Leadership in parishes with Hispanic ministry: Realities and possibilities.

Catholic parishes in the United States have historically served as spaces that facilitate the integration of millions of immigrants into the larger U.S. society, usually by providing communal and leadership skills.

The value and need for new research on the U.S. Hispanic Catholic experience to build a stronger sense of communal belonging.

Social scientific research on Catholic parishes serving Hispanic Catholics has not kept up with the fast growth of these communities in the United States, which constitute about a full quarter of Catholic communities in the country. Most of such research is rather recent. This introduction describes one of the largest research studies exploring Catholic communities with Hispanic Ministry conducted by Boston College (2011-2014) and the essays in this issue analyzing data emerging from that study.

Examining the external validity of the CRUZA study, a randomized trial to promote implementation of evidence-based cancer control programs by faith-based organizations.

The CRUZA trial tested the efficacy of an organizational-level intervention to increase capacity among Catholic parishes to implement evidence-based interventions (EBIs) for cancer control. This paper examines the external generalizability of the CRUZA study findings by comparing characteristics of parishes that agreed to participate in the intervention trial versus those that declined participation. Sixty-five Roman Catholic parishes that offered Spanish-language mass in Massachusetts were invited to complete a four-part survey assessing organization-level characteristics that, based on the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR), may be associated with EBI implementation.

Enhancing capacity among faith-based organizations to implement evidence-based cancer control programs: a community-engaged approach.

Evidence-based interventions (EBIs) to promote cancer control among Latinos have proliferated in recent years, though adoption and implementation of these interventions by faith-based organizations (FBOs) is limited. Capacity building may be one strategy to promote implementation. In this qualitative study, 18 community key informants were interviewed to (a) understand existing capacity for health programming among Catholic parishes, (b) characterize parishes' resource gaps and capacity-building needs implementing cancer control EBIs, and (c) elucidate strategies for delivering capacity-building assistance to parishes to facilitate implementation of EBIs.

Dissemination of evidence-based cancer control interventions among Catholic faith-based organizations: results from the CRUZA randomized trial.

Background: The CRUZA randomized trial tested the efficacy of an organizational-level intervention to increase the capacity of Catholic faith-based organizations (FBOs) serving Latinos to implement evidence-based strategies (EBS) for cancer control.

Methods: Thirty-one Catholic parishes were enrolled. Twenty were randomized to a "capacity enhancement" (CE) intervention and 11 to a "standard dissemination" (SD) condition.

Enhancing organizational capacity to provide cancer control programs among Latino churches: design and baseline findings of the CRUZA Study.

Background: Faith-based organizations (FBOs) have been successful in delivering health promotion programs for African Americans, though few studies have been conducted among Latinos. Even fewer have focused on organizational change, which is required to sustain community-based initiatives. We hypothesized that FBOs serving Latinos would be more likely to offer evidence-based strategies (EBS) for cancer control after receiving a capacity enhancement intervention to implement health programs, and designed the CRUZA trial to test this hypothesis.

Recruiting and Surveying Catholic Parishes for Cancer Control Initiatives: Lessons Learned From the CRUZA Implementation Study.

Background: We describe activities undertaken to conduct organizational surveys among faith-based organizations in Massachusetts as part of a larger study designed to promote parish-based cancer control programs for Latinos.

Method: Catholic parishes located in Massachusetts that provided Spanish-language mass were eligible for study participation. Parishes were identified through diocesan records and online directories.

Leadership networks in Catholic parishes: implications for implementation research in health.

Through two case studies of Catholic parishes in Massachusetts, this study explores the implications of leader-centered versus distributed leadership in Catholic parishes for the implementation of evidence-based health interventions. The two parishes involved in the study differ from each other in several ways. In the first, parishioners are less engaged in leadership activities at the decision-making level in the parish.

Religion, fatalism, and cancer control: a qualitative study among Hispanic Catholics.

Objectives: To assess cancer perceptions among churchgoers and to examine the potential influence of fatalism and religious beliefs on the use of cancer screening tests.

Methods: Eight semi-structured focus groups were conducted among 67 Hispanic Catholics in Massachusetts.

Results: In this sample, there were few references to fatalistic beliefs about cancer and nearly universal endorsement of the utility of cancer screening for cancer early detection.

Religious beliefs and cancer screening behaviors among Catholic Latinos: implications for faith-based interventions.

Although most U.S. Latinos identify as Catholic, few studies have focused on the influence of this religious tradition on health beliefs among this population.

Dimensions of religiousness and cancer screening behaviors among church-going Latinas.

Churches are a promising setting through which to reach Latinas with cancer control efforts. A better understanding of the dimensions of religiousness that impact health behaviors could inform efforts to tailor cancer control programs for this setting. The purpose of this study was to explore relationships between dimensions of religiousness with adherence to cancer screening recommendations among church-going Latinas.