Provincial Encuentro for Province of New Orleans- Region V

Leaders of Hispanic ministry of the dioceses of the State of Louisiana—comprising the ecclesiastical province of New Orleans (Shreveport, Lake Charles, Alexandria, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Houma-Thibodaux and the Archdiocese of New Orleans itself) gathered on May 16 in the offices of Hispanic Ministry of New Orleans as part of a regional process convoked by the Regional Office of the South East for Hispanic Ministry and the Pastoral Institute (SEPI). The energy of Hispanics within the Catholic Church in the United States was felt in their encounter where the Hispanic ministry leaders, families and youth renewed their commitment in the building of the Reign, and in a particular way in Family Ministry.

Rev Rafael Capó, director of SEPI initiated the working day briefly remembering the histórica of Hispanic ministry and the way to travel toward the V National Encuentro of Hispanic Ministry. The leaders present there could express their aspirations, wishes and commitments in this journey. Following that, Laura and Javier Franco, a married couple of the SEPI team presented the results of the Survey of Hispanic Family Ministry carried out by SEPI in the South East región during the recent months of March and April. The results of the survey shed light on the pastoral realities of Hispanics in the region, underscoring the challenges for family ministry and all the main challenges for families. Among the main challenges for families in the Province of New Orleans, the following were indicated: faith crisis, living together before marriage, keeping Hispanic traditions alive, communication among family members, language in the upbringing of children, and lack of time. With these important data, participants went on to table work to develop proposals as a response to such challenges. In the afternoon, Laura and Fernando Gómez, coordinating couple for the Movement Camino del Matrimonio of the Archdiocese of Miami and the parents of three children, presented the topic of communication, accompanied by their testimonies of 25 years of marriage and three children committed to the service of the church, one of them a seminarian at present. They underscored many of the realities and challenges that a family can face and how to resolve such challenges from a communication from the heart. "Lack of communication is the challenge that prevents us from dealing with other challenges," expressed one of the delegates of the Diocese of Baton Rouge. Delegates presented a conclusive work at the end of the day. This encounter is only the first of 5 Provincial Encounters to be developed in the next few months in the South East Region, as part of the Regional Process of Family Ministry that SEPI has been carrying out in preparation for the World Meeting of Families in September of 2015 and toward the V National Encuentro of Hispanic Ministry in 2018. "This is a great opportunity for us to work as Church and as Hispanic Church. You and I must work together to seek out the alienated and wounded. Thanks for being here, thanks for your leadership and your commitment," emphasized Bishop Gregory Aymond, Metropolitan Bishop of the Province of New Orleans. 2015 © Javier Franco.  All Rights Reserved.