The author would appreciate questions, challenges, and thoughts from other perspectives. They are meant to be a help for other Holy Cross religious and for others. Importance of culture Hispanic ministry requires an understanding, not only of Spanish, but of Hispanic culture or, perhaps more accurately, Hispanic cultures. To make things more complicated each group has sub-groups. For example, Mexico has not only different social classes, but also different regional practices, different indigenous groups, etc.
Culture can be difficult because it can appear to be invisible.
Every culture has its set of practices, customs, assumptions, and understanding of things. They are often assumed to be obviously true because they are part of a culture in which one has grown up. For instance, in the United States most Catholics grew up in areas where Sunday Mass was part of the norm. Life was part of an active parish which often included parochial school, fundraisers, novenas, using envelopes, filling out registration or census cards, etc. The cultural background of Catholicism in Mexico, for example, is very different.