Also from Miguel José Ernst-Sandoval at Philadelphia Roamin’ Catholic: The Decline of the German National Parish.

It is a testament to the multi-cultural history of these United States that there are national parishes in many of the American dioceses. National parishes serve the spiritual needs of any ethnic group not belonging to the local culture or speaking the local language. Of course there are many national parishes in Rome for the multitudes of pilgrims, but there is also a multitude of them in North America due to the many waves of immigrants that sailed to our shores. Wikipedia defines a national parish as such:

National parishes are Catholic parishes that serve particular ethnic communities. They are distinguished from the other type of parish, the territorial parish, which serve a geographic area of a diocese. National parishes have existed in North America since the late eighteenth century, when they were established to meet the needs of immigrants not speaking the language of the majority population. The first national parish was Holy Trinity German National Parish founded in 1788 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

In the eastern United States the territorial parish is where the Irish-American, and the small number of English (or Anglo-) American, Catholics worship. In California, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Texas, and Louisiana, the territorial parish is often Spanish-American, Mexican-American or French Cajun. The first national parish in the United States, however, served the many German immigrants coming to Pennsylvania…

Not to be confused with National Catholic parishes, i.e., PNCC parishes, the article presents an illustrated history of the parishes built by German Roman Catholics. It also provides a glimmer of hope for the future of these magnificent edifices in light of the proliferation of church closings.

As I noted on my post Reflections on national, cultural, and religious identity, Bishop Hodur taught that each person, nation, and culture has specific gifts and insights which add to the totality of the Christian experience. In part this article supports that, for instance in pointing to the contributions of German Catholics in the areas of music and architecture. This is not a bygone philosophy, but a philosophy that supports the gifts of God that exist within every person, nation, and culture. The National Catholic movement embraces that idea – in its democratic component, in its life. The Church supports each man and woman in expressing their gifts, supports each culture in offering its gifts – all for the building up of God’s Kingdom.

Those efforts, imperfect though they may be, look to the totality of the human experience and our encounter with Emmanuel, God with us.