The Bishop of Arlington, Mons. Michael F. Bubidge, thanked Hispanic Catholics for having enriched American culture with their spiritual devotions and traditions, while expressing their closeness for the serious challenges they are facing.
The Prelate said these words following the month of the Hispanic inheritance held in the United States from September 15 to October 15, “a time to recognize the valuable contributions of US Hispanics and so many Latin American ancestors whose faith, culture and sacrifices have helped to forge our Church and our nation.”
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Some of the devotions carried by Hispanic migrants to the United States are the devotion to the Virgin of Guadalupe (Mexico), to the Virgin of Charity of Copper (Cuba) and the Lord of Miracles (Peru).
Also, according to the United States Census OfficeHispanics represent 20% of the population. While the Pew Research Center He points out that “36% of all Catholic adults in the United States are Hispanics.”
In a published statement On the Diocese websiteMons. Bubidge recalled that for decades “many of our Hispanic brothers and sisters have left their homeland in search of better opportunities and a more stable life for their families.”
“We thank the spiritual traditions and devotions that they share with us, true gifts that enrich our entire diocesan community,” he said.
However, he pointed out that in his diocese they are “aware that many in our Hispanic community face serious challenges: uncertainty, separation, fear and yearning for security and new opportunities.”
“His daily life, however, offers us a testimony that encourages us to Christian hope. As Pope Leo XIV points out, Hispanic immigrants are witnesses of hope that ‘manifest … their strength and confidence in God when facing adversity while seeking a future in which they perceive that integral human development and authentic happiness are possible,” he wrote.
Therefore, he encouraged to ask for the intercession of Our Lady of Guadalupe so that Christ “continues to bless and protect our Hispanic brothers and sisters today and always.”
In its article published in June on the profile of the Hispanic Catholic, the Pew Research Center points out that this population is more prone “than white Catholics to affirm that they participate in various Catholic devotional practices.”
As an example, he points out that 56% of Hispanic Catholics “carry or regularly use religious items”, compared to 39% of white Catholics.
It also indicates that 46% of Hispanic Catholics practice Marian devotions or a saint, compared to 31% of their white peers. In addition, 37% of Hispanic Catholics pray the Rosary, while among white Catholics do it 22%.
Eduardo Berdejo
Professional in Social Communication of the National University of San Marcos in Peru, I have more than 20 years of experience in Catholic digital journalism. As part of ACI Press, I have been sent to cover the trips of Pope Francis to Cuba, Mexico, Colombia and Peru, in addition to the Synod of Sinodality in the Vatican in 2023.