With Mexican Americans composing one of the nation’s largest minority groups, this book examines the legacy and future of these communities and the Catholic Church.
Mexican Americans have a long legacy within the Catholic Church. While not always accepted by the Church, these communities developed rich spiritual traditions that are both deeply Catholic and unique to the people that practice them. In Mexican Americans and the Catholic Church, 1900–1965, three historians examine the religious history of the Church, focusing on Mexican American faith communities. Jay P. Dolan and Gilberto Hinojosa consider modern challenges in the context of the history of Mexican American Catholics across the country. Between Americanization and assimilation, alongside the failings and as well as success of the Catholic church in ministering to Mexican Americans, this book is a record of the resilience and devotion of these communities over sixty years.