WASHINGTON (OSV News) ─ Ahead of Hispanic Heritage Month, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Secretariat for Cultural Diversity in the Church has released a resource kit "to help illustrate the profound impact of the Hispanic/Latino community within the Catholic Church in the United States," according to a USCCB press release.
A part of the implementation of the National Pastoral Plan for Hispanic/Latino Ministry approved by the U.S. bishops in the Spring of 2023, the document "underscores the ongoing commitment of the USCCB's Subcommittee on Hispanic Affairs to recognizing and celebrating the rich cultural heritage and contributions of Hispanic/Latino Catholics," said the Sept. 4 release.
This resource kit includes statistical information on the Catholic population in the U.S., categorized by race/ethnicity, a statistical profile of Hispanic/Latino ministry, the percentage of Hispanic/Latino Catholics by diocese and the percentage growth of Hispanic/Latino Catholics in the Millennial and Gen Z generations.
It also reports on the growth of the Hispanic/Latino population in the church's 14 episcopal regions and the estimated Hispanic/Latino population in the U.S. in 2022 by country of origin, as well as a timeline of Hispanic/Latino ministry events and milestones spanning from 1945 to 2024.
Alejandro Aguilera-Titus, assistant director of Hispanic Affairs in the USCCB's cultural diversity secretariat, said that through the information in this resource, they hope to "help show the vibrant faith and the richness of the Hispanic and Latino communities within our Church and society."
"It is especially important as we prepare to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month to show the dynamic growth of our community and the contributions made by Hispanics and Latinos as we continue in our work to foster deeper connections and understanding," said Aguilera-Titus.
The 16-page document highlights important findings, including that Episcopal Region XI, which includes California and Hawaii, had the largest Hispanic population by 2022 with 15,892,963 Hispanics/Latinos and that the U.S. Hispanic population -- estimated to be over 63 million people as of April 1, 2023 -- is the second largest in the world, surpassed only by Mexico, which was about 128.3 million in 2023.
Likewise, a graph with information from the U.S. Census Bureau that estimates the U.S. Hispanic/Latino population in 2022 by origin indicated that 58.8% of this population is of Mexican origin, followed by a wide margin by the Puerto Rican community, which represents 9.4% of the population.
The document compiles the names of active, retired, and deceased bishops and auxiliary bishops of Hispanic/Latino origin who have served the Catholic Church in the U.S. since 1970. It also states that by 2023, there were 34,092 priests in the United States, and 3,200 of them were estimated to be Hispanic. It also shows that a total of 4,479 parishes in the U.S. have Masses in Spanish and 2,760 U.S. parishes with Hispanic/Latino presence or ministry but no Mass in Spanish, according to data collected in 2024.
Sources cited by this resource kit include the U.S. Census Bureau, Georgetown University's Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, V Encuentro reports, and findings from previous studies conducted by the USCCB and its Secretariat for Cultural Diversity in the Church, such as the recently-released Diocesan Survey on Parishes and Hispanic/Latino Ministry.
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Marietha Góngora V. writes for OSV News from Washington.
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