V Encuentro Resources
The encuentro process has been an effective means to generate the vision and mission for Hispanic/Latino ministry by living out a model of Church that is more missionary and evangelizing, a model that strengthens the sense of community.
U.S. Bishops
National Pastoral Plan for Hispanic/Latino Ministry
Through the pages of these Proceedings and Conclusions, you are invited to enter into the experience of the Five Moments of the V Encuentro National Event that brought the consultation process to a conclusion: Taking the First Step, Getting Involved, Accompanying, Bearing Fruit, and Rejoicing. These are the steps that our Holy Father Pope Francis has identified to help every one of us to embrace and experience what it means to be a Church that goes forth in joy to evangelize the spiritual and existential peripheries of the world.What you will find in these pages is a summary of the needs and situations, challenges and opportunities, hopes and dreams, gifts and talents, insights, recommendations, strategies, and successful practices for the pastoral care and accompaniment of the Hispanic / Latino people of the United States in our day.
Prayer for the Fifth National Encuentro of Hispanic/Latino Ministry
God of infinite Mercy,
you sent your Risen Son
to encounter the disciples on the way to Emmaus.
Grant us today a missionary spirit
and send us forth to encounter
our sisters and brothers:
to walk with them in friendship,
to listen to their hopes and dreams
with compassion,
and to proclaim your Word with courage,
so that they might come to know you once again
in the breaking of the Bread.
Make us all missionary disciples, and stay with us always,
as we seek to share the joy of the Gospel
with people of all generations,
from every race, language, culture, and nation.
We ask you this with burning hearts,
filled with the Holy Spirit,
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and through the loving intercession of
our Blessed Mother Mary, Our Lady of Guadalupe,
Star of the New Evangelization in the Americas.
Amen.
Spirituality
The process of a V Encuentro is enlivened by the spirituality of missionary disciples who know how to joyfully reach out to others and to accompany them in their daily life and faith.
Jesus calls us to be good Samaritans who recognize the urgent call to respond to human suffering with compassion and generosity. He also teaches us how to reach out to those who live with the fear of feeling lost, hopeless, and confused on the way to Emmaus so they can recover the presence of the Risen Christ in their lives and His mission of making the Kingdom of God present among us.
Approaching people to listen to them, to capture their emotions, and to be aware of what compels and worries them. It means letting us be moved by the tenderness that invites sympathy.
Encuentro means:
Going out to visit people in their everyday lives. It means observing with the eyes of a disciple and raising awareness about the reality of where people live, especially those who suffer most and who need to hear the Good News of Jesus. It means letting ourselves wake up to this reality.
Communicating the gesture that helps others escape despair and being ready to evoke hope and joy. It means sharing the Word of God and the wisdom of the Holy Spirit in the Church to be able to understand, see, and feel our reality from the perspective of faith in the Resurrected Christ and in the promises of His reign of justice, love, and truth.
Asking people about their lives, worries, hopes, ideas, needs, and dreams. It also means inviting them to share their own experience, their feelings, and their ideas. It means listening genuinely, creating a space of trust and of safety that allows for the healing power of feeling listened to.
Accepting the invitation to stay with them: Going to their houses, eating with them, continuing the conversation that began on the way, and experiencing a more intimate encounter and forming a friendship.
Receiving gratefully the trust and care of those who, even without knowing us, invite us by saying Stay with us.
Trusting in the faith of each person and motivating them to be missionary disciples full of the gifts of the Holy Spirit in their homes, communities, parishes, church groups, and dioceses. It means knowing that their everyday lives can transform their social environments.
Breaking bread with profound gratefulness to God, for whom we live. It means looking for the closeness of the love of God and opening our eyes, our minds, and our hearts to His presence among us, both in our everyday lives and in the Eucharist. It is a different way of thinking, feeling, and acting, personally and pastorally.
Deciding to get up and go out joyfully to encounter others. It means returning to the city and to the fields; it is witnessing the Passion of Jesus in the wounded and in the mistreated who, like the wounded person on the way, need a Good Samaritan. They need someone to find them, heal their wounds, and take care of them free of judgment, simply because they are a person in need.
Recognizing that our hearts burn with love and hope when we hear and share the Word of God with each other, especially with those who are more in need both of hearing it and of being listened to.
Sharing our experience of encountering the Resurrected Christ with our community and challenging ourselves to continue the mission of living and building up the community and una ciudad que no se acaba, sin penas ni tristezas, ciudad de eternidad.
Illustrations by Carmen Soto © USCCB. All Rights Reserved.
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