The process by which immigrants become assimilated is one that is simultaneously driven by the desires of the immigrants themselves, and the external conditions they find themselves in. In the case of European Catholic immigrants into the United States, there was a strong need to preserve their Catholic identity in a country that was still…

In Mexican and Mexican-American Catholic practice, The Virgin Mary is a very prominent figure. Many people are very devoted to her and think very highly of her as they almost would to Jesus. She had been chosen by God to give birth to the savior and would raise him, so she truly was important in…

The Universal Image of La Virgen de Guadalupe When entering the Alba household, my family and I are greeted with a frame of La Virgen de Guadalupe that is placed on a small table. Around the top corners of the frame, my mom has placed two blue rosaries that were given to her by our…

Every twenty-fourth of October in Los Angeles, the people from el pueblo de San Rafael Tlanalapan celebrate their archangel in la fiesta de San Rafael Arcángel. The festivities commence after the arrival of San Rafael Arcángel to la fiesta with a religious ceremony led by a local priest. After the ceremony, the tables and chairs…

Ngozi Idika Religion 123 Blog How does the Catholic Church’s concept of sanctity impact views on Sainthood today? I was raised as a devout Catholic. Just like many, the routine of devotion such as prayer, attending mass, and doing novenas to enact the faith. Out of all of them, praying to saints have been essential…

“Woodcut.” St. Lydia’s House http://stlydiashouse.org/what-is-the-catholic-worker-movement/. As the soot settled on the new urban American horizon, waves of Catholic immigrant workers left their industrial jobs and passed through the formerly impermeable membrane between religion and vocation. However, to them, the effects of American industrialization were just as omnipresent as their faith. They sensed it everywhere: from…

By Emily Smith Religions big and small from all corners of the world have their own symbols that define and represent the faiths that give purpose and direction to millions around the world. For example, the cross in Christianity, the crescent and star in Islam, the Star of David in Judaism, and the yin-yang of…

Women’s History Month inspires us to delve deeper into what shapes women’s identities both in the United States and abroad. The cultural understanding of femininity is presented in various ways and is often reflected in women’s clothing. Women face societal pressures in deciding how to present their bodies in a more “acceptable” way. Religious based…

The idea of a singular Catholicism is a misunderstanding, Catholicism takes many forms and people practice and choose what works for them. The institution which is the Vatican might try to impose its authority and legitimacy on the laypeople, priest, bishops, nuns, etc. but all these people have agency in choosing to how they wish…