Faith, Family, and Filipino American Community Life
Faith, Family, and Filipino American Community Life
Stephen M. Cherry
RUTGERS UNIVERSITY PRESS
NEW BRUNSWICK, NEW JERSEY, AND LONDON
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Cherry, Stephen.
Faith, family, and Filipino American community life / Stephen M. Cherry.
pages cm
Includes .
ISBN 978-0-8135-6205-6 (hardcover : alk. paper) ISBN 978-0-8135-6204-9 (pbk. : alk. paper) ISBN 978-0-8135-6206-3 (e-book)
1. Filipino American Catholics. 2. ImmigrantsReligious life. I. Title.
BX1407.F55C44 2014
282.089'9921073dc23
2013010362
A British Cataloging-in-Publication record for this book is available from the British Library.
Copyright 2014 by Stephen M. Cherry
All rights reserved
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For my wife and best friend, Emily
And for our two wonderful children, Amelie and Wesley
Contents
This book would not have been possible without the love, dedication, and support of many people. First and foremost I owe a great debt of gratitude to the Filipino Americans in Houston whom I surveyed and interviewed. I am thankful to all the individuals and families who graciously welcomed me into their churches, prayer groups, and homes, and took the time out of their busy schedules to share their lives with me. They inspired me with their words and stories and fed me well along the way. Although the majority of them remain anonymous and unnamed, this book is about them and would ultimately not have been possible without them. Of those named, I am especially grateful to two people in particular, Elena Salazar and Norma Benzon (19482010). I owe a special debt to Elena. She knows why. Sadly, Norma died after a long battle with cancer during the writing of this book. It is my hope that the spirit of this book honors her and her tremendous commitment to serving the Filipino American community.
Research for this book started when I was a graduate student at the University of Texas at Austin. Long before I started my dissertation, however, Steve Warners guest lecture on the de-Europeanization of American religion at a university brown bag series made me realize just how understudied the Filipino American community was. I am forever grateful to Steve for pushing me to pursue my interest in the role of Catholicism in the community. From the beginning of my research for the dissertation, I knew that the study had the potential to be a book. Towards the end, however, I also came to realize that it was missing something that would require me to take the project into new directions. I would like to thank all the members of my dissertation committeeChris Ellison, David Leal, Sharmila Rudrappa, Steve Warner, Bob Woodberry, and Michael Youngfor their suggestions and sage advice in shaping the project beyond the dissertation. They all, in some way or another, encouraged me to reenter the field to collect more data or rethink some of my underlying theoretical assumptions about the project. Sharmila in particular pushed me to rethink everything from a more Asian American Studies perspective. Both Chris Ellison and Michael Young, my co-chairs, also encouraged me to reexamine my use of culture and ground it in terms that were more accessible. I took all of these suggestions to heart and the results are in this book.
Beyond the dissertation and the shaping of new research for this book, I am indebted to Chris Ellison and Michael Young for their continued support and mentoring. Always a phone call or email away, their advice has continually aided my growth as a scholar. I am also thankful for the support of Helen Rose Ebaugh. Although she was not a member of my original dissertation committee, she took a keen interest in my work while I was in graduate school and has been a true colleague, friend, and mentor ever since. A number of other people helped to shape this book. I benefitted greatly from the anonymous reviewers solicited by Rutgers University Press as well as from the encouraging feedback and suggestions of Peter Mickulas. Peter was a champion of the book from the beginning, and a first-time author could not have asked for a better guide and editor. Graduate students Kody Allred and Angela Miller commented on early drafts of the book and also provided invaluable help with several aspects of data management throughout the project. Angela in particular continued to bring fresh eyes to the editing of these early drafts when I no longer could see the trees in the forest.
I am equally grateful to Mike Roemer and Bryan Shepherd for providing an invaluable sounding board for my arguments both while we were in graduate school and after. Bryan, in particular, helped shape many of my thoughts on the eventual direction I took on the survey analysis. He also made key suggestions on the visual appearance of the charts in the book. More than this, however, the friendship of both Mike and Bryan has been more valuable to me and the project than I can put into words.
Beyond all those that I have acknowledged, this book ultimately would not have been possible without my wife, Emily. Both literally and figuratively, she is my inspiration. For our children, Amelie and Wesley, thank you for always believing that researching and writing this book was somehow hip and cool even when many days it seemed anything but. One day I hope you grow to appreciate this book not as my own personal accomplishment but an important exploration and testament to your Filipino American heritage. Last, but not least, I would like to thank Howard, my Mom (19401998), and my Dad, without whom none of this would have been possible. I only wish you all were still with us to share in the joy of seeing this book in print.
ANCOP Answering the Cry of the Poor
CBCP Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines
CFC Couples for Christ
CFC-FFL Couples for Christ Foundations for Family Life
CLP Christian Life Program
FACOST Filipino American Council of South Texas
FAMH Filipino Association of Metropolitan Houston
Gabriela General Assembly Binding (Women) for Reform, Integrity, Equality, and Action
GK Gawad Kalinga
LNP Ang Ligaya ng Panginoon (Joy of the Lord)
NaFFAA National Federation of Filipino American Associations
PAMAT Philippine American Masons Association of Texas
PCCI People Caring for the Community, Inc.
SANDIWA National Convention of Filipino Apostolates
SAVE Stand Against Violence Everyone
SIGA Serving in Gods Army
SLRM San Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila
Ta Tagalog
Faithfully Filipino and American
Shortly after 8 A.M. on a muggy Saturday morning in Houston, Texas, Dan, a first-generation Filipino American Catholic in his late thirties, urged his family to get ready. The night prior, at their weekly household Couples for Christ (CFC) prayer meeting, Dan and his wife Lita, also a first-generation Filipino American Catholic in her thirties, invited me to join them the next morning when they were to volunteer at a local soup kitchen called Fishes and Loaves. We had been discussing what it means to them to be Filipino and Catholic. I asked them how their faith impacts their understanding of community. Rather than discuss it at length, Dan suggested it would be easier to just show me. Be at our house tomorrow around 8:30... you can join us and then we can talk some more.
