The United States honors Sept. 15 through Oct. 15 as National Hispanic Heritage Month, a time to recognize the contributions and influence of Hispanic culture to the nation’s achievements, culture and history.
In a 2022 interview with the National Catholic Reporter, Bishop Alberto Rojas is quoted as saying that in the Diocese of San Bernardino, “Everything is Hispanic ministry. There’s no parish where Spanish is not needed. It’s probably one of the most diverse dioceses in the country.”
According to statistics provided by parishes to the Diocesan Office of Pastoral Planning for the 2023-24 year, about 59 percent of Catholics in the diocese are Hispanic. In addition, Mass count information provided by the Office of Pastoral Planning shows that beginning in the 2022-23 year, more Catholics in the diocese attended Mass in Spanish than in English.
The Catholic Church, especially in the U.S., has made great strides in the growth and success of the Hispanic community over time. In 2023, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) published the National Pastoral Plan for Hispanic/Latino Ministry called, “Missionary Disciples Going Forth with Joy,” which is a 10-year strategic plan to strengthen and support Hispanic/Latino ministry in the Catholic Church in the U.S.
“At this moment of grace, we the bishops of the United States affirm, once again, that the Hispanic/Latino presence among us is a blessing from God for the Church and for our country,” the document states. “The richness of the Hispanic/Latino community has been present in our lands for more than 500 years. Such blessing, such richness, has become more evident over the past few decades. We have witnessed how our Hispanic/Latino community has reinvigorated the life and mission of thousands of parishes and other Catholic institutions and organizations.”
The U.S. Bishops go on to describe the type of gifts the Hispanic/Latino community brings to the Catholic faith.
“Their many gifts and blessings include: a profound faith in God’s providence, an appreciation of life as a gift from God, love for the family, a sense of community, an authentic Marian devotion, popular religious devotions and traditions, a sense of hospitality and solidarity, and Ecclesial movements and apostolates.”
In 2024, the USCCB published a “Hispanic/Latino Ministry Media Resources” guide that offers a bountiful overview of the vast and extensive impact that the Catholic Hispanic community has in the U.S. Below are some of the statistics from that document.
- Percentage of Hispanics / Latinos who were Catholic in 2021 was 49.5%
- Percentage of active deacons in the United States who are Hispanic / Latino was 20%
- In Region XI, which includes California, Hawaii, and Nevada, the number of Parishes was 1148 and the number of Parishes with Mass in Spanish was 770
- Also in Region XI, the number of parishes with organized Hispanic/Latino Ministry in 2018 was 730.