INTEGRATION OF LATINO IMMIGRANTS IN CATHOLIC PARISHES: A FEW EMERGING INSIGHTS FROM THE NATIONAL STUDY OF CATHOLIC OF CATHOLIC PARISHES WITH HISPANIC MINISTRY HOSFFMAN OSPINO, PHD – Boston College CMS – Washington – Feb 24, 2014

Measuring Parish Integration: Trends

Toward some criteria to measure integration of Hispanics in Catholic parishes Note: The following criteria and analysis emerge from data collected through the National Study of Catholic Parishes with Hispanic Ministry. These observations are to be treated as preliminary.  Hispanic leaders in decision-making positions  Parental participation in children’s faith- formation initiatives  Structural stability  Intercultural Competency  Use of language

Parish Integration: Low Level  Parishes with low levels of integration…  Have few Hispanic leaders in decision-making positions compared to the total Hispanic population in the community. The ratio tends to be 2:1  Fewer Hispanic families are officially registered  Are communities that recently have merged, formed a new cluster, or recently changed organizational structure  Have fewer parents involved in their children formation programs  English is predominant; major emphasis on bilingual activities; Spanish is used primarily with immigrants TRENDS

Parish Integration: Middle Level  Parishes with middle levels of integration…  Have more Hispanic leaders in decision-making positions, although the number does not exactly correlate to the percentage corresponding to the total Hispanic population  More Hispanic families are registered  At least half of all Masses on Sunday are in Spanish  More parents are involved in in their children formation programs. Catechists are familiar with Hispanic culture(s) and situation  English predominance increases (60% use); Spanish is used largely with immigrants; less use of bilingual TRENDS

Parish Integration: High Level  Parishes with high levels of integration…  The number of Hispanic leaders in decision-making positions matches or exceeds the percentage of the Hispanic population in the community  Parish administrative staff (e.g., Secretary) tend to be Hispanic  Usually have a Hispanic permanent deacon and/or a Hispanic priest  63% have Hispanic secretary, 43% have Hispanic deacon  At least half of the parish is Hispanic  Have a higher number of apostolic movements  Parish is less likely to have merged/clustered recently  Have high levels of parental involvement in children formation programs. Catechists are familiar with Hispanic culture(s) and situation  English predominance increases (60% use); Spanish is used largely with immigrants; less use of bilingual TRENDS

Concluding Observations  Empowering Hispanic leaders to serve in decision-making positions facilitates integration  Structurally and administratively stable parishes are better to integrate Hispanic Catholics into the life of the Church  Parishes that involve parents and other adults in faith-formation activities of children and youth (e.g., religious education programs, Catholic schools) are more likely to facilitate integration  Most integrated parishes use Spanish to serve the immediate needs of the immigrant population, yet English is increasingly used as the common language for parish life. This reflects the impact of the growing post-immigrant Hispanic population

Release of Findings - Timeline National Study of Catholic Parishes with Hispanic Ministry (NSCPHM)  Executive Summary – May 2014  Specialized Reports – Summer 2014  Pastors  DREs  Parish Directors of Hispanic Ministry  Catholic Schools and Parishes with HM (Fall 2014)  Book Analysis – Liturgical Press (late 2014, early 2015)  Book with pastoral theological framework to analyze multicultural parish phenomenon – Fordham University Press (2015)

For more information, contact: Hosffman Ospino, PhD Assistant Professor of Theology and Religious Education Principal Investigator, NSCPHM BOSTON COLLEGE School of Theology and Ministry Boston College’s STM website: