The Claretian mission has shaped countless lives in the United States for more than a century. In Pioneers of Latino Ministry: Claretians and the Evolving World of Catholic America (NYU Press, 2025), historian Deborah E. Kanter traces the long journey of the Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary—priests and brothers who have not only strengthened people in faith, but changed lives in far deeper ways.
One of those stories belongs to Bishop Plácido Rodríguez, CMF. His family came to Chicago from Mexico around 1953 seeking safety and a new beginning. They arrived, as so many Mexican immigrants did, Near West Side. There they found a Claretian parish where the young Plácido saw how the priests served their people: a place where an immigrant family could feel welcome, where faith could grow even when one’s English still carried an accent. Their Claretian parish was a home for faith and for community.
For Bishop Rodríguez, that early childhood witness proved to be so powerful that he discerned a call to the priesthood himself, going on to become the first Claretian bishop in North America and the first Hispanic bishop of the Archdiocese of Chicago.
Stories like his deserve to be remembered.
As Allan Figueroa Deck, SJ, writes in his review of Pioneers of Latino Ministry: “The Claretians revealed themselves to be pioneers in addressing the pastoral, spiritual, and social needs of Latinos wherever they served.”
With remarkable care, author Deborah E. Kanter gathers the facts, the stories, and the lived faith of the Claretian congregation—and the lives they touched. Glowing reviews are pouring in from both scholarly and Catholic press, and we’d love to share a few of them with you.
You can find the book Pioneers of Latino Ministry and more reviews at NYUPRESS
“Kanter contends throughout this work that what distinguishes the Claretians in the United States is their pioneering and persistent service to the emerging Latino communities. This reviewer agrees and is hard-pressed to find any other religious congregation that has gone deeper “into the trenches” in the pastoral care of US Latinos, especially those of Mexican origin. ”
~ Allan Figueroa Deck, SJ
“Pioneers of Latino Ministry relates the apostolic fervor of Claretian Missionaries, especially among the Latina and Latino faithful they accompanied. With engaged storytelling and critical assessment, Deborah E. Kanter unveils not just the history of one religious order, but the sojourn of Hispanic Catholicism and immigration from the dawn of the Mexican Revolution to the present.”
~Timothy Matovina, author of Latino Catholicism: Transformation in America’s Largest Church
“It is necessary to tell with dignity and respect the stories, struggles, and hopes of Hispanic/Latino Catholic immigrants and Deborah E. Kanter accomplishes that in Pioneers of Latino Ministry. This book provides key insights and pastoral orientations to better minister, serve and accompany Hispanic/Latino Catholic immigrants in the United States. Pioneers of Latino Ministry embraces a missionary spirit and an ethic of bridge building and social responsibility with underserved communities. This book will be treasured by members of the Claretian community as well as historians, pastoral agents, directors and coordinators of Hispanic/Latino ministry, and social justice advocates.”
~Yohan Garcia, Loyola University Chicago
*These reviews were originally published by NYUPRESS
