UNITED STATES
Asses the religious landscape of the U.S. with MapMaker Interactive’s “Major Religions” layer.
Teachers, scroll down for a quick list of key resources, including today’s simple MapMaker Interactive map.
Discussion Ideas
- Read through the L.A. Times article and take a look at the second bookmark on today’s MapMaker Interactive map. Where are the largest Catholic communities in the U.S.?
- The West Coast, Southwest, Upper Midwest, and Northeast.
- What historic and contemporary immigration patters influenced this religious landscape?
- Historic: According to the L.A. Times, “The bedrock of American Catholicism for generations was in East Coast strongholds from Boston to Baltimore, where Irish, Polish, German and Italian immigrants dominated the church.”
- Contemporary: The west’s growing Catholic communities have largely been influenced by immigration from Latin America, primarily Mexico and Central America.
- How are Latino Catholics changing the general political traditions of the historically European U.S. Catholic community?
- Language: Latino-led congregations often celebrate more masses in Spanish rather than English.
- Immigration Reform: More Latino Catholics support immigration reform “as a matter of justice,” says Los Angeles Archbishop Jose Horacio Gomez, while more European-led Catholic organizations (such as the Catholic League) oppose immigration reform.
- Many Catholics argue that a greater Latino presence is not changing Catholicism in the U.S., reminding readers that “The Hispanic presence in the church is the original face of the church in this country. The first non-indigenous language spoken in this country was not English. It was Spanish. We shouldn’t think about Hispanics as newcomers to our society or to the church. Hispanics were here from the beginning.”
- If Latinos make up the majority of the U.S. Catholic population, why is the church concerned with bolstering the community’s growth?
- According to the L.A. Times, “The number of Latinos who consider themselves Catholic has actually declined in recent years, from 67% in 2010 to 55% in 2015.” The growth of Latino Catholic communities may reflect a growth in Latino communities overall.
- Younger people are “choosing their own forms of private spirituality, or abandoning religion altogether.”
- Older people are leaving Catholicism for more evangelical branches of Christianity.
- According to the L.A. Times, “The number of Latinos who consider themselves Catholic has actually declined in recent years, from 67% in 2010 to 55% in 2015.” The growth of Latino Catholic communities may reflect a growth in Latino communities overall.
TEACHERS’ TOOLKIT
Los Angeles Times: Latino influence on Catholic Church is a backdrop to Pope Francis’ visit
Nat Geo: Who Are U.S. Catholics? Numbers Show a Surprising Shift
Nat Geo: Where is Pope Francis Visiting? map
Nat Geo: Major Religions of the World map