Episcopal Region X Team Begins V Encuentro Process with Hope

On June 13-14, 2015 Episcopal Region X (Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas) held their regional training in preparation for the V Encuentro Nacional Hispano/Latino de Pastoral at the Mexican American Catholic College (MACC) in San Antonio, TX. The training, which gathered 14 leaders representing various dioceses and apostolic movements in Texas and Arkansas, began on Saturday, June 13th with Julio Beltran, Region X Chair facilitating a general orientation on the Encuentro process. The orientation focused on remembering the history of Hispanic Ministry and the process toward the V National Encuentro of Hispanic Ministry. The orientation was followed by small group discussions. Participants included lay leaders, deacons, priests, catholic school leaders and diocesan directors. A consistent theme from the small group discussions was an expressed sense of hope towards the Encuentro process and the role team members would play to help raise the Hispanic/Latino voice within the Church. "This is the moment for parishes and dioceses to start opening doors and welcoming all in the Church", said Carmen Villalón in reference to Hispanic/Latinos becoming the majority in the United States and within the Catholic Church. Villalón is a lay leader within the Movimiento Familiar Cristiano in the Diocese of Austin and believes that the Encuentro process can serve as a means to develop pastoral responses to the growing needs of Hispanic/Latinos in the Church. The needs within the Hispanic/Latino community in the Church are great, so team members reflected on our responsibility to help shape the future of our Church. "Our brothers and sisters from the Euro-American culture are asking themselves how can they respond to the changing demographics in the Church and are asking us, how can we serve US born Latinos? How can I collaborate with Spanish-speaking Catechists?" said Roberto Navarro, Director Regional de Catholic Relief Services and ENHAVE team member. "It's our responsibility to get out of our comfort zone and start developing new models for serving all in the Church." Following group discussions, Fr. Héctor Madrigal gave a presentation about the Encuentro as a pastoral model for evangelization today. "The Encuentro process is a about having a passion for Jesus and for his people," he said. "It's about proclaiming the Good News through our actions and serving all in the Church." Fr. Héctor Madrigal was appointed by V Encuentro Lead Bishop Joe S. Vásquez of the Diocese of Austin to help accompany Region X through Encuentro process. During the training, Fr. Hector commended chair, Julio Beltran for helping organize a diverse regional team because there are various age groups and backgrounds represented including Mexican-American, Brazilian, Mexican immigrants, and Salvadorans. These various perspectives will enrich the process and will help to be inclusive of the various Hispanic/Latino experiences. To help the Region X team continue learning about the Encuentro process, Alejandro Siller of Federación de Institutos Pastorales also gave a talk on the theological principles sustaining the V Encuentro. "I didn't fully understand the urgency to conduct the Encuentro, but now I understand and we have to be passionate about our regional work and pray for the Holy Spirit's guidance our journey," said Romeo Rodriguez from the Diocese of Laredo. The training concluded on Sunday, June 14th. The day started with Mass celebrated by Fr. Héctor Madrigal and was followed with a strategy session to begin forming the regional team structure. At this time, team members reflected on their gifts and team roles were assigned. In addition, next steps were identified, which included strategizing how to include leaders who were not in attendance at the training and scheduling a follow-up conference call. The follow-up conference call was hosted on Monday, July 6th. Bishop Joe Vásquez joined the call to thank team leaders for their participation on the team and expressed his own hopes for the regions advancement of the Encuentro process. The team will host its training for diocesan leaders on November 14th and 15th at MACC.   2015 © Carla Aguilar Ortiz/ENAVE.  All Rights Reserved. Photos by Carla Aguilar Ortiz.