From TWT, July 21 edition. It's an article about how many Hispanic immigrants begin to attend Spanish evangelical churches when they arrive in this country, leaving Catholicism behind.
I admire the zeal of the pastors who run these churches but unfortunately they are leading people away from the true Church, the sacraments, the tangible prescence of Christ in the world. Many dioceses are ill-equipped to deal with their immigrant population and one bad experience with a priest can spoil everything. We are, in most cases, lacking the zeal of the evangelical leaders. For their part they aren't always honest in their approach. They call their services "Missa" and typically have a poster of Our Lady of Guadalupe outside of their church. It's typical for a Hispanic Catholic-turned-evangelical to go to a priest when there has been a death in the family. Why do you think that is?
...and why do the evangelical churches allow Hispanics to hold Marian devotions, or have processions and religious festivals?
because they can, Eric.
Part of the problem is that local parish services (rcia, etc) in north american churches are usually run by a very anglo, very wacko, very liberal white wannabe middle aged lady that hispanics have no idea what to do with......
It must be like stepping onto another planet and meeting ET for a hispanic to talk to one of these women.....and trust me, she will give them the bums rush if they want to have a procession or get a scapular.
No wonder they go down the street.
There's something to that, I'm sure. It's a continuing source of wonder to me that Catholic liberals always give lip service to "multiculturalism" but they ignore Third World Catholics' views on, say, homosexuality or abortion, to say nothing of such retrograde things as "repentence" or "penance."
Michigan, so basically, the Evangelical churches here are more Catholic than many local Catholic parishes? Could be.
At least (hopefully) they are drawing them for conversion to Christ and holy living. Any step forward, is a step forward.