Hispanics, an observation of the religious community

I am a member of the Puerto Rican American Families research team. I myself grew up in a Puerto Rican American, or 'New Yorican', family. The assignment is a field study. The study is on an observation of the religious community. We visited a Roman Catholic church in Buffalo on the west side, which is a predominantly Hispanic area of the city. I myself am also a Roman Catholic. This is a slightly erred site, …

…incorporation of the Roman Catholic saints with a form of vodoun. From my experience, in Santeria prayers and offerings are given to the saints for protection from evil. There are many elaborate rituals performed by the followers of Santeria. Most of the rituals include prayers from Roman Catholicism, like the Rosary and the Hail Mary. I think Santeria is the perfect example of the balance being maintained by the religious community between assimilation and preservation.