Young Hispanics in US losing Catholic identity, survey finds
August 11, 2010
Most Hispanic living in the US identify themselves as Catholics, but younger Hispanics are much less likely to identify with the Church and with Catholic stands on key issues, a new poll has found.
The survey of 1,500 Hispanic Americans by Univision and Associated Press found that 62% were Catholics. But the survey uncovered a sharp difference between generations, with 80% of those over 65 identifying themselves as Catholics, and only 55% of those between 18 and 30.
The poll found similar generational splits on issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage, with older Hispanics strongly supporting Catholic teachings while younger respondents were much less supportive.
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Posted by: Defender -
Aug. 12, 2010 1:45 PM ET USA
To this day, my kids ask me questions or if I ask them about something Catholic, their reply is almost invariably: we didn't learn anything about that in CCD/Confirmation. My regret is that there was not enough money to send them to Catholic schools - they would have gotten at least a little bit more, maybe.
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Posted by: Minnesota Mary -
Aug. 11, 2010 9:08 PM ET USA
Defender has it exactly right. When I volunteered to teach religion in the mid 90's I had my eyes opened to how religious education in the Church had deteriorated. We were told by the leaders that the recipe for a successful religious ed program was "Fun, Food, and Friends." And with all the fun, food, and friends, the kids were kept busy with "color, cut, and paste." When I tried to teach them the truths of the Faith, I got called on the carpet. And fallen away Catholics are the norm now.
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Posted by: New Sister -
Aug. 11, 2010 7:54 PM ET USA
Please support the *Saint John Society* It is a beautiful order of priests from Argentina who work in the US evangelizing the hispanic population, to "keep" them Catholic, and make them faithfully so.
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Posted by: Defender -
Aug. 11, 2010 5:08 PM ET USA
The very first line explains the whole article, "...living in the US...." It is probably symptomatic of the Church in the US that in teaching the Faith, CCD and Confirmation have become just places to go and color things in the younger grades and meet with friends in the older age group. Given the laxity in which Catholicism is taught and lived in many parishes, it is not surprising how little all of our young know of the Church.
