In this way the journal seems to piece itself together. My job becomes one of smoothing out the transitions and getting the final product to the printer. This is especially the case with this issue of Umanid t . This is the best responded to theme of all that we have undertaken. This issue is easily the largest of all that we have published and its size is due primarily to the volume of articles dealing with the issue's theme.
Several themes emerge from the articles.
The relationship of faith and culture is predominant theme. This is most obvious in the first few articles where the interplay of faith and culture are examined directly. A glimpse at the history of the Church in the Mariana Islands is provided via two pieces by Rod L vesque. Another theme that emerges is the growing diversity of religion in the Marianas. This is acknowkedged with several short articles on the Islamic, Jewish, and Protestant communities resident here.