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A majority of Indian Latin rite Catholics are of Dalit class origin, the class once considered “untouchable." Higher-caste Syrian Christians in Kerala tend to be better off than other Keralites in terms of education, land ownership, employment among men, employment status, and housing quality.

Homes may feature religious pictures, small or larger brass oil lamps with a cross on top (a variation on the brass oil lamps ubiquitous in Hindu homes) and dedicated shrines with a whole array of images on a tabletop or wall.

Catholicism in India is characterized by intense devotional practice that draws from Hindu, Syrian, colonial Portuguese and contemporary Catholic practices. The connections between Indian Catholicism and the rest of Indian culture are often on public display.

Christian concepts and references are woven throughout the fabric of Jamaican life. Ordinary people and political leaders regularly cite biblical and other Christian aphorisms regularly. Business gatherings and meetings for national associations often start with prayer. Jamaicans often struggle over apparent cultural contradictions and self-perceived moral shortcomings that seem to undermine their overt claims to Christian commitment, but despite any contradictions, Christianity is a major cultural frame for Jamaican life. Jamaicans often claim that the country’s cities and towns have more

The religious culture of Jamaica has been shaped over time by a variety of Protestant churches, all of which have been far more focused on word than image. Jamaican Catholics often say that other Jamaicans often ask why they worship “idols.”

Traditional Catholic saints have a limited role in the lives of Jamaican Catholics. They were cited neither as intercessors nor as models; Jesus is the way.

The organization of lay Catholic life in Jamaica is primarily parish centered. There are no significant lay Catholic organizations with national membership.

As Pentecostalism spreads, Catholics on the island infuse more of their worship with spirit-filled styles. Meanwhile, a small but committed New Life Community also helps the spread of charismatic worship.

Almost all Catholic liturgies here adopt elements of Pentecostal worship, along a style spectrum that ranges from a gentler Caribbean lilt to preaching in a more full-blown Jamaican Pentecostalist style, including call and response.

Jamaican Catholicism is practiced at church and at home. While there are well tended shrines to Mary and the occasional saint at many parishes, none show signs of regular visitors, even on Sundays. Pilgrimage is not a common practice.