By Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Ha Chi-shing, OFM
I don’t have official figures, but according to my impression, most of those who chose to emigrate are middle-class, middle-aged, and with children. There will undoubtedly be a brain drain from the parish after the brothers and sisters who have committed themselves to serve the Church depart. Filling the vacancies in the parish councils and the various pious associations and finding capable volunteers, especially catechists and Sunday school teachers, is a difficult headache for parish priests. In the meantime, however, there is not a great deal of need to find new catechists because the number of participants in catechumen classes and Sunday school has dropped sharply due to emigration.
In addition, the atmosphere of the parish may also be affected, as most of those who are able to emigrate are generally more capable therefore, those who stay behind might feel helpless and think that “I cannot leave, so I stay.” To maintain the Christian spirit within a community, the community must prevent the spread of negative vibes.
We believe in the Lord who has risen from the dead, so it is right for Christians to see the crisis as an opportunity. The departure of a mainstay is also a time for us to discover new people and nurture successors. If parishes turn crises into opportunities and rebirths, they may be able to get rid of adherence to rules and practices. This, of course, depends on the courage, vision and minds of the priests and parishioners of the parish.
From a more positive point of view, parishioners who have emigrated may also bring traditional parish life to a new place. Today, parish life is no longer limited by regional boundaries, thanks to technology, especially the Internet. Regardless of where one is located, one can still participate in the parish’s online thanksgiving service. One can also share in Bible studies across the ocean, meet and discuss, pray for one another, and so on. They are all useful for us as we grow in faith, break free from narrow localism, and cultivate a sense of belonging and communion with the universal Church.
In the Acts of the Apostles, Christian communities elsewhere regularly collected donations for the poor Christians in Jerusalem and asked Paul to bring them to Jerusalem to help them. Who knows, brothers and sisters who have emigrated today may one day be our support!
Is the wave of emigration affecting the Church? Yes, it does! But whether it is negative or positive depends on our mindset and faith.
