V Encuentro

Delegates of diocesan Hispanic Ministry will carry their five pastoral priorities for serving the needs of the ever-growing Hispanic and Latino populations as previously proposed to the national gathering of V Encuentro from Thursday, Sept. 20 to Sunday, Sept. 23 in Grapevine, Texas. By attending the convention, these local Catholics will continue their participation in a major four-year process by the U.S. Catholic Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) to develop a national plan for Hispanic Ministry.

Early last year, diocesan Hispanic Ministry trained facilitators how to lead the V Encuentro process in small groups at their respective participating parishes. Hispanic ministries in these parishes held gatherings late last year to brainstorm possible pastoral priorities for their own faith communities. On April 7, delegates from participating parishes came together for a historic diocesan-wide V Encuentro gathering at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson, where they proposed five pastoral priorities for Hispanic ministry in the Church of Paterson. Their priorities focused on the areas of social assistance, faith formation, marriage and family life, youth and young adults and the Office of Hispanic Ministry, said Ivannia Vega-McTighe, diocesan coordinator of catechesis, member of diocesan Hispanic Ministry and coordinator of the all-day event.

On April 28, delegates from the Diocese attended the Region 3 gathering of representatives from around New Jersey and Pennsylvania at the Co-Cathedral of St. Robert Bellarmine in Freehold in the Trenton Diocese. There, delegates chose six pastoral priorities — five similar to those suggested by the Diocese and another that focused on outreach to women — which they will carry with them to the national gathering in Texas. Nationally, the V Encuentro process will conclude in 2020, when the USCCB reflects on and evaluates all the suggestions and then selects some of them and compiles them in resource materials for dioceses, parishes and other Catholic organizations, Vega-McTighe said.

“At the regional gathering, our delegates from the Diocese felt more united to the larger Church — to their brothers and sisters. They came back excited about the results,” said Vega-McTighe, who thanked the delegates for “making great sacrifices of time to represent the Diocese” at the regional and national gatherings of V Encuentro.

At the regional gathering, delegates from the Diocese divided into small groups with other delegates to develop the following six priorities:

• Social assistance: presenting workshops about issues of immigration, domestic violence and civil cases.

• Faith formation: providing ongoing spiritual, catechetical and doctrinal formation, worship; courses, Bible studies and conferences.

• Marriage and family life: helping to strengthen them by providing workshops that promote better communication between parents and children.

• Youth and young adults: implementing workshops, retreats, prayer groups and recreational activities.

• Office of Hispanic Ministry: providing full-time personnel to offer better assistance to the parishes of the Diocese.

• Women: supporting them and assisting them with leadership and help them serve the Church.

One diocesan delegate, Milagros Anto of St. Mary’s Parish, Pompton Lakes, called the regional gathering “a wonderful and unforgettable experience.”

“It was a time to speak and a time to find better ways to strengthen our Christian identity and our response as missionary disciples and a time to better recognize, embrace and promote the many gifts and talents that the Hispanic community shares in the life and mission of the Church in the U.S.,” said Anto, also delegate for the diocesan and national gatherings. “V Encuentro provided me a lot of strategies to empower a growing Spanish-speaking part of my parish. On the other hand, it motived me to listen with profound attention to the needs, challenges and aspirations that the growing Hispanic and Latino population of my parish faces in daily life,” she said.

On April 7, 400 delegates of Hispanic Ministries from 30 parishes — clergy, religious and laity — came together in prayer and reflection to choose the five priorities in the Bishop Rodimer Center at St. John the Baptist Cathedral, home to a large Hispanic community. The day featured an appearance by Bishop Serratelli, who delivered a brief reflection, and inspiring addresses by Father Yojaneider Garcia Ramirez, parochial vicar of St. Peter the Apostle in Parsippany, and chaplain of its Hispanic Ministry, and Msgr. Geno Sylva, diocesan vicar for special projects and the cathedral. Father Ramirez led a panel discussion with the five lay people, who spoke about how the V Encuentro process has strengthened their parishes. Also, delegates from participating parishes voted to whittle an original list of 32 possible pastoral priorities down to five, Vega-McTighe said.

This year, the USCCB is in the midst of the second year of the four-year V Encuentro — the fifth such national process to determine and prioritize pastoral needs of the Hispanic and Latino ministry on a national level since 1972. Starting at “the grass-roots level,” it encourages “ecclesial reflection and action” to inspire Catholics in the U.S. to initiate “intense missionary activity, consolation, leadership development and identification of best ministerial practices in the spirit of the New Evangelization,” according to materials by the USCCB.

Another diocesan delegate, Gisella Alvarez of Holy Trinity Parish, Passaic, called the regional meeting an “opportunity to meet with some of the most amazing leaders in the dioceses and Archdioceses in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.” There, her group analyzed the influence of Latino women in the Church and the society.

“We talked about the importance of empowering women and helping them at different levels, such as psychological, professional and academic and religious and spiritual,” Alvarez said. “I feel now eager to continuing to spread the Word of God as a missionary disciple.”

Also eager, Father Brando Ibarra, pastor of St. Mary Parish, Paterson, said that he looks forward to attending the national gathering. He participated in the diocesan gathering but was unable to attend the regional event. He expressed joy that 60,000 people, notable Church officials and about 60 Latin bishops will participate at the national gathering.

“This will be a significant moment in the history of the Catholic Church,” Father Ibarra said. “The Church has always been an immigrant church and today Latinos are dominant. I see a movement in the Church that is looking forward. We need to do as Pope Francis says — go out and meet people, who are not going to church, and bring the ‘Good News’ of the Gospel to people around us,” he said.
 

PATERSON  By MICHAEL WOJCIK

News Editor



PATERSON Delegates of diocesan Hispanic Ministry will carry their five pastoral priorities for serving the needs of the ever-growing Hispanic and Latino populations as previously proposed to the national gathering of V Encuentro from Thursday, Sept. 20 to Sunday, Sept. 23 in Grapevine, Texas. By attending the convention, these local Catholics will continue their participation in a major four-year process by the U.S. Catholic Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) to develop a national plan for Hispanic Ministry.

Early last year, diocesan Hispanic Ministry trained facilitators how to lead the V Encuentro process in small groups at their respective participating parishes. Hispanic ministries in these parishes held gatherings late last year to brainstorm possible pastoral priorities for their own faith communities. On April 7, delegates from participating parishes came together for a historic diocesan-wide V Encuentro gathering at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson, where they proposed five pastoral priorities for Hispanic ministry in the Church of Paterson. Their priorities focused on the areas of social assistance, faith formation, marriage and family life, youth and young adults and the Office of Hispanic Ministry, said Ivannia Vega-McTighe, diocesan coordinator of catechesis, member of diocesan Hispanic Ministry and coordinator of the all-day event.

On April 28, delegates from the Diocese attended the Region 3 gathering of representatives from around New Jersey and Pennsylvania at the Co-Cathedral of St. Robert Bellarmine in Freehold in the Trenton Diocese. There, delegates chose six pastoral priorities — five similar to those suggested by the Diocese and another that focused on outreach to women — which they will carry with them to the national gathering in Texas. Nationally, the V Encuentro process will conclude in 2020, when the USCCB reflects on and evaluates all the suggestions and then selects some of them and compiles them in resource materials for dioceses, parishes and other Catholic organizations, Vega-McTighe said.

“At the regional gathering, our delegates from the Diocese felt more united to the larger Church — to their brothers and sisters. They came back excited about the results,” said Vega-McTighe, who thanked the delegates for “making great sacrifices of time to represent the Diocese” at the regional and national gatherings of V Encuentro.

At the regional gathering, delegates from the Diocese divided into small groups with other delegates to develop the following six priorities:

• Social assistance: presenting workshops about issues of immigration, domestic violence and civil cases.

• Faith formation: providing ongoing spiritual, catechetical and doctrinal formation, worship; courses, Bible studies and conferences.

• Marriage and family life: helping to strengthen them by providing workshops that promote better communication between parents and children.

• Youth and young adults: implementing workshops, retreats, prayer groups and recreational activities.

• Office of Hispanic Ministry: providing full-time personnel to offer better assistance to the parishes of the Diocese.

• Women: supporting them and assisting them with leadership and help them serve the Church.

One diocesan delegate, Milagros Anto of St. Mary’s Parish, Pompton Lakes, called the regional gathering “a wonderful and unforgettable experience.”

“It was a time to speak and a time to find better ways to strengthen our Christian identity and our response as missionary disciples and a time to better recognize, embrace and promote the many gifts and talents that the Hispanic community shares in the life and mission of the Church in the U.S.,” said Anto, also delegate for the diocesan and national gatherings. “V Encuentro provided me a lot of strategies to empower a growing Spanish-speaking part of my parish. On the other hand, it motived me to listen with profound attention to the needs, challenges and aspirations that the growing Hispanic and Latino population of my parish faces in daily life,” she said.

On April 7, 400 delegates of Hispanic Ministries from 30 parishes — clergy, religious and laity — came together in prayer and reflection to choose the five priorities in the Bishop Rodimer Center at St. John the Baptist Cathedral, home to a large Hispanic community. The day featured an appearance by Bishop Serratelli, who delivered a brief reflection, and inspiring addresses by Father Yojaneider Garcia Ramirez, parochial vicar of St. Peter the Apostle in Parsippany, and chaplain of its Hispanic Ministry, and Msgr. Geno Sylva, diocesan vicar for special projects and the cathedral. Father Ramirez led a panel discussion with the five lay people, who spoke about how the V Encuentro process has strengthened their parishes. Also, delegates from participating parishes voted to whittle an original list of 32 possible pastoral priorities down to five, Vega-McTighe said.

This year, the USCCB is in the midst of the second year of the four-year V Encuentro — the fifth such national process to determine and prioritize pastoral needs of the Hispanic and Latino ministry on a national level since 1972. Starting at “the grass-roots level,” it encourages “ecclesial reflection and action” to inspire Catholics in the U.S. to initiate “intense missionary activity, consolation, leadership development and identification of best ministerial practices in the spirit of the New Evangelization,” according to materials by the USCCB.

Another diocesan delegate, Gisella Alvarez of Holy Trinity Parish, Passaic, called the regional meeting an “opportunity to meet with some of the most amazing leaders in the dioceses and Archdioceses in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.” There, her group analyzed the influence of Latino women in the Church and the society.

“We talked about the importance of empowering women and helping them at different levels, such as psychological, professional and academic and religious and spiritual,” Alvarez said. “I feel now eager to continuing to spread the Word of God as a missionary disciple.”

Also eager, Father Brando Ibarra, pastor of St. Mary Parish, Paterson, said that he looks forward to attending the national gathering. He participated in the diocesan gathering but was unable to attend the regional event. He expressed joy that 60,000 people, notable Church officials and about 60 Latin bishops will participate at the national gathering.

“This will be a significant moment in the history of the Catholic Church,” Father Ibarra said. “The Church has always been an immigrant church and today Latinos are dominant. I see a movement in the Church that is looking forward. We need to do as Pope Francis says — go out and meet people, who are not going to church, and bring the ‘Good News’ of the Gospel to people around us,” he said.