Even if he chooses to go, his heart will not be in it, and he will not take part in many of the ceremonies, such as Communion. Thus, he will be an outcast and different, someone who does not fit into the culture and society, and those around him will never allow him to forget it. Some may make him feel guilty, and others may just ignore him, but he will never be free of the stigma of someone who no longer believes in God.
In addition, the Church is an important, even vital aspect of the Hispanic community. Church services are only a part of the ways the people interact with the Church. There are Catholic schools, charities and societies, and many families work as laypeople in the Church. It is present in many aspects of daily life, so Richard will never be able to leave it completely behind him. It will have a hold on him no matter what he does, and he cannot escape it unless he escapes the community and his family, too.
Family, guilt, society, and culture will all conspire to create a feeling of not fitting in and conforming to what is normal in Hispanic society. He will be on the outside looking in, and those who love him will never let him forget it. He cannot escape, because the Church's trappings and insinuations of guilt and sin will always eat away at him as well. He will always suspect that because he is a non-believer, he is the cause of his family's pain, suffering, and loss, and this will eat away at him as well. The Church is such an important part of Hispanic life that it is difficult for anyone to escape its grasp, or truly be free from the Church.
References
Villarreal, Jose Antonio. Pocho: A Novel about a Young Mexican-American Coming of Age in California. Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, 1959.
