Two Nations Under God “…Latinos will make up more than 50-percent of all Catholics in the US. …Latino parishioners are likely to outnumber their Irish- & Italian-American co-parishioners.”

Two Nations Under God “An estimated one out of every seven Latinos left the Catholic church in the last twenty years. If this trend continues at the same rate, then half of all Latinos will belong to Protestant faiths by 2025.”

Two Nations Under God “This chapter addresses the ways in which recent Latino immigrants are reshaping religious life in this country and how their social & political incorporation is being transformed in the process.”

Two Nations Under God “It also explores the relationship between religion & politics within the Latino community. I focus primarily on the Catholic church, but I draw on examples from the Protestant experience as well.”

Two Nations Under God “...the Catholic church has had to make some concessions. It has become more linguistically and culturally sensitive, and it allows its members to preserve their ethnic differences if they so choose.”

Two Nations Under God “As a result, the Catholic church today fosters segmented assimilation rather than the complete assimilation it encouraged in the past.”

Two Nations Under God “It [Catholic church] fosters “Americanization” through ethnicization.”

Two Nations Under God “Segmented assimilation in religious arenas can result in two possible outcomes….

Two Nations Under God “--Maintaining strong ethnic ties may generate social and cultural capital that fosters social and economic advancement --or, religious participation may further institutionalize incipient segregation and inequality.”

Two Nations Under God “It [Catholic church] integrates them [Latinos] into a transnational religious society that can complement or substitute for partial political involvement.”

Two Nations Under God “The Bishops’ Committee for the Spanish Speaking in the US, eventually created in 1946, wrote a pastoral plan integrating sacramental activities with social services and religious instruction. …met with limited success.”

Two Nations Under God “…Cursillo movement of …rooted in Spanish Catholicism..emphasized the translation of cultural Catholicism into practiced and informed everyday faith. …produced large numbers of Latino leaders who were intensely committed to their sacramental roots.”

Two Nations Under God “The Second Vatican Council of the 1960s created more space for ethnic diversity....Church policy became less focused on “Americanizing” new congregants and more focused on preserving Latino identity.”

Two Nations Under God “…Latino religious resurgence. Latino Catholic leaders redefined their role as restoring and developing a distinct Latino religion that could not be absorbed into the Euro American religious experience.”

Two Nations Under God “Today, Latinos are the largest ethnic group in the Catholic church. In 1990, they constituted 35% of US Catholics, up from 28% in In Florida, Texas & New Mexico, Latinos make up over 67% of the Catholic pop. ”

Two Nations Under God “--25% of all Anglos claimed to have no religious preference --13% of Latinos make the same claim. ”

Two Nations Under God --% who are Catholics in the US: --75% of Cubans --74% of Mexican --65% of Puerto Ricans --21% of Anglos

Two Nations Under God -% who are Protestants in the US: --54% of Anglos --22% of Puerto Ricans --15% of Mexican --14% of Cubans

Two Nations Under God “Fewer than 1,900 of the approximately 54,000 priests working in the late 1980s were Latino, including 200 who were US-born Mexican- Americans.”

Two Nations Under God “The Bishops Committee for the Spanish Speaking was elevated to a Secretariat of Hispanic Affairs and now oversees pastoral and social services to Latinos throughout the country.”

Two Nations Under God “They [Latinos] also rarely enjoy the same level or representation in parish governance as non-Hispanics.”

Two Nations Under God “What does it mean when civic engagement is channeled through religious rather than political channels? If Latinos generally participate less in politics, but more at church, what are the consequences for their political and civic incorporation?”

Two Nations Under God “Only 23% of the Latino sample said they participated in secular church-based [Catholic] activities.”

Two Nations Under God “Latino Protestants were less likely than Catholics to attend church services, but more likely to engage in church-based activities.”

Two Nations Under God “Latino migrants assert their membership in a powerful, extensive global church, but a church that is grounded locally, by circulating in and out of sending-country and receiving country parishes….”

Two Nations Under God “In short, globalization transnationalizes religion, and once they are in place, transnational religions contribute to increased globalization.”

Two Nations Under God “It [transnational religion] guarantees them [Latinos] certain minimal levels of protection & representation, regardless of their political membership, by giving them access to well-placed institutions that stand for basic human rights & dignity.”

Two Nations Under God “This chapter suggests that America’s civil religious fabric is being rewoven in the process of incorporating new Latino immigrants.”

Review Questions 1.) Is it true that very few Latinos leave the catholic church? Why, why not? 2.) Why/how is the social and political life of Latino immigrants being transformed because of their membership in the Catholic religion? 3.) What is “segmented assimilation” and how does it manifest itself in the Catholic church? 4.) For US Latinos, what’s the relationship between participating on secular activities and political engagement? 5.) With respect to civic engagement, what is one general difference between Latino Catholics and Latino protestants? 6.) What’s “transnational religion” and what’s its’ implication to US Latinos?