Why Latino Catholics Are Among Most Vaccinated Faithful

Throughout the different stages of the pandemic, Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in Mecca -- a largely Latino migrant town in Southern California's Coachella Valley -- distributed face masks and food, hosted COVID-19 tests and advocated for the vaccine as soon as it became available. The Rev. Francisco Valdovinos, who pastored the church, died of COVID-19 in January. His legacy has helped ignite a consciousness around public health and COVID-19 prevention among farmworkers and others. He mobilized the church as a central service site for pandemic assistance and many remember him as giving "his life for his people."