Hispanics constitute "more than one third of Catholics in the United States," and account for "seventy one per cent of Catholic growth." By the year 2050, "eighty six per cent of American Catholics will be Hispanic," with Mexicans constituting the largest and fastest growing segment of the Hispanic population in the United States. In response, this comprehensive and important book, built around the model of one urban Hispanic parish, St. Pius V in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago, details the ways that Hispanics, Mexicans, in particular, can be integrated into the Church and still retain their unique identity. The book embraces Mexicans' deep, vibrant religiosity, rooted in their love of native language, music, rich adornment, ritual, and tradition, and responds to their problems, machismo, loneliness, isolation, discrimination, marginalization, by highlighting a network of parish resources made available to them--from soup kitchens, shelters and secondhand clothing stores, to parenting, marriage and family counseling programs, to organizing Comunidades de Base, Christian Base Communities, fiestas, street fairs, communal celebrations that meld liturgy and culture. A fact-filled, well-considered look at the future face-multicultural and non-white--of the American Catholic Church, Parish Ministry in a Hispanic Community is a must-read for students and teachers of theology, and especially, clergy, laity, parishes and parishioners. In short, the Church itself. +
