Hispanic Catholicismgreenspun.com : LUSENET : Catholic : One Thread |
I was woundering if anyone could help me out on a report i have to do on Hispanic Catholocism? I need the difference between Hispanic Catholocism and catholocism in america. Also i was woundering how many adherents there are in latin america... If anyone could give me some web sites or know any other information that would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
-- Maggie Barragan (maggiemaxima@hotmail.com), November 01, 2002
Dear Maggie,
The fact is, there is no Hispanic, or American Catholicism. There's just the Catholic faith. Our Catholic Church.But we do have the cultures of many peoples in their homes and churches. Living, and affecting their faith. Not only here in America, but any place in the world. The cultural situation may color Church activities, shrines, saints' feast days, etc.,
But the faith is the same everywhere. All Catholics live a sacramental life, believe the Creed, pray to God and ask the support of saints and angels in heaven, and the souls in purgatory. I hope others here can inform you on good websites to visit. I'm attached to this one, though I'm an hispanic. Thanks for visiting with us.
-- eugene c. chavez (chavezec@pacbell.net), November 01, 2002.
Try going to "www.google.com" and doing a search for "Hispanic Catholicism" - you'll get 174 hits. :-)
-- Christine L. (christinelehman@hotmail.com), November 01, 2002.
The faith is the same, but you might find cultural differences, such as venerating Our Lady of Guadalupe, and some things such as celebrating the Day of the Dead. However any mass you go to will still be the same mass.Frank
-- Someone (ChimingIn@twocents.cam), November 01, 2002.
Generally they have better songs and singing than Anglo Catholics in the States, but it often seems every other ethnic group or Church does too.Spanish seems clearer than English. Their practical experience of faith is more politically alive an wholistic if based on their roots in difficult countries. Therefore their theological and communal tradition(NOT in a fundamental doctrinal or dogmatic sense) in that living aspect can diverge in some ways from the American mainstream.
-- P. E. Murphy (murky@rochester.rr.com), November 01, 2002.
Like some of the previous writers had mentioned, there are no differences between a Hispanic or Anglo Catholic..Catholicism in the Hispanic community has assimilated into part of the culture. You will find that a large majority of Hispanics are of Catholic faith. In the United States, however, many Hispanics have adhered to other denominational faiths (Chirstianity, Jehova Winesses, and etc). However, a large percentage have remained as Catholics.
-- Ramiro (ibecybee@aol.com), November 26, 2002.
Heres a few more facts and figures from a three year study "Hispanic Churches in American Public Life"http://www.baptiststandard.com/2001/5_28/pages/study.html.
Im unsure of these figures but they may help you Maggie. God Bless.
Among the specific conclusions of the study's initial phase: ___ About 70 percent of the country's 35.4 million Hispanics are Roman Catholic, and 22 percent are Protestant. Hispanic Protestants have gained ground from the 18 percent of the Hispanic population they represented in the late 1980s. Elizondo said churches in both groups were growing because Hispanics identifying themselves as Catholic but who were only nominally so were becoming more active in their parishes.
___ Among non-Catholic Hispanics, the majority (61 percent) are evangelical Christians. Sixteen percent belong to mainline Protestant denominations. ___ Religious bodies outside traditional Christian circles, like the Jehovah's Witnesses and the Mormons, have a considerable presence among Hispanics. Researchers said more Hispanics are Mormon than United Methodist. ___
Even with the growing number of evangelicals, Hispanic Protestants tend to mirror the party affiliations of their Roman Catholic counterparts more than of traditionally conservative Anglo evangelicals. The study found about 49 percent of Hispanics are Democrats and only 15 percent Republicans. The rest said they were politically independent, increasing the group's tie-breaking potential in key swing states. ___
The survey was based on 2,300 telephone interviews of Hispanics in the United States and Puerto Rico conducted during August 2000. The survey sampled opinions among both urban and rural populations and has a 3 percent margin of error.
-- Kiwi (csisherwood@hotmail.com), November 26, 2002.