Diocesan Resources
The Hispanic Experience in Marriage Preparation by Lydia Pesina (2006)
The Hispanic Experience in Marriage Preparation by Lydia Pesina, Director, Family Life Office, Diocese of Brownsville
In addressing the Hispanic experience in marriage preparation, it is important to highlight that currently Hispanics constitute the largest minority group in the U.S.--38.8 million or 13% of the population. This includes 13.3 % in the Northeast., 7.7% in the Midwest, 34.8% in the South, and 44.2% in the West. The population is soaring because of immigration and higher birth rates. It is also important to acknowledge the cultural and educational diversity: 66.9% are of Mexican descent, 14.3 % Central and South American, 8.6 % Puerto Rican, 3.7 % Cuban, and 6.5% other. Sixty percent of Hispanics currently in this country are U.S. born. In reference to the educational diversity, it becomes incumbent on us as pastoral agents to consider the current U.S. Hispanic reality when using printed marriage preparation materials and pre-marital inventories: 27% have less than a 9th grade education, 16% 9-12 grade education, 45.9% high school and some college, and 11.1% a bachelor’s degree or more. (Statistics taken from “USA Today”: Census by Haya el Nasser, November 2003).
We talk of Hispanics as a group because there are some strong common traits among the different Spanish speaking cultures. Some traditional and colonial values from Spain transcend the different Hispanic cultures. Hispanics tend to be conservative/ traditional in their cultural lifestyle. Some of the commonalities include:
- “machismo” in the male and more clearly defined male/female roles
- family as the nucleus of Hispanic life
- strong identification with as well as strong feelings of loyalty, reciprocity, and solidarity with nuclear and extended family members
- a sense of obligation to provide material and emotional support to members of nuclear and extended family. These traits are especially evident in new immigrants.
There are distinct differences, however, within the Hispanic community when it comes to aspirations and behaviors that are very much shaped by their own family of origin experiences.
In the U.S. Catholic Church today, there are few, if any parishes and dioceses with no Hispanics. Regardless of the particular marriage preparation programs or models currently being used in parishes and dioceses across the nation, one of the challenges is to provide comprehensive marriage preparation to a population that is diverse in language, culture and socio-economic status. I believe that the challenge is even greater for the parishes and dioceses where the Hispanic population is a relatively new reality.