End of story on Filipino Catholics (end of story from November issue).

In our November story we featured an article on Filipino Catholics in Canada. Unfortunately, due to some mysterious shuffling of the text by the computer, the end of the story was lost and replaced by the beginning. Now we bring you the end of the story. We regret any confusion and offer our apologies to author Mike Mastromatteo.

"Many of these women experience feelings of loneliness, isolation and depression and we are working to establish a support system for them," Bautista said. "The Catholic Church helps to provide a focus for many of these women who are feeling the pain of separation."

Concerns

In a few cases, Filipino Catholics have not felt entirely at home in some parishes. "I've heard some stories of Filipinos not feeling completely welcome," said Bautista. "Sometimes the host country has to reach out a little more to the newcomer."

Often, however, this is a double-sided problem--older parishioners keeping their distance and the newcomers hesitant to reach out to their faith neighbors. Noemi Castillo attributes this occasional lack of interaction to something more than shyness or reticence. In her Pastoral Plan for Filipino Ministry, prepared for the San Francisco archdiocese, Castillo said Filipinos have some difficulties in larger group settings. "In the parish, (the Filipino) seeks the company of his fellow Filipinos with whom he can be himself and with whom he feels equal. He is most free and alive when he is with a small group speaking the same native language ... However without proper guidance and parish orientation, Filipino organizations tend to remain locked into themselves and alienated."

A second concern besetting the Filipino Catholic community is the efforts of Pentecostal or evangelical groups to win over converts. Although this is not a major problem, some Filipino Catholics in Canada have chosen the evangelical route. Father Wenceslao Abalos, pastor of St. Joseph's Church in Oshawa, suggested the evangelical groups may offer a greater sense of acceptance and community involvement.

Castillo said that while the faith among Filipinos remains strong, it has not matured beyond a basic level of popular piety. She also said the traditional Filipino faith does not include normal parish affiliation. "The Church should look at this reality with great concern and compassion," she writes in the Pastoral Plan. "The absence of the traditional faith in a (North) American parish and the environment that surrounds it leaves a vacuum in the faith-life of Filipino immigrants, especially those whose only experience of faith is popular piety. It must be filled using Filipino culture as a point of evangelization."

Castillo said despite their ease of adaptability, Filipino Catholics will have difficulty entering the Church mainstream without some emphasis on greater knowledge of the faith: "We will always be looked on differently unless we are invited to participate fully in the life of the Church."

Despite the inevitable problems associated with settlement in a new country, there is no doubt Filipino Catholics have impressed many with their steadfast devotion. Given their talent for adapting to new circumstances, their faith is likely to continue maturing within the Canadian context.