History professor’s book examines Latino influence in American Catholicism

What’s the history behind the prevalence of Latino Catholics in the United States and what does their faith tell us about the broader Roman Catholic Church today? 

A phenomenal question posed by Deborah Kanter, emerita professor of history at Albion College. Kantor dives into one answer to this question in her new book Pioneers of Latino Ministry: Claretians and the Evolving World of Catholic America (NYU Press, October 2025).

Kanter traces the history of the 19th century Claretian missionaries (a Catholic order founded in Spain) and their far-reaching influence on Latino Catholics. “Lay people and Claretians worked together to foster strong foundations, identities, and voices for Latino Catholics,” Kanter said in the book’s introduction. “The Claretians’ accompaniment of Hispanic Catholics stands out as a continuity in more than 120 years of work in the United States,” Kanter said.

“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, 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,” said Timothy Matovina, author of Latino Catholicism: Transformation in America’s Largest Church. 

Kanter’s kaleidoscopic view of the Claretians’ encounters across America is a follow up to her Chicago Católico: Making Catholic Parishes Mexican. Her involvement in Latinx history spans the 29 years of professional scholarship she did while teaching at Albion, and she continues to be involved in the field as an emerita scholar.

This article was written by marketing and communications intern Nick Briscoe ‘28