The Church in the Barrio - by Roberto R Treviño (Paperback)

About the Book

Church in the Barrio: Mexican American Ethno-Catholicism in Houston

Book Synopsis

In a story that spans from the founding of immigrant parishes in the early twentieth century to the rise of the Chicano civil rights movement in the early 1970s, Roberto R. Trevino discusses how an intertwining of ethnic identity and Catholic faith equipped Mexican Americans in Houston to overcome adversity and find a place for themselves in the Bayou City.

Houston's native-born and immigrant Mexicans alike found solidarity and sustenance in their Catholicism, a distinctive style that evolved from the blending of the religious sensibilities and practices of Spanish Christians and New World indigenous peoples. Employing church records, newspapers, family letters, mementos, and oral histories, Trevino reconstructs the history of several predominately Mexican American parishes in Houston. He explores Mexican American Catholic life from the most private and mundane, such as home altar worship and everyday speech and behavior, to the most public and dramatic, such as neighborhood processions and civil rights marches. He demonstrates how Mexican Americans' religious faith helped to mold and preserve their identity, structured family and community relationships as well as institutions, provided both spiritual and material sustenance, and girded their long quest for social justice.

Review Quotes

Robert R. Trevino's study provides an excellent schematic for understanding the role of the Catholic Church in the Mexican American community in Houston.
--"Catholic Historical Review"

Trevino's study makes a compelling case for the centrality of Mexican Americans in U.S. Catholic history and of Catholicism in Mexican American history in the twentieth century.
--"The Journal of American History"

"Comprehensive . . . lucid and interesting . . . accessible to scholars and lay people alike. . . . It does all that a good work of scholarship should. It deserves examination from those who are interested in the ways in which minorities adapt to majorities and alter majorities in the process"
-- "Canadian Journal of History"

[The Church in the Barrio: Mexican American Ethno-Catholicism in Houston] is, quite simply, one of the best books that [the reviewer] read on the Catholic experience in America.
--"American Historical Review"

Robert R. Trevi o's study provides an excellent schematic for understanding the role of the Catholic Church in the Mexican American community in Houston.
--"Catholic Historical Review"

Trevi o's study makes a compelling case for the centrality of Mexican Americans in U.S. Catholic history and of Catholicism in Mexican American history in the twentieth century.
--"The Journal of American History"

Trevino makes a vital contribution to the growing body of historical scholarship that critically examines Latino/a religion.
--Timothy Matovina, University of Notre Dame

"An illuminating departure from most studies found in Chicano/a history."
-- "Journal of Southern History"

"Makes a welcome contribution to Chicano history with [its] fine study of Catholic religious belief, practice, and institution building among Mexicans and Mexican Americans in Houston."
-- "Journal of American History"

"Provides a welcome addition to literature on Mexican Americans and it takes a magnificent stride toward explaining the significance of religion in their lives. . . . Adds information critical to understanding the West's longstanding relationship with Mexico."
-- "Western Historical Society"

"Provides an excellent schematic for understanding the role of the Catholic Church in the Mexican American community in Houston."
-- "Catholic Historical Review"

Robert R. TreviAo_s study provides an excellent schematic for understanding the role of the Catholic Church in the Mexican American community in Houston.
_"Catholic Historical Review"

TreviAo_s study makes a compelling case for the centrality of Mexican Americans in U.S. Catholic history and of Catholicism in Mexican American history in the twentieth century.
_"The Journal of American History"

Robert R. TreviAoas study provides an excellent schematic for understanding the role of the Catholic Church in the Mexican American community in Houston.
a"Catholic Historical Review"

TreviAoas study makes a compelling case for the centrality of Mexican Americans in U.S. Catholic history and of Catholicism in Mexican American history in the twentieth century.
a"The Journal of American History"

"Trevino makes a vital contribution to the growing body of historical scholarship that critically examines Latino/a religion."
Timothy Matovina, University of Notre Dame