Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options
Hundreds attend annual Hispanic Charismatic Renewal in Chicago (CNS photo/Karen Callaway)

Spanish-speaking and Latino Catholics already represent about one-third of the Catholic population in the U.S. church, and their numbers are increasing rapidly. “This growth is a blessing, but also it comes with a lot of challenges: We need to find a way to integrate the Hispanic community in fullness into the life of the church in the United States,” said Gustavo Valdez, a director of Hispanic ministry for the Diocese of Charleston, S.C. “The Hispanic community is growing in its own way, and the Anglo community is trying to maintain parishes in the United States, but we may not have that communion of communities, and sometimes we are trying to assimilate each other,” Valdez said, speaking at the 17th Southeast Regional Encuentro for Hispanic ministry hosted by the Miami-based Southeast Pastoral Institute on Oct. 17–20. “We are universal, and that means we have to work in a way that we can live together as a Christian community, as a Catholic community and accept each other as God’s gift,” said Valdez.

Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.

The latest from america

As I sit sore and tired, I cannot also help but think that the N.Y.C. Marathon for me is a thin space, a space where I can easily see God’s presence in the world.
Robert McCarthyNovember 04, 2024
Archbishop Domenico Battaglia of Naples has been named as one of the prelates Pope Francis will make a cardinal on December 7th.
“I will not vote for president this year,” Monica Brent writes. “I cannot in good conscience vote for Donald Trump, for many reasons. However, Kamala Harris’s stance on abortion makes her a no-go for me, as well. ”
Our readersNovember 04, 2024
Pope Francis, your encyclical on the Sacred Heart, “Dilexit Nos,” is beautiful and heartwarming. And for Catholics in the United States, the timing was perfect.
Joe Laramie, S.J.November 04, 2024