Workshop helps increase cultural diversity

Intermountain Catholic

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Norm Allred (at lectern), principal of Saint Joseph High School, describes his culture as a native Utahn during a multicultural workshop presented by Arturo Chávez (right), president and chief executive officer of the Mexican American Catholic College. IC photo/Marie Mischel

SALT LAKE CITY — More than 70 percent of Catholics in the Diocese of Salt Lake City are Spanish-speaking, but less than a quarter of the students in Utah Catholic Schools are Latino.

"We have about 17 percent in our schools but most of them have probably been here for two or three generations," said Holy Cross Sister Catherine Kamphaus, superintendent of Utah Catholic Schools. "We’re not really welcoming new immigrant families very well."

To help address this issue, educators from every school attended a daylong workshop titled "The Heart of Multiculturalism: Challenges and Opportunities for Catholic Education in the 21st Century" on May 13.

"We really hope with this workshop that we understand a little bit more the Latino or Hispanic cultures so we know how to be more welcoming in our schools," Sr. Catherine said.

Some of the diocese’s 17 elementary and high schools already have a significant proportion of Latino students. For example, 45 percent of students at Saint Francis Xavier Regional School in Kearns are Hispanic, as are 39 percent at Saint Andrew School in Riverton. However, those percentages drop precipitously at other schools: 4 percent at J.E. Cosgriff Memorial and 10 percent at Saint Vincent De Paul schools, both of which are in Salt Lake City.

The workshop was presented by Dr. Arturo Chávez, president and chief executive officer of MACC, the Mexican American Catholic College in San Antonio, Texas. Chávez was appointed by President Barack Obama as an advisor on the White House Council for Faith Based and Community Partnerships.

The first step in becoming a welcoming school community is to know what happens to yourself when you encounter someone who is different from you, because the fear of strangers is ingrained in us as human beings, Chávez said in his presentation.

"It’s important not for us to ignore the fear…but to continue to grow in relation with this person who is different," he said. "Unity in diversity can only happen in an encounter with the risen Lord. If we’re left to our own preference, we will stay in our groups. We like to be with people who are like ourselves. If there is not that invitation of the Gospel, then we won’t go beyond those boundaries."

Holy Cross Sister Carla McKinnie, principal of Saint Andrew School, said Chávez’s presentation "makes you look at your own self and ask where do I come from and why do I do what I do," she said, adding that she hopes the information will help teachers learn how to better appreciate and relate to the students from different cultures.

Rick Bartman, principal of Judge Memorial Catholic High School, which has about 13 percent Latino students, said the workshop reinforced the need to understand the differences in communication styles between cultures. He plans to incorporate the information in teacher training at the beginning of the next school year.