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31 May 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

In this Sunday's reading from John 15 Jesus says that the Spirit of truth as well as the disciples will testify to him. If President Barack Obama gets his wish, federal appeals judge Sonia Sotomayor will hear the testimony of those who argue before the U.S. Supreme Court in coming terms. Tuesday Obama nominated Sotomayor, the first Hispanic to be tapped for the high court. Sotomayor, a federal appeals judge in New York, is the daughter of Puerto Rican parents and was raised in a Bronx public housing project. She was diagnosed with diabetes at the age of 8; her father died when she was 9; and her mother often worked two jobs to send her brother and her to Catholic schools. Obama called her life "an extraordinary journey." "When Sonia Sotomayor ascends those marble steps to assume her seat on the highest court of the land," Obama said as he introduced her in the East Room of the White House Tuesday, "America will have taken another important step toward realizing the ideal that is etched above its entrance: Equal justice under the law." Sotomayor's past comments about how her gender and ethnicity affected her decisions, and the role of appeals courts in making policy, generated instant conservative complaints that she is a judicial activist. Senate Republicans vowed to scrutinize her record, but with Democrats in reach of the 60 votes needed to break a filibuster, the White House appeared to dare Republicans to stand against a history-making nomination at a time when both parties are courting the growing Hispanic vote. If confirmed, Sotomayor will be the sixth Roman Catholic on the high court, which may provoke debate on the role her faith does or should play in her judicial decision-making. While her life experience may align her with the social justice teachings of the church on issues such as race, poverty, immigration, and economics, observers say, she may be challenged in confirmation hearings to discuss her stance on issues such as abortion, embryonic stem cell research, and gay marriage. Source: Articles by Peter Baker and Jeff Zeleny and Julie Hirschfeld Davis for the Associated Press and a posting to USA TODAY'S Faith & Reason blog

barack obama supreme court sonia sotomayor hispanics puerto ricans catholic

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Can’t Staten Island youth all just get along?

29 Aug 2010 - Preaching the News for Sunday

This Sunday’s reading from the Letter to the Hebrew refers in reverent tones to “God the judge of all” and to “the spirits of the just made perfect.” Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York has joined other city leaders in calling on minority youth on Staten Island to exercise better judgment and put an end to a string of violent assaults this summer that has mostly targeted Hispanic youth. In a Spanish-language sermon during Mass last Sunday at St. Mary’s of the Assumption Church in the borough’s Port Richmond neighborhood, Dolan said he was saddened by a spate of suspected anti-Hispanic muggings and other attacks that had left some Latin American immigrants fearing for their safety. The small neighborhood is home to the majority of the borough’s Mexican immigrants, who have been the targets of most of the dozen attacks since April, authorities say. The attacks have underscored long-simmering tensions between Hispanic immigrants and African Americans. “Our God is sad, our church is sad, and we are sad. But we should never lose hope,” Dolan told worshippers. “We will reclaim our streets. God lives in these streets. Fear, violence, and hate do not live here.” Dolan said his message to parishioners was that God wanted people to come together. “God is our father,” he said. “He wants us all to be his children. He wants to gather us together in the unity of his kingdom.” Just as the reading from Sirach counsels “my child” in what is proper and wholesome conduct, Dolan, speaking after the service, said the church needed to influence young people to develop in positive directions. “We need to bring young people even closer so that they’re not tempted to get into these dangerous, destructive habits,” he said. Parishioners said they found Dolan’s words soothing. “He gave me a lot of hope,” said Jaime Bolanos, 20, who emigrated from Mexico 12 years ago. “Many people think we are alone. We are not.” Source: Articles by Mark Morales for New York Daily News and the Associated Press

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Republicans count on boost from census

26 Dec 2010 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The gospel for Sunday, December 26 recounts how the Holy Family had to relocate several times as Joseph and Mary sought to raise the child Jesus. New population figures released by the Census Bureau Tuesday underscore how American families continue to relocate from the Northeast and Midwest to the South and West in search of employment and a warmer climate. The once-a-decade head count will give Republican-leaning states more seats in Congress while traditionally Democratic states will shed representatives, adding impact to state-level GOP victories in last month's elections that gave the party a stronger hand in redrawing voting districts across the U.S. The big winner in the census was Texas, which will gain four seats in the U.S. House. Elsewhere in the South, Florida gained two seats, while Georgia and South Carolina added one. In the West, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, and Washington each got an additional seat. States that gained seats got them largely because of growth in their minority populations, especially Hispanics. Hispanics accounted for 63 percent of Texas' population growth and half the gains in Florida and Arizona this decade, according to William H. Frey, a demographer at the Brookings Institution in Washington. Big losers were Ohio and New York, which each shed two seats. Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania all lost one seat. The only Southern state to lose was Louisiana, which shed one seat, a result of the exodus following Hurricane Katrina. Source: Articles by Patrick O’Connor and Conor Dougherty for the Wall Street Journal and Hope Yen and Charles Babington for the Associated Press

house of representatives hispanics democrats republicans census

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Hispanics lag in Internet usage

27 Feb 2011 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The psalmist has great confidence, speaking this Sunday of God as “the rock of my strength; my refuge.” In a new survey, Hispanics express a lack of confidence in their Internet abilities, which could set back the nation’s fastest-growing ethnic group as more employment, educational, and health-care opportunities migrate online. Hispanics are less connected to the Internet than whites and blacks, using websites less frequently and expressing more discomfort with computers and technology in the workplace, according to the Washington Post-Kaiser Family Foundation-Harvard University survey. Only 72 percent of Hispanics say they use the Internet, lower than the percentages of whites and African Americans, while 57 percent of Hispanics say they don't have enough knowledge about computers and technology to be competitive in the current job environment. Language is a factor. Among Hispanics who were interviewed in English, 88 percent said they use the Internet or email at least occasionally. That figure falls to barely more than half--53 percent--among those who chose to take the poll in Spanish. The trends, however, may be changing across generational lines. Among Hispanics age 18 to 34, 87 percent are online compared with 37 percent for those ages 60 and up. Source: An article by Cecilia Kang and Krissah Thompson for the Washington Post

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Let's move on immigration reform, president says

15 May 2011 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The reading from the Acts of the Apostles this Sunday includes a summons to repentance, while Psalm 23 describes the Lord as a shepherd who guides “in right paths.” President Barack Obama Tuesday argued for a legal path to citizenship for the millions of immigrants in the U.S. illegally that would include paying a fine as restitution for having broken the law. The president stood near the U.S.-Mexico border in El Paso, Texas and declared IT more secure than ever, trying to build pressure on Republicans to take on comprehensive immigration overhaul--and, analysts said, eagerly working to show Hispanic voters that he is not the one standing in the way. Countering Republican calls to focus on border security before moving to a comprehensive overhaul, Obama said their demands have been more than met by his administration, but "they'll never be satisfied." Republicans disputed Obama's contention that the border has been effectively secured and accused him of playing politics in pursuit of the ever-growing Hispanic electorate ahead of the 2012 election. On the heels of the president’s speech, Senate Democrats are reintroducing the DREAM Act, a bill that would give legal status to some illegal immigrants who came into the United States as children. Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles, chairman of the U.S. Catholic bishops’ Committee on Migration, urged Congress and the president to work together to enact comprehensive immigration reform. “Our current policies are breaking up families in the name of enforcing our laws,” he said. “Congress and the president have a responsibility to come together to enact reform that corrects this humanitarian problem, respects the dignity and hard work of our immigrant brothers and sisters, and reflects America’s proud history as a hospitable society and a welcoming culture,” said Gomez. Source: Articles by Jackie Calmes and Jennifer Steinhauer for the New York Times,Darlene Superville and Erica Werner for the Associated Press, and CatholicCulture.org

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Harsh immigration talk doesn’t translate into Latino votes

22 Jan 2012 - Preaching the News for Sunday

Jonah conveys God’s call to repentance to the people of Nineveh in pretty strong language in this Sunday’s first reading: "Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed." Republican primary contenders have used some pretty strong language in their efforts to appear tough on immigration and may already have done serious damage to their eventual nominee’s ability to attract the votes of Latinos, commentators say. The language has been so sharp that even New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez, a Republican, has warned the candidates to watch their tongues. The Republican Party is also beefing up its minority outreach nationwide, preparing to put its rising Latino political stars on the campaign trail amid concerns that the tough rhetoric is taking on an increasingly anti-Hispanic tone. But immigrant-rights groups and some political watchers say the damage may be irreversible. They argue that the GOP has severely hampered itself as it looks to woo the critical Latino voting bloc that could decide who wins key states like New Mexico, Nevada, Colorado, and Florida next fall. "What we have to do is this: We have to tone down the rhetoric, and we have to have a sincere, honest conversation with the voters," Martinez said Wednesday, shortly after the Republican National Committee announced that it had hired a director of Hispanic outreach and was expanding its Latino-focused efforts. Martinez is among the popular Hispanic politicians Republicans will deploy to battleground states in the coming months. Sources: Articles by Matthew Jaffe for ABC News and Univision and Jeri Clausing for the Associated Press

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Ebooks en español? Excellente!

27 May 2012 - Preaching the News for Sunday

Devout Jews from every land who were in Jerusalem for Pentecost were amazed that each of them heard the Galilean disciples preaching in his or her native tongue. Over 67,000 people attended a Spanish-language book fair in Los Angeles last week, eager to find literature in that tongue. Observers say explosive growth of eReader and tablet sales among Hispanics suggest that ebooks in Spanish will increasingly meet that demand.Attendance at this year’s fair was nearly double last year’s. The organizers of the event, the International Book Fair of Guadalajara and the University of Guadalajara Foundation, said that Los Angeles is actually the second largest “Mexican” city, behind Mexico City and ahead of Guadalajara and Monterrey.Several digital startups in attendance may be well positioned for the future direction of Spanish language publishing. BajaLibros.com (“download books”), launched one year ago in Argentina, now sells to readers across Latin America, and the U.S. LibrosBooks.com, based in El Paso, Texas, opened up shop this past January to sell Spanish-language books via the internet. In April, online bookselling giant Amazon.com announced the launch of its “eBooks Kindle en Español” store.A recent study by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project shows that Hispanics’ adoption rate of both eReaders and tablets superseded that of the already explosive growth in that area of the general market. Latino adoption of eReaders more than tripled during the most recent holiday gift-giving season. “Hispanics like to be connected. We like technology in general and if it's on sale for a good price, we'll buy it,” said Ariel Coro, Univision’s host of Tu Tecnología, a feature that educates Hispanic families on the latest technologies. Source: An article by Joe Kutchera for Fox News Latino

Technology international book fair of guadalajara ereaders electronic publishing bajalibroscom librosbookscom ariel coro ebooks electronic readers los angeles hispanics latinos amazoncom Spanish university of guadalajara foundation

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Voting laws present a challenge to Hispanic citizens

30 Sep 2012 - Preaching the News for Sunday

“The law of the Lord is perfect” and “the decree of the Lord is trustworthy,” the psalmist assures us this Sunday. New voting laws in 23 states, however, raise questions of fairness and have researchers wondering whether more than 10 million Hispanic U.S. citizens will be disenfranchised this election year.The new laws include purges of people suspected of not being citizens in 16 states that unfairly target Latinos, the civil rights group Advancement Project said in a study released this week. The Latino community accounts for more than 10 percent of eligible voters nationally, but the share in some states is high enough that keeping Hispanic voters away from the polls could change the outcome of the election.Laws in effect in one state and pending in two others require proof of citizenship for voter registration. That requires onerous and sometimes expensive documentation requirements of voters, especially naturalized American citizens, many of whom are Latino, Advancement Project said. Nine states have passed restrictive photo identification laws that impose costs in time and money for millions of Latinos who are citizens but do not yet have the required identification, it said.Republican-led state legislatures have passed most of the new laws since the party won sweeping victories in state and local elections in 2010. They say the laws are meant to prevent voter fraud; critics say they are designed to reduce turnout among groups that typically back Democrats.Decades of study have found virtually no use of false identification in U.S. elections or voting by noncitizens. Activists say the bigger problem in the United States, where most elections see turnouts of well under 60 percent, is that eligible Americans do not bother to vote.Homily hint: How many eligible voters in your faith community plan to vote this November? This Sunday might be a good moment to invite them to commit in their hearts to exercise their civic duty by casting their vote. The nation's Roman Catholic bishops offer a voter guide for the 2012 election, Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship. Catholics make up about one-quarter of the electorate nationwide. Sources: Articles by Patricia Zengerle for Reuters and Rachel Zoll for the Associated Press

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Comprehensive immigration reform on horizon

18 Nov 2012 - Preaching the News for Sunday

“You it is who hold fast my lot,” the psalmist says of the Lord this Sunday, adding for good measure, “You will show me the path to life.” The lot of some 12 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. lies with the U.S. Congress, where there are signs that a comprehensive approach to immigration reform with a path to citizenship could be on the post-election horizon.Since President Barack Obama was reelected last week with overwhelming support from Hispanic voters, many Republicans have expressed a new willingness to work with Democrats to pass immigration reform after years of legislative inaction.Democratic Senator Charles Schumer said he and Republican Senator Lindsey Graham have agreed to resume talks on immigration reform which broke off two years ago. “And I think we have a darned good chance using this blueprint to get something done this year. The Republican Party has learned that being . . . anti-immigrant doesn't work for them politically. And they know it,” Schumer said.Obama in 2010 called the proposal backed by Graham and Schumer a “promising framework” but it made no headway. There are an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the United States, most of them Hispanic.Graham said the tone and rhetoric used by members of his party on immigration ”built a wall between the Republican Party and the Hispanic community.” He noted that Republican presidential candidates have been steadily losing the support of Hispanic voters since 2004.“This is an odd formula for a party to adopt: the fastest-growing demographic in the country, and we're losing votes every election cycle. And it has to stop. It's one thing to shoot yourself in the foot. Just don't reload the gun. . . . I intend to tear this wall down and pass an immigration reform bill that's an American solution to an American problem,” Graham said.Homily hint: Nations divide when voting for their leaders, then must come together under the guidance of a leader a good portion of the populace did not support. Suggest that folks reach out to someone in the faith community on “the other side” of the voting divide and let them know that on immigration, and on many issues, people of good will can work out their differences and address the nation’s many problems. Source: An article by Will Dunham for Reuters

barack obama hispanics voters republican party lindsay graham immigration policy undocumented immigrants charles shumer

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Study: Young Latinos losing faith

11 May 2014 - Preaching the News for Sunday

"What are we to do?" said those around Saint Peter in response to his preaching. The church may well be asking the same question about young Latinos, who are leaving the Catholic Church in droves, according to a new study, with many drifting into the country's fastest-growing "religious movement": the "nones." Nearly a third of Latino adults under 30 don't belong to a faith group, according to a major survey released Tuesday by the Pew Research Center. That's a jump of 17 percentage points in only the last three years.The trends highlighted by Pew's Latino survey also mirror large-scale shifts in the American population as whole. According to other studies conducted by Pew in recent years, nearly a third of all millennials—Americans between the ages of 18-33—are religiously unaffiliated, a dramatic and ongoing change from previous generations.“One of the most striking recent trends in the American religious landscape has been the growing share of the unaffiliated, and this study allows us to see where Latinos fit into that story,” said Cary Funk, a senior researcher at the Pew Research Center and one of the coauthors of the study.The overall breakdown of the nation's estimated 35.4 million Latinos is: 55 percent Catholic, 22 percent Protestant, and 18 percent unaffiliated.That's bad news for the Catholic Church, which has seen a 12 percentage-point drop in Hispanic members since 2010, with most of the losses coming from former Catholics under 50. As recently as a few years ago, two-thirds of Latinos were Catholic; now nearly one in four Hispanic adults is a former Catholic, according to Pew.More than half (55 percent) say they simply "drifted away" from organized religion. A similar number (52 percent) say they no longer believed in the teachings of their childhood religion. A smaller number of Latinos (4 percentage points) have left Catholicism to become evangelical Protestants, according to Pew."Outreach to the Hispanic community is a top priority for the Catholic Church as the huge growth in the Hispanic community offers a challenge to keep up with the pastoral needs," said Sister Mary Ann Walsh, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.See the Pew report.Homily hint: While the church should be concerned with the loss of significant numbers of specific groups, the best response is not merely to blame cultural and social trends but for each and every believer to show in their own lives that the Catholic Christian faith is a living and life-giving path which speaks to human hearts and minds in ways nothing else can. Source: An article by Daniel Burke for the CNN Belief Blog

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