The Diocese of Paterson and five priests are suing the government over policy changes to the EB-4 worker visa program which have resulted in enormous backlogs
It has impacted the Church in Utah too. A priest for the Diocese of Salt Lake City had to return to the Philippines because of the backlog. The diocese is encouraging Utahn's to reach out to their representatives on this issue.
This is a "call your congressman" issue. The deadlock about immigration has the potential to strangle the church's ability to provide the sacraments to the faithful. And to be honest, it's going to hurt poor immigrants and rural, under-served dioceses the hardest. I think both parties need to hear that their constituents care intensely about this issue being resolved ASAP.
I have commented on this issue previously. It is obvious that we need priests. I encourage the American Church to looks at ourselves. What are each of us doing to encourage vocations? I assume not much. Why should we, when we can go to third world countries to fill our needs. I think this is sort of clerical capitalism. I feel that many of us have given up on our own American youth convinced that few will ever consider a call to the priesthood. I find it hard to accept that foreign priests often leave their countries where the church is under obvious duress and come to this first world country. I do not think a young man from Columbia, Nigeria, India, etc. tells their vacation director that they want to be ordained for their diocese so that they can come to America. If an American Bishop has established such a 'supply chain' then the people of his diocese should be informed. As a matter of justice, it should be considered that if there are only a limited number of green cards available, who is losing out when a priest moves to the front of the line? Is it a spouse, a child, perhaps an M.D. who is committed to servicing a rural area, perhaps a bread winner whose family needs their fiscal support. I reverence all priests, even those whose language skills are meager. Of course we need Spanish speaking priests. I believe the Hispanic/Latinos Catholics renew our Church. Amazingly and with hard work and dedication most of these priests are bilingual, the same can apply to our younger Anglo priest and seminarians. It is time to encourage our Spanish speaking communities to address the vocation shortage. I end by how I started. Are we, me included, doing enough or anything to support vocations? Am I praying daily for the gift of future priests, am I fasting, am I challenging certain individuals to explore the priestly call, am I encouraging men to listen and learn more. I have confidence in the American Church to explore and resolve this issue without taking the easy way, going to third world countries to supply our priestly needs. As always am I grateful for an outlet to express my thoughts. Terrance
I agree with you. I love having them in my country but I worry that we're depriving their home communities. I ran numbers on Nigeria and Vietnam, and they have far more Mass going Catholics than we do in the West.
I think you raise a valid point and I'm certainly for a more serious look at local vocations. I also know it's a complex issue. For instance we're a university town, so I know our most recent ordination was a priest born in Africa, but came to our town to go to university and then grad school and in that time discerned his vocation and so went to Seminary and was incardinated here. Our area has been his home for a long time and was formative to his vocation, even though he counts among the foreign born.
I also know we are currently blessed by a Nigerian priest who was sent to us by his bishop because his name appeared on a terrorist hit list, and even though he wishes he could serve back in his own Diocese, until things change his life is preserved here.
I would have thought that one of the countries most affected would be Nigeria, which has many vocations which are now assisting other countries. A century of mission now reaping benefits for the original sending countries, who are now mission territory themselves. Kerala in India is also a source of priests for elsewhere.
The one year departure requirement is not a law it is just an administrative rule that can be changed at anytime. For example, there could be a one day departure requirement or one week.
There is no good excuse for the State Department to gum up the visa processing and blame it on politics -- the failure of Congress to act on immigration reform. This appears to be another example of wanton insensitivity to religion in the secular bureaucracy.
Could the policy of allowing State employees to work from home have anything to do with the visa backlogs?
Call your congressman now and if they are not listening find one who is. Then call any Senator who is on the budget committee who is a known Catholic or Christian. We had so much trouble getting my daughter in law from the Philippines into the USA the correct and legal way. We called Brian Mast and Mark Rubeo and got the case number and case manager . We kept calling and calling . She is here. You can not let this happen . The squeaky wheel get the grease. Also get active. Write letters, call congress and keep fighting. Let other Churches of different domination's know what is going on. They too will be effected. The problem is it takes action time and not diplomacy.
It has impacted the Church in Utah too. A priest for the Diocese of Salt Lake City had to return to the Philippines because of the backlog. The diocese is encouraging Utahn's to reach out to their representatives on this issue.
This is a "call your congressman" issue. The deadlock about immigration has the potential to strangle the church's ability to provide the sacraments to the faithful. And to be honest, it's going to hurt poor immigrants and rural, under-served dioceses the hardest. I think both parties need to hear that their constituents care intensely about this issue being resolved ASAP.
It's about time.
Praying for Max Flynn!
I have commented on this issue previously. It is obvious that we need priests. I encourage the American Church to looks at ourselves. What are each of us doing to encourage vocations? I assume not much. Why should we, when we can go to third world countries to fill our needs. I think this is sort of clerical capitalism. I feel that many of us have given up on our own American youth convinced that few will ever consider a call to the priesthood. I find it hard to accept that foreign priests often leave their countries where the church is under obvious duress and come to this first world country. I do not think a young man from Columbia, Nigeria, India, etc. tells their vacation director that they want to be ordained for their diocese so that they can come to America. If an American Bishop has established such a 'supply chain' then the people of his diocese should be informed. As a matter of justice, it should be considered that if there are only a limited number of green cards available, who is losing out when a priest moves to the front of the line? Is it a spouse, a child, perhaps an M.D. who is committed to servicing a rural area, perhaps a bread winner whose family needs their fiscal support. I reverence all priests, even those whose language skills are meager. Of course we need Spanish speaking priests. I believe the Hispanic/Latinos Catholics renew our Church. Amazingly and with hard work and dedication most of these priests are bilingual, the same can apply to our younger Anglo priest and seminarians. It is time to encourage our Spanish speaking communities to address the vocation shortage. I end by how I started. Are we, me included, doing enough or anything to support vocations? Am I praying daily for the gift of future priests, am I fasting, am I challenging certain individuals to explore the priestly call, am I encouraging men to listen and learn more. I have confidence in the American Church to explore and resolve this issue without taking the easy way, going to third world countries to supply our priestly needs. As always am I grateful for an outlet to express my thoughts. Terrance
I agree with you. I love having them in my country but I worry that we're depriving their home communities. I ran numbers on Nigeria and Vietnam, and they have far more Mass going Catholics than we do in the West.
I think you raise a valid point and I'm certainly for a more serious look at local vocations. I also know it's a complex issue. For instance we're a university town, so I know our most recent ordination was a priest born in Africa, but came to our town to go to university and then grad school and in that time discerned his vocation and so went to Seminary and was incardinated here. Our area has been his home for a long time and was formative to his vocation, even though he counts among the foreign born.
I also know we are currently blessed by a Nigerian priest who was sent to us by his bishop because his name appeared on a terrorist hit list, and even though he wishes he could serve back in his own Diocese, until things change his life is preserved here.
I would have thought that one of the countries most affected would be Nigeria, which has many vocations which are now assisting other countries. A century of mission now reaping benefits for the original sending countries, who are now mission territory themselves. Kerala in India is also a source of priests for elsewhere.
Nigeria also has a very high estimated rate of Mass-going Catholics. If anywhere has a priest shortage, it's there.
The Kerala priests are Syro Malabar rite with biritual faculties. They've been a gift to Australia, and I hope they continue to be so.
The one year departure requirement is not a law it is just an administrative rule that can be changed at anytime. For example, there could be a one day departure requirement or one week.
There is no good excuse for the State Department to gum up the visa processing and blame it on politics -- the failure of Congress to act on immigration reform. This appears to be another example of wanton insensitivity to religion in the secular bureaucracy.
Could the policy of allowing State employees to work from home have anything to do with the visa backlogs?
Call your congressman now and if they are not listening find one who is. Then call any Senator who is on the budget committee who is a known Catholic or Christian. We had so much trouble getting my daughter in law from the Philippines into the USA the correct and legal way. We called Brian Mast and Mark Rubeo and got the case number and case manager . We kept calling and calling . She is here. You can not let this happen . The squeaky wheel get the grease. Also get active. Write letters, call congress and keep fighting. Let other Churches of different domination's know what is going on. They too will be effected. The problem is it takes action time and not diplomacy.
We have lost several religious sisters and lay consecrated in our parish this way. It is is disruptive and heartbreaking.
Drip, drip, drip.