Changing demographics in Church, country

The demographics of the Catholic Church and of the United States are rapidly changing. There are dramatic changes happening before our eyes. As Catholics, and as Americans, we need to realize that the Church in the US will be different from what we have known in the past.
Allow me to present some statistics about the US Catholic Church. First, 60% of all US Catholics under the age of 18 are Hispanic. White non-Hispanic Catholics are less than 30% of all Catholics under the age of 18. Second, 50% of US Black Catholics are immigrants or children of immigrants. Black Catholics are increasing born outside of the US, or their parents were born outside of the US. They bring a different story with them to this country than Black Catholics whose family roots go back several generations in this country. Third, the fastest growing group in the US Catholic Church are Asians.
Although Alabama is not in the forefront of US demographic changes, we see the effects of these changes even in our own Archdiocese. In the Archdiocese of Mobile, we have one parish where all Masses are celebrated in Korean, and another parish which also has Mass in Korean. In another parish all Masses are in Vietnamese, and another parish offers Masses in Vietnamese. Other parishes have Masses celebrated in Tagalog (Filipino). Mass in Spanish is celebrated in 25% of our parishes. It is not that people are failing to learn English; instead, people, no matter how well they learn another language, tend to prefer to pray in the language of their childhood.
Although the Archdiocese has a long way to go in living out the diversity of the Church, change is especially obvious in our Catholic schools. I note that in three of our Catholic elementary schools, one each in Baldwin, Mobile and Montgomery counties, at least 20% of the students are Hispanic. In half of our Catholic schools at least 20% of the students are not classified as non-Hispanic White. Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School is noted for being one of the most ethnically/racially diverse schools, public or private, in Montgomery County.
This change is not only going to continue, it will accelerate, here and elsewhere. The Catholic Church has always been universal. The word Catholic means universal. The Good News of Jesus Christ is for everyone. However, this is the first time in the 2,000-year history of the Catholic Church that we are truly “global.” The Catholic Church is now everywhere in the world. I was reading recently of the first native son of Mongolia being ordained a priest. The Catholic Church is in Mongolia and across the globe. 
This diversity will need to be lived out in our Archdiocese as well. Not only is the US Catholic church becoming diverse, our nation is becoming diverse. The dynamics of the Church reflect the changing demographic of our country. Our challenge will be to embrace this diversity. The Holy Spirit turns diversity into a strength; for diversity to create division comes from the Evil One.
At the beginning of this article I stated that as Catholics and as Americans we need to be aware of these rapidly developing changes. We also need to encourage our public figures to lead us into an acceptance of this.
I consider the word “politician” to be an honorable one. We elect these public servants to represent and lead us. Their service to us is often difficult and thankless. We may often criticize them but the truth is that they are influenced by what we expect of them. They will lead us but they need to know that they have our support.
The face of our American cities is changing before our eyes. Our cities are becoming increasingly multicultural and diverse. The cities which will be successful in the future are the ones which will have accepted this change. The cities where citizens only think in terms of what is good for “my” group will wither. Traditionally in Alabama we have thought only in terms of Black/White. This thinking, shaped by our past, continues in our discussions today. As the great Southern writer, William Faulkner, once wrote about the South: “The past is not dead, it’s not even the past.” Our past thinking continues in us, but it will not serve us well in the new reality of the US in the 21st century. If our Alabama cities are to thrive, we must put aside our Black/White thinking. These terms are increasingly not reflecting the whole situation in which we find ourselves. For example, I recently read some statistics about Mobile’s population. As reported in the 2020 census, 10% of the city’s population did not identify themselves as Black or White. This “other” group has grown 400% in the past 20 years! In Montgomery, 12% of the population is “other.” The Black/White thinking is not a part of their reality. 
If a US city is to succeed it must make peace with the idea that no one group will dominate or perhaps even be a majority. Our country is becoming too diverse for a city to thrive but limit itself to the idea that this city is primarily for only one group.
I love Alabama. I pray for our cities to succeed. I pray that our cities will thrive so our young people can find jobs here, settle down here, and thus strengthen our Church and our communities. I pray that Mobile, I pray that Montgomery, I pray that all our Alabama cities will flourish. But for this to happen, we must get away from asking “how will a decision help or hurt my group” and instead ask “what is the best decision for the future of our entire community?” I pray the Spirit will guide us to make our diversity a strength and not a source of division. The welfare of future generations demand this of us, all of us, voters and leaders.