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Essay / Mexican Culture Essay - 2406
Alongside Catholicism is the use of magical religious symbols such as a candle with the image of a saint. Each saint has a corresponding religious specialty: the religious functions for dying are St. Joseph, Cancer -St. Pilgrim, Bodily Diseases - Our Lady of Lourdes for infertility, St. Anne for chronic illness, St. Juliana Falconieri, for AIDS patients and their caregiver is St. Aloysius Gonzaga, and arthritis/rheumatism is St. James the Major. One article reviewed describes the term spirituality among Latinos, rather than Latino spirituality, has been used to refer to the different perspectives that may exist within various Latino populations. Multiple, socially constructed phenomena such as racialized and gender identities, social class, immigration status, language, and adherence to the doctrine of the Catholic Church or another religious denomination can all contribute to the diversity of expression of Latino spirituality. Personalism is an important Latino cultural value that is characterized by warmth, closeness, and empathy in relationships with others. In faith experiences, this translates into a direct and intimate relationship with the conception of a universal being, which may include Christian concepts of God, Jesus, the Virgin Mary, the Virgin of Guadalupe and/or various saints.