Multicultural Reality and Gift

One Church, Different Cultural Experiences

Catholicism is a world-wide religion and there are different cultural experiences present in the church today. Many cultures have unique liturgical celebrations revolving around a rite of a passage (Hispanic Quincenera) or a particular holiday or feast day (Filipino Simbang Gabi). Another culture may have a special devotion to a particular Saint.

There are many rich traditions within our Catholic Church and those traditions are often a significant part of both family life and parish life.

Here are some resources on understanding and encouraging some unique cultural traditions.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Secretariat of Cultural Diversity in the Church (SCDC) provides articles and resources on various issues related to different cultures found in the American Catholic Church.
La Red—from the website: “The National Catholic Network de Pastoral Juvenil Hispana (La Red) is an inclusive network of Roman Catholic church based organizations and pastoral ministers committed to the evangelization, holistic development, and ongoing support and formation of Hispanic jóvenes (adolescents and single young adults 18 to 26+) in the United States.”
The Mexican American Catholic College is “A Catholic Institute for Multicultural Pastoral Training and Language Studies.” It's mission is to empower and educate leaders for service in a culturally diverse church and society by offering a bi-literate, multicultural formation program that can lead to a BA and an MA in Pastoral Ministry.