LATINOS BOOSTING CATHOLIC ATTENDANCE
The U.S. Catholic Church would be in decline without Latin American immigrants. Traditional congregations of the American Catholic church have been dwindling in recent years, to where 1 in every 10 Americans is a former Catholic. Immigration from Latin-American countries (and their high birth rates) more than make up for the decline. About 1/2 of all American Catholics under the age of 40 are Hispanics, a proportion that will continue to grow.
(BBC 4/15/08)