Oxcart Catholicism on Fifth Avenue: The Impact of the Puerto Rican Migration Upon the Archdiocese of New York

Between 1946 and 1964 more than a half-million Puerto Ricans left their island home for New York City in a politically and economically driven migration that, as this study shows, forever changed both places. It was the largest ethnic migration to the Roman Catholic archdiocese of New York. Diaz-Stevens, assistant professor of Puerto Rican and Hispanic Caribbean studies at Rutgers University, describes the various phases of the migration and the major role played by the Catholic Church in the socio-cultural adaptation of the newcomers, who were mainly from rural areas. Early church leaders are seen as focusing on ``Americanization'' at the parish level. Later, some members of the clergy tried to soften the impact of institutional rigidity, but ecclesiastical bureaucracy prevailed. The shifts in control of the Spanish apostolate reflect the changing attitudes in leadership, which are well-documented in this interesting social history. The author bolsters her account with strong sociological background material. (Aug.)