Family and faith: Contributions to Church by Latinos

There is much to learn from the Latino population living in the Albany Diocese, says a woman religious who works with them on a regular basis.

"One of their greatest values is family," said Sister Anne Tranelli, CSJ, executive director of Hispanic Outreach Services, a Catholic Charities agency dedicated to helping this community become acclimated to their new environment and assisting them in moving toward self-sufficiency.

Family is much more than the nuclear family for immigrants from Latin America. "It's the extended family, a distant cousin, an aunt," Sister Anne said. "There is caring for one another."

Family is also one of the big reasons many Latin Americans are coming to the Diocese. "They are genuinely looking for a better way of life for their children, a better education -- and looking for work," she explained.

Growing population

According to the 1990 census, there are 22,000 Spanish-speaking persons in the Diocese. However, Sister Anne believes that figure is inaccurate. For example, the census reports that 2,073 Latinos live in the city of Amsterdam, but Latinos actually represent 20 to 25 percent of that city's population, she said.

Even the word "Hispanic" itself is misleading. "We take the term and use it to cover millions of people," she said. "There are distinctions, we can't lump them all together."

For example, while the Latino population shares a similar language and family values, each nationality has its own characteristics, said Sister Anne. Characterizing Peruvians, Mexicans, Colombians and other Latin Americans as "Hispanic" is like boiling down Italians, Irish, Germans and Polish into nothing more than "European," she said.

Language barrier

Language, the common thread in the Latino population, is also the biggest hurdle the community faces as they move into the area.

"The language barrier is the number-one problem," said Sister Anne. "They want to learn [English], but they also want to retain their own language. The Spanish language is so rich. You can't translate it without losing its beauty and richness."

The language barrier effects everything from job hunting to interacting with the children's teachers, said Maria Jeannette Gatto, youth outreach worker and coordinator of the Amsterdam Outreach Office of Hispanic Outreach Services. "It's hard to fill out job applications because of language barriers," she said.

Education

Language differences also influence the role parents play in their child's education.

"It's hard for parents to meet with teachers" on a regular basis due to the language difference, Mrs. Gatto noted. That leads to teachers contacting parents only when their child is having a problem in school; parents then feel intimidated since they only hear from the school when the child is doing poorly.

Other problems for Hispanics are caused by prejudice. "There's a lot of judgment," said Mrs. Gatto. "Like: 'They are lazy bums who want everything handed to them.' [People should] see us as individuals."

Melting pot?

Integrating Hispanics into the Church while also preserving their uniqueness presents a challenge for the Church.

"Do we have separate liturgies, or incorporate aspects of Hispanic worship into all liturgies?" Sister Anne asked, presenting one factor the Church must weigh.

Rather than looking at America as a melting pot where the characteristics of different cultures are lost, she suggested the country become more of a stew where the "meat is still meat and carrots are still carrots, but the flavor is enriched by the presence of all of the ingredients."

To learn more about the Latino community, Sister Anne encourages people to sample the culture through dance, literature and authentic food. "It's not all Taco Bell," she said.

(Hispanic Outreach Services offers a variety of programs to families and children in five counties. While the agency specifically targets the Latino community, it does not discriminate in offering services. For more information, call 453-6655.)

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