When riding through life, take in the sites

As a board member of the local Western Reserve Transit Authority, I try to ride the bus regularly to see how the local system is operating. Moving more than 5,600 people efficiently in a day is no small task.
With our population base, the WRTA is considered a large urban authority. It definitely adds to the quality of life not only for the riders but for the community as a whole. When businesses look to locate in any community, they always inquire about the availability of public transit.
One thing that strikes me each time I ride the bus is the deliberate pace that allows one to see the neighborhoods, businesses and people "up close and personal."
When driving, we must adhere to automobile protocol and be on the lookout for pedestrians and other vehicles. With such a focus, we miss a lot of the true landscape of the communities through which we are passing.
When we are on freeways or toll roads, it is next to impossible to appreciate the distinctive character of the area through which we are traveling.
Privilege
During January, I had the unique privilege of being a part of a three-week workshop at the Mexican-American Cultural Center in San Antonio. This church-based institution offers an immersion experience of Mexican-American culture as it relates to churches in our nation. It also offers in-depth insights into all cultures and family histories to show how important it is to know one's own story as well as to know the stories of all the people in the community.
Riding the bus in the San Antonio area allowed me to see the makeup and decor of the various neighborhoods. It gave me a real sense of the personality of the city.
As a Roman Catholic priest, I know that our church has always been a part of the immigration of many people since the founding our nation. I also know that if we were to "ride the bus" around the world, we would not only get a sense of the diverse flavor of cities, towns and nations, but we also would see that in our global world, people are on the move for various reasons, not the least of which is a better life.
This demographic shift has something to say to politicians, to the business community, to neighborhood organizations and to churches.
In my experience of growing up in Youngstown in the 1950s and '60s, I was part of a Catholic church that was mostly populated by Slavic, Italian, Irish and Germanic people.
I knew that in Cleveland there was a large black-American Catholic population. I also was aware that there was a small Puerto Rican Catholic community that worshipped on Youngstown's East Side at St. Rose of Lima Church.
A ride on the bus then and now would paint two very different pictures. And that difference in the United States of America in the Roman Catholic Church is eminently evident today in the fact that 40 percent of American Catholics are Spanish speaking. The "hot-button" issue of immigration has pushed this reality into the forefront.
On the move
A careful look at our nation all over shows us that people are on the move ... all kinds of people to all kinds of places.
In the three-week session at the cultural center, a general theme that seemed to rule was this: "There are many faces in God's house."
Knowing a person's story, knowing a person's history, and knowing a person's culture helps us to know the real person. Stereotypes and second-hand information give us false information.
We are all related. The scientific world has learned that genetically, humanity shares 99.97 percent of the same genes. The remaining .03 percent determines our color, culture and personal characteristics.
Whether we ride the bus or not, a "slower" ride through life will open up entirely new worlds for us -- and those worlds will help us better understand our world.
A wonderful black American songwriter and singer, Louis Armstrong, once sang "What a Wonderful World." The wonder of our world is the diversity that comes through the fact that we are basically related.
The Rev. Edward P. Noga is pastor of St. Patrick Church in Youngstown. For more information about the culture center, visit www.maccsa.org, and for more information about WRTA, go to www.wrtaonline.com.