Elderly Urban Catholic Ethnics

Abstract

Urban ethnic groups wony about their elderly. And they have good reason to worry. The decline of older ethnic communities and the churches they built as aspiring immigrants conjoins issues of aging, church and urban life. The capacity of churches has been strained by the eclipse of community. Yet, churches, families and other mediating institutions can cushion the effects of neighborhood deterioration and its influence on the elderly. No matter how efficient economic transfer programs and human services systems are, the reality of "soc~al poverty," caused by the breakdown of community support, is clear, and the number of neglected, isolated elderly will surely increase. Urban ethnic neighborhoods have an especially revealing incidence of such problems. However, these neighborhoods also provide models of social inventions that suggest new pathways and remedies. Our survey of 65 urban ethnic parishes indicates distinctive patterns and approaches, viable models for an effective ministry, and a glimpse into a...