We’ve been following the various tea-leaves readers who are trying to make sense of Judge Sonia Sotomayor’s Catholicism, and whether it matters. Her nomination to the Supreme Court has attracted more attention than usual, in part, because she would be the sixth (of nine) Catholic member of the high court.

Laurie Goodstein up at the New York Times talked with Sotomayor’s friends and associates, who all said she’s never made a big deal about her faith one way or the other.

From Laurie’s story:

A White House spokesman, speaking on background, put it this way: “She currently does not belong to a particular parish or church, but she attends church with family and friends for important occasions.”

Many of Judge Sotomayor’s friends and colleagues also said they believed that her expressed commitment to social justice and community service is a reflection of her Catholic upbringing.