The Catholic Church is the most culturally diverse organization in the United States, with more than half of its members comprised of people from the Hispanic/Latino, Black, Asian and Pacific Island and Native American communities.
The U.S. bishops offer training — Building Intercultural Competence for Ministers (BICM) — to help pastoral ministers embrace this cultural diversity, to minister cross-culturally and to build greater “unity in diversity” in the church.
The Diocese of Camden offered a virtual, five-day pilot BICM program to 33 diocesan participants during the week of July 20. My wife, Katherine Cartagena, and I led the training. Assisting were Andres Arango, the Bishop’s Delegate for Hispanic Ministry and the Director for Evangelization, Donna Ottaviano-Britt, Director of the Discipleship and Leadership Office, Jose Rodriguez, Coordinator for Youth and Young Adult Ministries, and Mike Walsh, Director of the Office of Communications.
Topics covered in the training included: a basic theology for intercultural ministry, different parameters of cultural difference, how two people can view the same action differently, in-group and out-group thinking, racism, and nine movements to build “unity in diversity” in the parish.
For Millet LoCasale, Coordinator of Youth and Young Adult Ministry at Saint Katherine Drexel in Egg Harbor Township, the BICM training underscored the importance of listening to each other’s stories. She noted that “we all have cultural biases, so it is important to not assume and let people share their stories with you.”
George Best from Saint Bartholomew Parish in Camden said he “left the training hopeful that it will help us improve our relationships and understanding of people from different cultures”.
Experiencing what Pope Francis describes as a “culture of encounter” in her small discussion groups, Pat Slater, pastoral associate of Justice and Community Outreach, felt that “the honest talks with each other in our small groups changed us and led to conversion.” She also found that the treatment on finding solutions to difficult church situations were particularly relevant to parish life.
There are ongoing plans to have future BICM trainings in the diocese. If you are interested to learn more, please contact Matt Davis at 856-583-2910 or matthew.davis@camdendiocese.org.
Matthew Davis is Director of Life & Justice Ministries and Vice Chancellor for the City of Camden.
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