Guidelines for Receiving Pastoral Ministers in the USA

Programs vary and can be as long as one week or involve several one or two weeks sessions over sev eral months. For formal orientation, one week should be considered the minimum. Ideally, the program will involve more than one meeting. Some programs include follow-up. Several programs have a national outreach; 6 other programs serve the needs of a par ticular diocese, eparchy, institute, society, or region. Case Study 2 Father B. was ordained for a rural Latin American dio cese. Before his ordination, two of his siblings immi grated to the United States. During visits to his family in the United States, he was moved by the pastoral needs of Spanish-speaking immigrants and he felt a desire to be close to his family in the United States. With his bishop’s permission, he came to the United States to serve as an international priest. The local bishop wel comed him enthusiastically because of the vast and often unmet needs of Spanish-speakers in his diocese. Eventually, the diocesan bishop in the United States incardinated him, although his English was very limited and the parameters of his ministry were very narrowly confined to the Hispanic community. The diocese did not have an operative program for orien tation and even less so did it have a process of integra tion into the presbyterate. So, Father B. was busy with his ministry but also isolated. An unscrupulous real estate lawyer convinced him that he could serve the community by co-signing on mortgage loans for immi grant families, including his own. In fact, unknown to Father B., the mortgage loans were part of a fraudulent scheme that was eventually uncovered by the district attorney, and Father B. was convicted of several crimi nal offenses for his complicity in the scheme. This case illustrates how a priest’s initial good intentions and zeal are not enough. The lack of ori entation and the failure to integrate Father B. into the presbyterate and life of the local Church resulted in sad consequences, which could have been avoided. Orientation programs should always consider the particular needs and circumstances of the partici pants. The schedule should allow for daily Eucharist, prayer in common, and opportunity for fellowship. A comprehensive program will include international ministers among its faculty. Such a program provides international ministers with the opportunity to step outside of their ministerial assignment to engage in a

Evaluative elements can appropriately enter into this first phase. Testing for proper idiomatic American English as well as culturally-appropriate psychological testing should take place in the first three months after arrival in the United States. Such tests may indicate the need for more than routine cultural orientation, or they may raise the question of the suitability of a given pastoral min ister for service in the United States. It is preferred that the arrangements for testing be handled at the diocesan, eparchial, institute, or society level. Likewise, responsibility for any course of action resulting from such testing rests with the diocesan, eparchial, institute, or society leadership. Of course, all precautions must be taken to protect the privacy of medical records. When language needs are iden tified, there is no need to await formal orientation to address those needs. Language instruction or assistance with idiomatic US pronunciation should begin as soon as the need is identified. In the US context, language needs may extend beyond English because of the multiethnic composition of many US Catholic communities. Stage 3: Formal Orientation Cultural Orientation for the Minister While initial orientation should be local, ad hoc, and specific to the personal and cultural context of individuals, formal orientation should include a clear curriculum and expert guidance. This stage lends itself to cooperation among various receiving communities. Although a large diocese, eparchy, institute, or society may wish to conduct its own program, most may wish to utilize existing national programs or develop programs in concert with other dioceses, eparchies, institutes, or societies. 5 Current data indicate that only about one third of arriving clergy, seminarians, and consecrated persons have had an opportunity for formal orientation. Although the commitment of time and money needed to pro vide this orientation is considerable, a formal pro gram of orientation is an indispensable part of any comprehensive reception process. Formal orientation programs should begin between three and nine months after arrival.

5 Many Catholic Charities agencies throughout the United States offer such programs in the context of assistance and welcome for newly-arrived immigrants and refugees, including some who may be from the same home country as the arriving pastoral ministers.

6 A listing of national programs can be found in the “Further Resources” section at the end of the Guidelines .

Reception and Orientation | G-5