Spanning the Divide

They come from different places and different walks of life, sharing a common ancestry and name in the United States: Hispanic.1 Whether newly arrived immigrants or people whose families have been in the United States for generations, their explosive growth is changing the face of United States culture. They are a people with deep religious roots and vibrant spiritual energy, which has tremendous implications for the practice of religion-in particular Christianity-in this country. In both Catholic and Protestant congregations, the Hispanic or Latino/a presence is growing. Their thirst for spiritual connection is strong; their temporal needs are many.