interna tional pastoral ministers prior to their arrival. The content might include basic information about life in the United States, about the region where the ministers will serve, and about the particular com munity where the ministers will serve. The content can be delivered by means of documents, videos, and other interactive learning tools. The creation and maintenance of these pre-arrival programs is rela tively inexpensive and not labor intensive once the content has been developed. These programs can be developed collaboratively by groups of institutions and communities. The flexibility of the different learning tools allows for a mix of formal content and more personal “snapshots” of the receiving com munity. Finally, the content of these programs can 2 In the course of managing its pastoral grant programs, the Office of National Collections of the USCCB works closely and extensively with many dioceses, eparchies, and religious communities through out the world. Consider contacting the National Collections Office for background information regarding sending dioceses, eparchies, societies, or institutes of other countries related to the exchange of pastoral ministers. National or regional associations of international clergy and religious in the United States can also be helpful for the vetting process and for reception, for example: African Conference of Catholic Clergy and Religious in the United States. (ACCCRUS); African Catholic Clergy Association (ACCA); African Women Religious Conference (AWRC); Asociación Nacional de Sacerdotes Hispanos (ANSH); Asociación de Religiosas Hispanas en los Estados Unidos (ARHEU); Federation of Vietnamese Catholics in the USA; Korean American Priests Association (KAPA).

G-2 | Reception and Orientation