Nathan Pinkoski’s column in the Sept. 12 Plain Dealer, “How immigration is expanding a gap between bishops and parishioners,” reminded me about the Catholic parish and neighborhood where my wife Jeanne and I grew up.
Our parish formed at the height of Cleveland immigration, when 50% of the city’s population was foreign-born, and families sought more space and better jobs.
They moved into an area on Cleveland’s southeast side, which had been home turf to one of the city’s oldest ethnic groups, and which had a two-generation head start. Many were displeased with these “new foreigners,” and they stewed in quiet tolerance…