The Pew study found that although they may embrace renewalist practices such as speaking in tongues, charismatic Latino Catholics are more likely than their non-charismatic counterparts to pray to Mary, pray the rosary, go to confession, and believe in the literal presence of Christ’s body and blood in communion.

But some Latino renewalists do choose to leave the Catholic Church, much like Maria Hernandez did. The Pew report said that more than 80 percent of all Hispanic Christian converts cited a "desire for a more direct, personal experience with God" as a reason for their conversion. Few Hispanics -- only 7 percent -- said they left Catholicism because they were dissatisfied with the church's position on certain issues, the report said.

Among Latino Protestants, 57 percent identify themselves in renewalist terms: 31 percent are Pentecostals and 26 percent are charismatics. The contrast to the non-Hispanic population is marked: less than one in five non-Hispanic Protestants describe themselves as Pentecostal or charismatic.

The Pew Forum found that Latinos who are Pentecostal Protestants, more than any other Latino group, say they share their faith with others at least weekly (70 percent), and even more (80 percent), say they read the Bible at least once a week.

The degree of renewalism among Latino Protestants varies somewhat by country of origin. More than 65 percent of Puerto Rican Protestants identify themselves in renewalist terms, compared with 53 percent of Mexicans. Similarly, Hispanics with less than a high school education are somewhat more likely to be Pentecostal than those with higher levels of education.

Another major finding in the Pew report is that Latino believers in the United States prefer worshiping with fellow Latino believers. Among Hispanic Catholics, 70 percent worship in ethnically and linguistically Hispanic churches. For evangelical Christians, the figure is 62 percent, for mainline Protestants, 48 percent. In the report, an "ethnic church" means one with at least some Hispanic clergy, worship services in Spanish, and a majority of Hispanic congregants.

According to Kathleen Garces-Foley, professor of Religious Studies at Marymount University, this perceived “self segregation” can be attributed to the slow speed of many Protestant churches to translate materials into Spanish, welcome Latinos as members, and take stands on political issues affecting Latinos, such as the anti-immigration legislation Proposition 187.

Garces-Foley, who has studied multiethnic evangelicals in Los Angeles, notes that the real dynamic is the dividing line between generations. Latino churches have long struggled with how to accommodate the needs of the Spanish-speaking immigrants and their children who prefer English. “While much energy has gone into dealing with the language division in churches,” says Garces-Foley, “the real issue is the cultural gap between the immigrants and the American-born.

“Old-timers worry that the young are losing the language and traditions and becoming too Americanized,” Garces Foley continues. “The second generation is much more likely to look upon their bicultural identity as a blessing rather than a limitation."

One generation X pastor who spoke to Garces-Foley explained, "For too long we have seen ourselves as caught between being American and Latino but instead we should see ourselves as a bridge, we are bicultural/bilingual and that is a gift."