Transforming Catholicism: Mexican-Origin People and the Catholic Church in San Antonio and Oklahoma City in the Twentieth Century

Abstract

Transforming Catholicism examines the relationship between Catholic Social Justice and Mexican-origin people in San Antonio and Oklahoma City. The dissertation covers the twentieth-century but focuses on the period 1925-1992. The Church played an enormous role in the struggle for Mexican American social and labor rights. Furthermore, it played a greater role in the daily lives of the working-classes and lower-classes than other organizations did. By placing the Church had the center of this study Transforming Catholicism provides a new understanding on how the Catholic Church in the United States can be very progressive on economic and labor issues, while maintaining strict views on traditional issues.