Faith, Family, and Filipino American Community Life

Stephen M. Cherry draws upon a rich set of ethnographic and survey data, collected over a six-year period, to explore the roles that Catholicism and family play in shaping Filipino American community life. From the planning and construction of community centres, to volunteering at health fairs or protesting against abortion, this book illustrates the powerful ways these forces structure and animate not only how first-generation Filipino Americans think and feel about their community, but how they are compelled to engage it over issues deemed important to the sanctity of the family. Revealing more than intimate accounts of Filipino American lives, Cherry offers a glimpse of the often hidden but vital relationship between religion and community in the lives of new immigrants, and allows speculation on the broader impact of Filipino immigration on the nation. The Filipino American community is the second-largest immigrant community in the United States, and the Philippines is the second-largest source of Catholic immigration to this country. This ground-breaking study outlines how first-generation Filipino Americans have the potential to reshape American Catholicism and are already having an impact on American civic life through the engagement of their faith.

Well-written and informative, this book is an incredibly in-depth, sensitive look into the worlds of Filipino lives, families, and religious practices. Using multiple sources of data, Cherry puts Filipino religious lives in context, helping us get up-close views that bring social patterns to life."" - Michael O. Emerson, Rice University

Stephen M. Cherry is an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Houston–Clear Lake. He is coeditor of Global Religious Movements across Borders: Sacred Service.