Guidelines for Receiving Pastoral Ministers in the USA

minister who is to arrive in the parish. The lessons need not be long and could be presented in five to ten minute modules. Adaptations to the local sit uation, such as a profile of the international priest who serves or will serve in the parish, can easily be included in the modules. These modules offer the receiving community a sense of an international minister’s home culture. This information helps to avoid the misunderstand ings that can occur in the encounter between persons of different cultures. In the long term, the purpose of the modules would be to facilitate the bond between the international minister and the receiving com munity. To achieve this, personal witness and inter personal exchange are crucial elements, in addition to the distance tools. Stage 4: Ongoing Support It is not possible to achieve full intercultural compe tency with a program of a week or two. The reception process must be seen as a long-term commitment of both the international pastoral ministers and the receiving communities. Once the formal orienta tion program and follow-up have been determined, the receiving communities need further support structures for their international pastoral ministers in the United States. The following structures are highly recommended: Peer Support Groups International pastoral ministers already serving in the United States are among the most important resources for new arrivals. Encouraging peers from various countries or regions to meet and support one another in person and through social media provides new arrivals with safe spaces, not unlike ethnic neigh borhoods, restaurants, and associations found in many American communities. The newly arrived minis ters can enjoy the comfort of food from home, have a chance to speak their own language or dialect, and hear from others who have made the transition to life in the United States. Peer groups offer a less threat ening environment for asking questions or expressing frustrations. An added benefit is that the experienced international pastoral ministers who guide newcom ers may find that this effort binds them more closely to their own ministerial community in the United States. People learn best when teaching others.

function in the United States. With effort, progress can be made. The second concern has to do with how Americans understand or fail to understand the pronunciation of those who speak English as a first language (for example, Irish, South African, or East Indian) but with their own distinctive pronunciation. And certainly, the question of pronunciation also arises for those whose first language is not English. Ideally, international pastoral ministers move toward a pronunciation that is more readily understood by American ears. The challenges to achieve this are formidable. Discipline and hard work may not pro duce the desired results. 7 National or even regional programs for both sets of linguistic needs may not be feasible, unless they include the extensive use of distance learning tools. The ongoing nature of language and accent training indicates that such programs are most effective when they are locally accessible and adapted to individual needs. Distance resources might supplement such local efforts but cannot substitute for them. Cultural Orientation for Receiving Communities If the reception process is to be truly mutual, then curricula and programs to prepare receiving commu nities are needed. Such efforts should be directed to those colleagues who will work most directly with the international pastoral ministers such as priests, deacons, parish staff, and confreres from their own cultural community. In this context, distance learning tools are important. General clergy conferences or faculty training days to teach intercultural competency are quite feasible. Formal and ongoing programs for whole parish communities are not so feasible. For these communities, the application of distance learn ing tools makes this training possible and practical. Catholic educational centers with an expertise in multicultural issues can develop multimedia les son modules for online delivery to pastors and parish staff. Similar modules can address leadership in the parish, such as parish councils or parish volunteers. The same kind of resource could be available to the entire parish though the parish website. The lessons can present the culture of the international pastoral

7 This may be another area in which Catholic social service organiza tions have experience in assisting immigrants. These organizations may be consulted for advice or assistance.

Reception and Orientation | G-7