68 percent of Hispanics are Catholic which is a very different picture than that of non-Hispanic Americans, where the largest grouping of Catholics is 20 percent.
About one-third of Catholics in the United States are now Hispanic.According to a study, conducted by the Pew Hispanic Center and the Pew Forum on Religion and Public life, two-thirds of Hispanic Catholics choose to worship in "ethnic congregations" that have Hispanic clergymen and spanish-language services, and where a majority of congregants are Hispanic. As a Hispanic and as a first generation American I can relate to these facts. Growing up, religion wasn't separate from culture - it was the everyday. I feel as a Hispanic Catholic having had the opportunity to worship in both spanish and english there is a much different dynamic rather than being a non-Hispanic Catholic. I feel as a Hispanic and being American-born I am stuck in the in between - of different beliefs, practices, language and culture - but none the less - I remain very Catholic.
I think with the continual rise of Hispanics in the United States, especially among the first and second American-born generations, the question that the Catholic Church needs to address is - are they as a institution adapting to Hispanics? Or is the question - do we as Hispanics need to adapt to the institution. This topic, raises mix feelings - but I think if anything there should be a blending of the two. Throughout childhood, taking C.C.D. classes every Sunday the blend was evident in our text books that were bilingual.
But sometimes there's fallout. 13 percent of all Hispanics in the United States were once Catholic and left the Church. Hispanics born in the United States are more likely to convert than are foreign-born immigrants. That type of "fall out" I'm assuming can be a credited to culture assimilation and a search for community.
At the end of the day though the majority of Hispanics in the United States remain very Catholic and that is attributed to the strong connection between culture and spirituality. I am so blessed to be a Hispanic Catholic, I find solace in the ability to worship in either spanish or english.
