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¡Viva Cristo Rey! ¡Sí se puede! These chants were echoed by the 22 representatives from the Archdiocese of San Antonio who joined over 2,000 young adult delegates, bishops, priests, diocesan coordinators and other parish ministry leaders from across the country at the first National Encuentro for Hispanic Youth and Young Adult Ministry, held at the University of the Notre Dame June 8-11.
The event, convened by the National Catholic Network de Pastoral Juvenil Hispana (La Red) and in collaboration with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Hispanic Affairs, the USCCB Sub-committee on Youth and Young Adults and the University of Notre Dame, gave Hispanic young adults an opportunity to be a voice in the Catholic church and to provide information to the bishops on the needs of ministering to Hispanic youth and young adults.
At this gathering young adults learned how to become leaders in their own parishes while being the voice for those unable to attend. |
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“The overall experience was amazing. It was inspiring to see so many young adults with a passion to serve their church and to represent their culture,” said Jenna Chavez, one of the San Antonio delegates.
San Antonio was well represented. Along with the delegates, which included four young adult ministers, many other familiar faces from home attended the Encuentro including Archbishop José H. Gomez. Archbishop Gomez, who serves as the episcopal moderator for La Red, provided a keynote address and presided at the closing Mass on Sunday.
“I welcome you to this important Encuentro. In this encounter, we come to consider the meaning of our lives and our purpose in the church. This Encuentro is also a sign that we are at a new stage in our journey as a people and as a church,” he said during his keynote address to the delegation.
He continued, “And we are called, you and I, to be the evangelists of the next generation; that’s the reason we’re here — to talk about the future, to talk about your place in the church and in this country of ours. The theme of our encounter this weekend is, Tejiendo el Futuro Juntos — Weaving the Future Together.”
Archbishop Gomez also talked about the importance of serving the church. “You must train yourselves for leadership, for service, my friend. Gain the knowledge and the skills you need to serve our people. You need to be apostles to your peers. Don’t preach to them, lead by your example.”
Other hometown faces included Father Virgil Elizondo and Sister María Elena Gonzalez, RSM, from the Mexican American Cultural Center. Through personal testimony, Father Virgil talked to the delegates about the importance of higher education and family, and Sister María Elena reminded delegates to work hard and any goal can be achieved and any obstacle overcome.
“San Antonio was so well represented not only by our delegates, but also by our pioneering spirit of Hispanic ministry. Leaders such as Father Virgil, Sister María Elena and of course Archbishop Gomez gave us plenty to cheer about, and we as the Hispanic young adult community need to capitalize on all that we have here in this great city,” said delegate Rebecca Viagran.
Whether as a delegate participating in the information gathering process, or an observer to the gathering, each individual was personally affected by the Encuentro in a special way.
“I must say what an honor it was to participate as an observer at the National Encuentro. It was beautiful to see that the Spirit is truly alive and guiding the youth of the church and inspiring to see so many bishops and priests engaged with and listening to the voices of young people. We owe a great deal of thanks to our own Archbishop Gomez for making the Encuentro process possible and for making it a priority for the Archdiocese of San Antonio,” said Mimi Beck, one of the adult ministers who accompanied the delegates.
Another very inspiring keynote speaker was Cardinal Oscar Andrés Rodríguez Maradiaga, SDB, of Tegucigalpa, Honduras. He reminded the delegates of the richness and importance the Hispanic culture has played in the building of our country and our Catholic faith. He encouraged all of the young adults to go out and evangelize as St. Peter the Apostle did.
This event is being hailed as an historic event to help the Catholic Church better understand the gifts that Hispanic youth and young adults bring and to affirm the different and unique cultures that make up the universal Catholic Church.
Katherine Lopez, a member of St. Leonard Church, attended the Encuentro as a young adult delegate from the archdiocese. She serves on the archdiocesan Young Adult Ministry Advisory Council. |