2008
Joel A. Almonò Roque
The Integration Process Into The Episcopal Church Of Second Generation Hispanic Immigrants
The purpose of this thesis is to demonstrate that the Episcopal Church of the United States has tremendous potential for growth through attracting and retaining the Hispanic population. This growth will be possible if the Church is willing to invest time, money and capacity building in second generation Hispanic immigrants. To meet this challenge, there needs to be greater understanding of the process of assimilation of the second generation into U.S. society and the Church and an understanding of the similarities and differences between them and first generation immigrants. Preparations also need to be made to receive the second generation Hispanics who will leave the Roman Catholic Church over the next twenty years in search of a new spiritual home. To achieve the purpose of this thesis we will study the characteristics of the second generation, and through the results of a survey, will describe what the second generation wants, what they hope for, and what they can do for and with the Church. The thesis concludes with an outline of the ideal Episcopal Church for second generation Hispanics, and recommendations for restructuring of the national Hispanic ministry office that will allow more effective Hispanic church community development and better integration of Hispanics into the growth of the Episcopal Church.