The U.S. Catholic Church Is A Changin’

Reuters reports a recent Mass at St. Michael Catholic Church in a Dallas suburb are in some ways a microcosm of the broader faith in the United States. They are mostly but far from exclusively white. Several are Vietnamese and there is a sprinkling of Hispanics among them.  Immigrants represent the new face of the Catholic Church in America. Once solidly Irish, Italian and Polish, U.S. Catholicism is turning Hispanic and even a bit Vietnamese and African — and immigration is keeping the church from losing its “market share” in the U.S. Some analysts also say Catholic immigrants, especially Hispanics, may even be more in tune with official Vatican stances than native-born American members. They are conservative on issues of conscience like abortion and gay marriage, which the Church opposes, and prefer the more traditional devotions favored by Pope Benedict. At the same time, they take a more left-leaning outlook on social affairs such as helping the sick and the poor.

KJ