Hispanic Ministry and Pew Research Report

Several of our OYYAM staff participated in the Hispanic Ministry in-service today hosted by the Office of the Vicar for Clergy (OVC) at St. James Cathedral.

A study by the Pew Research Center was referenced and it reminded me of an article I read in the Seattle Times earlier this week.

Among the findings of the larger report, it shared information that many of us are by now familiar:

Major changes in the makeup of American Catholicism also loom on the horizon. Latinos, who already account for roughly one-in-three adult Catholics overall, may account for an even larger share of U.S. Catholics in the future. For while Latinos represent roughly one-in-eight U.S. Catholics age 70 and older (12%), they account for nearly half of all Catholics ages 18-29 (45%).

Of course, this has implications for those of us working in the field of youth and young adult ministry. OVC will be putting the powerpoint into a form that perhaps can be shared with you who didn't get a chance to participate in the meeting today. We will share with you when we can.

At the same time, if you haven't had a chance to look at this report from 2008, you should go the Pew Research Center and utilize the interactive features to learn more about religious affiliation in the United States. You can also sign up so that when reports come out, they will email you directly.