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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.

Catholic belief in Jamaica is influenced by a set of Afro-Jamaican cultural beliefs about witchcraft, evil spirits and possession called "Obeah." Jamaicans often ask Catholic clergy for rosaries and holy water, for anointing with oil, or for a home visit with incense to dispel an Obeah curse.

"Where for the Americans singing a hymn is an act of praise, for the Jamaicans the song and all the dancing and rhythm that accompany it are a religious experience in themselves."

The legacy of migration to Jamaica is evident in the faces and surnames of Jamaican Catholics. But today, almost all young people interviewed considered outward migration to the U.S., Canada or Great Britain a distinct possibility or even a likely occurrence.

Family is important as an ideal in Jamaica, but the marriage rate—especially among the poor—has long been a matter of social concern. In recent years, almost 85% of births in Jamaica are to single mothers.