The immigrant's identity

People of Israel were natural immigrants and in the middle of their journey always tried to keep themselves together with their particular identity and their own life style. It is true that the risk of "dissolution" was always present around a culture that exceeded them as an environment, but it is also true that they left behind many people that "sympathized" with their culture and religion.

Being an immigrant left Israel the experience that their true home was not here, in this world; here we are always immigrants or pilgrims. This present life is only temporary, never definitive.

With these facts we can understand that being an immigrant give us the experience that train us to share our live in the middle of two cultures, never belonging a hundred percent to either.

Saint Paul was and immigrant, which helped him to be educated, as Jew, in Greek schools and, therefore, being capable to establish a dialogue with the far cultures of his ancestors. That event has been the most significant for the expansion of the Gospel.

Nowadays we, the Hispanic Catholic Community of Calgary, are participants of a similar experience. An experience of suffering and learning; of new knowledge and new joys; of new efforts to get organized -because it is our duty-; of new efforts of surviving in a culture with more strength than ours; in a dialogue with a country in which we were not born; a further dialogue with the countries that saw us born, but where we not longer live.

The immigrant race is always a new race, fruit of others that have given their own, and fruit of God that never abandons them. We invite you to meet our journey, we invite you to walk with us. Welcome to the website of The Hispanic Catholic Community.

God Bless you all,

Father Salvador Ahumada. Spanish Version