ASIAN CATHOLICS : CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN THE UNITED STATES
Peter C. Pha
Since the Second World War millions of Asians and Pacific Islanders have
emigrated to the United States of America. By "Asians and Pacific
Islanders" are meant people who themselves or whose ancestors have
immigrated from various countries of Asia and the Pacific islands
comprising Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia. They include principally
the Chinese, Filipinos, Japanese, Asian Indians, Koreans, Vietnamese, Hmoungs, Laotians, Cambodians, Hawaians, Samoans, and Guamanians. Their
presence has profound and extensive implications for every facet of life
in both the American society and the American Catholic Church.
The Presence of Asians as Challenges and Opportunities
In the 1990 census, the population of Asians and Pacific Islanders was
counted at about 7.3 million, or 2.9 percent of the 250 million total
U.S. population. This number represents more than a doubling of 3.5
million Asian Americans in 1980. Further, it is projected that by the
middle of the twenty-first century, ten percent of the U.S. population
will be Asian, a huge increase from barely three percent in 1990. Among
Asian-Americans, the largest number of Catholics is found among
Filipinos, Vietnamese, and Koreans.
Needless to say, Asian-American Catholics present serious challenges to
the American Catholic Church. These challenges are in part not different
from those confronting the Catholic immigrants of the "First Wave" such
as the Irish, Germans, Italians, and Eastern Europeans. Like them, the
immigrants of the "Second Wave" have to cross the socio-political and
economic divide separating them from the American mainstream. On the
other hand, unlike them, these recent, at times illegal, immigrants, who
are mostly poor and ecclesiastically powerless, have to overcome the gap
within the church itself which marginalizes them from the power centers
now occupied by the Catholics of the "First Wave."
But these new comers present the church not only with challenges but
with opportunities as well. Besides increasing substantially church
membership and the number of religious and priestly vocations, they
bring with them rich and diverse cultural as well as religious
traditions with which the American Catholic Church can be renewed and
strengthened. Through various initiatives and organizational structures
of the USCC and the NCCB, the church has done a good job of welcoming
these strangers. By meeting these challenges and taking advantage of
these opportunities, the American Catholic Church has acquired once
again the vibrancy of an "immigrant church."
To enhance the effectiveness of the American Church's efforts to welcome
Asian Catholics and to make them productive members of the church, the
following general reflections are offered on their cultural and
religious heritages as well as the type of Catholicism they have
inherited. Some familiarity with these aspects of American Asians is
necessary not only to avoid misunderstanding and conflict but also for a
fruitful ministry among them. Of course, it is important to remember
that there is no generic "Asian" but only very distinct Asian ethnic and
national groups. Furthermore, within each group, careful attention must
be paid to the individual himself and herself who is not just an
instance of the group to which he or she belongs but possesses a unique
way of feeling, thinking, and acting.
The "Asian Soul" or "Being Asian"
In his recent Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in Asia (November 6, 1999)
promulgated after the Asian Synod, Pope John Paul II offers a snapshot
of what he calls the "Asian soul" or "being Asian": "The people of Asia
take pride in their religious and cultural values such as love of
silence and contemplation, simplicity, harmony, detachment,
non-violence, discipline, frugal living, the thirst for learning and
philosophical inquiry ..., respect for life, compassion for all beings,
closeness to nature, filial piety toward parents, elders and ancestors,
and a highly developed sense of community. In particular, they hold the
family to be a vital source of strength, a closely knit community with a
powerful sense of solidarity. Asian peoples are known for their spirit
of religious tolerance and peaceful coexistence. Without denying the
existence of bitter tensions and violent conflicts, it can still be said
that Asia has often demonstrated a remarkable capacity for accommodation
and a natural openness to the mutual enrichment of peoples in the midst
of a plurality of religions and cultures.... All of this indicates an
innate spiritual insight and moral wisdom in the Asian soul and it is
the core around which a growing sense of 'being Asian' is built"(EA,6).
These characteristics are of course not exclusive of Asians, nor do all
Asians practice them equally. We must avoid romanticizing Asians as if
with these qualities they were morally superior to other ethnic groups.
However, if instead of frenetic activism, Asians practice love of
silence and contemplation; instead of unbridled consumerism, simplicity,
frugal living and detachment; instead of physical and psychological
violence, harmony and non-violence; instead of ecological destruction,
closeness to nature, respect for life and compassion for all beings;
instead of racism and sexism, tolerance and peaceful co-existence;
instead of anti-family ethos, filial piety toward parents, elders and
ancestors; instead of anti-intellectualism and moral pragmatism, thirst
for learning and philosophical inquiry; instead of rugged individualism,
a powerful sense of solidarity; in short, if Asians live the values
which their cultures inculcate, they will make an important and
much-needed contribution to the American society and the American
Church. Of course, Asian-American Catholics, clerical as well as lay,
like any other American, have succumbed to the seductive songs of the
sirens of the New World, but they can and must draw from their religious
and cultural traditions resources to help them in their struggle against
the evils of contemporary life in America.
A Different Way of Being a Christian
Besides these general cultural and religious values, Asian-American
Catholics have brought with them to the United States their own ways of
living the Christian faith. Here again it is necessary to remember that,
just as there is no generic "Asian," there is no one type of Asian
Catholicism. Each Asian country has its own mode of being Catholic that
reflects its cultural and religious traditions.
The history of Christianity in general and Catholicism in particular in
Asia developed in dependence on the growth of missionary activity since
the sixteenth century. The type of church organization and Christian
life that were brought to Asia by missionaries unavoidably mirrored
those of contemporary Europe, today often referred to as post-Tridentine
Catholicism, that is, shaped by the Council of Trent (1545-63). It has
of course been renewed in various degrees by the reforms mandated by
Vatican II. Asian-American Catholics stand then between a more
conservative post-Tridentine Catholicism and a more progressive Vatican
II Catholicism. Which side they favor largely depends on the church of
their native countries or even of particular regions of these countries
. In spite of regional and national differences, the following traits
seem to be common to American Asians' experiences of Catholicism.
1. In terms of ecclesiological model, Asian-American Catholics tend to
see the church primarily as a social institution. This model exaggerates
the role of visible and canonical structures and the importance of the
hierarchy. It has often led to the error known as institutionalism
characterized by clericalism, juridicism, and triumphalism. This
ecclesiological model is strongly buttressed by the Confucian culture
with its emphasis on deference for authority and tradition. It also
responds well to the Asian churches' need to strengthen their corporate
identity and social cohesiveness, given their minority status in Asia
(except in the Philippines).
2. Connected with this emphasis on the institutional aspects of the
church is the relatively passive role of the laity. Despite the fact
that the Asian-American Catholic laity, especially the younger ones, are
highly educated and successful in various professions, they have as yet
no effective voice in the day-to-day operation of parish life. The local
priest most often wields absolute power. Besides excessive reliance on
the clergy, the laity's lack of competence in matters theological may
account for the minimal role of the laity in church organization, since
training in fields other than secular is generally regarded as
inappropriate for the laity.
3. Another consequence of institutionalism is an excessive concern with
the internal problems of the church and neglect of the dialogue with
other believers. Asian-American Catholics still look on the followers of
other religions with suspicion, despite Vatican II's insistence on the
necessity of interreligious dialogue. Furthermore, they have barely
begun to reflect upon, much less enacted, the task and ways of
inculturating the faith into their own cultures, in spite of ample
resources available in their adopted country for this purpose.
4. Asian-American Catholics are also reluctant to take upon themselves
the challenges of social justice, even if most of them are vigorously
opposed to Communism, and understandably so, since many of them have
been victims of Communist oppression. In general, Asian-American
Catholicism is still heavily shaped by individualistic pietism, with
insufficient knowledge of the social teaching of the church, and
consequently with little engagement in the socio-political and economic
realms in the spirit of the Gospel.
The above four observations are not intended to convey a negative
evaluation of Asian-American Catholicism. On the contrary, on any
showing, Asian-American Catholics form a vibrant and vigorous community
that has already made invaluable contributions to both the American
society and church, not only from their cultural traditions but also
from their Catholic heritage.
5. One area in which Asian-American Catholics have already visibly
transformed the American church is the number of priestly and religious
vocations they (in particular the Vietnamese) have produced. Beside
hundreds of Vietnamese priests who came in and after 1975 and Korean
priests who are regularly sent here to minister to their fellow
Catholics, many dioceses (e.g., Orange, California and New Orleans,
Louisiana) and religious societies (especially the Divine Word Society)
have been enormously enriched by new Asian vocations. Also to be
mentioned are hundreds of sisters of various orders, some of which are
of Vietnamese origin (e.g., the Lovers of the Cross), who are serving
generously in many dioceses and who can easily raise vocations in the
hundreds if they have the resources. This large number of vocations
could be attributed to the high respect in which priests and religious
are held among Asians (which has of course its own negative sides) but
certainly it has roots in the devout faith of Asian-American Catholic
families.
6. This fervent faith is nourished no doubt not only by the sacraments
but also by popular devotions. Indeed, the cultivation of popular
devotions is a distinguishing characteristic of many Asian-American
communities and constitutes an important contribution that
Asian-American Catholics make to the American Church. While post-Vatican
II Catholics tend to downplay popular devotions for their alleged
superstitious character and their tendency to alienate people from
this-worldly concerns, Asian Catholics have continued to foster
practices of popular devotion (e.g., Marian devotions, pilgrimages,
novenas, Benediction, prayers to the saints, etc.) and derive much
spiritual nourishment from them. Every August, the Marian celebrations
organized by the Congregation of Mary Coredemptrix in Carthage,
Missouri, draws an astonishing crowd of some 40,000 Catholics. These
popular devotions will play a much more significant role if their
tendency toward excessive sentimentalism and individualism can be
minimized and their potential for community-building, liberation and
social justice can be retrieved.
7. Intimately connected with popular devotions is another major
characteristic of Asian-American Catholic communities and parishes, that
is, the flourishing of communal activities, often in tandem with
sacramental celebrations (especially baptism, marriage, and funerals),
certain calendrical feasts (e.g., the New Year) and cultural customs
(e.g., death anniversaries). In addition, there are a large number of
pious associations (e.g., confraternities, sodalities, youth groups)
which provide the laity with the opportunity to exercise leadership and
be actively involved with the community, especially in its liturgical
and spiritual life. Recently, more modern associations have been added,
such as Bible study groups, charismatic prayers group, RENEW, Cursillo,
etc. These associations with their manifold activities are reliable
indices of the vibrancy of Asian Catholic communities.
8. In addition to being nourished by sacraments and devotions, the faith
of Asian Churches has been tested in the crucible of suffering and even
persecution. The memory of martyrdom is still fresh in the minds of
Asian-American Catholics, whether it is that of 26 Japanese canonized in
1862, or 103 Koreans canonized in 1984, or 118 Vietnamese (including
foreign missionaries) canonized in 1988. More recently, many
Asian-American Catholics have suffered for their faith under the
Communist regime (e.g., in China, Korea, and Vietnam) and as the result
have chosen exile in the United States and elsewhere. While this
experience might have rigidified their conservative political views, it
has no doubt enriched and fortified their faith in a way not available
to those enjoying religious freedom.
9. Asia is the birthplace of almost all world religions (including
Christianity!). In Southeast Asia, the three main religious traditions
are Confucian, Taoist, and Buddhist. Scratch the surface of every
Southeast Asian Catholic and you will find a Confucian, a Taoist, and a
Buddhist, or more often than not, an indistinguishable mixture of the
three. Asian Catholics live within a cultural framework undergirded by
Taoist, Confucian, and Buddhist values and moral norms. They are
socialized into these values and norms not only though formal teachings
but also, and primarily, through thousands of proverbs, folk sayings,
songs, and of course, family rituals and cultural festivals. Many Asian
Catholics do not find it strange or difficult to inhabit different
religious universes. It is this rich and varied religious heritage,
latent but pervasive, that Asian-American Catholics bring with them to
the United States and will be one of their most significant
contributions to the American Church.
10. Lastly, most if not all first-generation Asian immigrants in the
United States have experienced socio-economic deprivation, extreme in
some cases, before they came here. This experience of poverty makes
Asian-American Catholics sensitive to the sufferings and needs of their
fellow nationals and generous in their financial support for the church
as well as their relatives back home. This sense of solidarity with
victims of poverty and of natural disasters is also a characteristic of
many Asian-American Catholic communities, and should be fostered with
care, since the struggle against poverty and oppression is an essential
part of the inculturation of the Gospel, especially in a society whose
economic and military policies have caused sufferings in many parts of
the world and in Asia in particular.
Asian-American Catholics live between two cultures and two Churches.
Neither fully American nor fully Asian, they are both Asian and
American. Being both, they have the opportunity and the challenge to
fuse both worlds, their own cultural values and Catholicism and the
American culture and the American Catholic Church into something new, so
that they stand not only between these two cultures and Churches, but
also beyond them.
Peter C. Phan, a native of Vietnam,
is the Warren-Blanding Distinguished Professor of Religion and Culture
in the Department of Religion and Religious Education
at the Catholic University of America, Washington, DC.