太湖平原的網船人，因政治、經濟和道德觀念上的弱勢地位，在傳統社會中被視為邊緣人群。水面生涯作為一種世代相傳的生活方式和生計手段具有強大的慣性，共同的水上生活經歷賦予了這一群體普遍的自我認同。由於遭到陸地社會主流信仰體系的排斥，十七世紀以來，網船人普遍在天主教與「紅三教」之間進行宗教選擇。儘管兩教來源不同、信仰內涵各異，但在網船人中，兩者的信仰底色仍有重合。作為一種外來信仰資源，天主教對該群體中相對弱勢的個體更具吸引力，它所提供的公共治理模式，能夠更深入、有效地整合鬆散的水上人群。基於聖統制的教會框架參與了網船群體社會網絡的構建，促成了小群體之間社會關係的再生產。基於該制度框架締結的社會－儀式聯盟，相比其他民間信仰，包納了網船人經濟生產與日常生活的更多方面，是頗具強制力和規範性的統合力量。

The Wangchuan people in the Lake Tai basin were regarded as a marginal group, marked by discrimination in the areas of politics, economics and morality. Their boat-based livelihood provides members of this group with a sense of identity. Due to its strong inertia, this kind of livelihood was transmitted down from generation to generation. Being excluded from the mainstream belief system of the land group, the Wangchuan people generally believe in the ＂Hongsan sect＂ or Catholicism. Catholicism, introduced in the 17^(th) century, served as an alternative for their religious life, and seemed to be more attractive to those who were relatively disadvantaged in this group. Although two beliefs within the Wangchuan people have gone their separate ways for hundreds of years, doctrines do overlap and are interwoven on both sides. Nevertheless, the public governance model provided by institutional Catholicism stimulated the integration of the loosely united Wangchuan people into a stable community. But on the other hand, the church hierarchy was involved in the reconstruction of the Wangchuan people's social network, especially promoting the reproduction of internal relationships between their minimum units. The social-rite alliance of the Church, which is more strongly shaped than that of folk religions, emphasizes aspects of both economics and quotidian life, thus serving as an obligatory and regulating force for the Wangchuan people.