Connections

“Weaving the Future Together”
June 8-11, 2006
University of Notre Dame—South Bend, Indiana

Put out into the deep water and lower your nets for a catch . . . Don’t be afraid; from now on you will be catching men Luke 5:4,10

Adolescents and young adults today are growing up in a culturally diverse society. The perceived image of the United States has shifted from a melting pot to a multihued tapestry . . . Youth and young adult ministry in this context need to focus on a specialized ministry to youth and young adults of particular racial and ethnic cultures and, at the same time, promote mutual awareness and unity among all young people. (RTV, 22)

Ministry in the twenty-first century requires the commitment to welcome and foster the cultural identity of the many faces in the Church while building a profoundly Catholic identity that strengthens the unity of the one Body of Christ. (Encuentro and Mission: A Renewed Pastoral Framework for Hispanic Ministry, #36)

The first National Encuentro is a process designed to bring Hispanic Catholic young people to a more active, enthusiastic, and influential participation in the life and mission of the church in the United States. The Encuentro, scheduled for June 8-11, 2006, will be held at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, and was approved by the Bishops’ Committee on Hispanic Affairs at their November 2004 meeting.

Purpose

It is being convened by the National Catholic Network de Pastoral Juvenil Hispana, in collaboration with the national leadership in Hispanic, youth, and young adult ministry under the central theme, Weaving the Future Together. This National Encuentro is a first and necessary step in helping the church as a whole understand, embrace, and affirm the unique cultural identity, reality, and gifts of Hispanic youth and young adults. At the same time, the Encuentro will identify and/or develop best practices, and the principles and components that constitute a ministry rooted in the reality of Hispanic young people in the United States.

Cosponsors and Collaborators

The National Encuentro is co-sponsored by the Bishops Committee on Hispanic Affairs of USCCB, the Bishops' Subcommittee for Youth and Young Adult,s and the University of Notre Dame. Other collaborators include: The Asociación Nacionial de Sacerdotes Hispanos (ANSH); Catholic Leadership Institute (CLI); Center for Ministry Development (CMD); Federación Nacional de Institutos Pastorales (FIP); Instituto Fe y Vida (Fe y Vida); Instituto Nacioinal de Liturgia Hispana, Mexican American Cultural Center (MACC); National Catholic Association of Diocesan Directors of Hispanic Ministry (NCADDHM); National Catholic Council for Hispanic Ministry (NCCHM); National Catholic Young Adult Ministry Association (NCYAMA); National Conference of Catechetical Leaders (NCCL); National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry (NFCYM); National Organization of Catechesis with Hispanics; Oregon Catholic Press (OCP); Regional Coordinators for Hispanic Ministry, Renew International; South East Pastoral Institute (SEPI); Association for National Hispanic Priests (ANHS); and the Catholic Migrant Farmworkers Network.

Process

The process leading to the National Encuentro begins at the parish level, which includes five two-hour interactive sessions for reflection and consultation for youth and young adult groups and communities, apostolic movements and campus ministry groups. Participants of these groups and communities also carry out one missionary action. From the parish level delegates are then elected to participate in the diocesan/regional and national Encuentros. Delegate numbers for each diocese will be available by the end of April and posted on La Red’s website, as well as USCCB’s Hispanic Affairs website.

The sessions are designed as a pastoral dialogue, co-facilitated by leaders in Pastoral Juvenil and youth and young adult ministry, both professional and volunteers. The sessions follow the themes of encuentro, conversion, communion, solidarity, and mission. They can take place during five consecutive weeknights or during a weekend.

Along with an evangelizing and a catechetical dimension, the sessions have questions that give participants the opportunity to share their experiences, perspectives and recommendations regarding their participation in the life and mission of the church. Generating this data and reflecting upon it at the diocesan, regional and national encuentros is an essential aspect of the Encuentro process.

• The timeline for the processes is as follows:
• Parish Encuentro: Spring-Summer 2005
• Diocesan Encuentro: Summer-Fall 2005
• Regional Encuentro: Spring 2006
• National Encuentro: June 8-11, 2006

Ministry with, to and from Hispanic young people in the United States is referred to as Pastoral Juvenil in the Hispanic ministry network. It includes young people from the three major age groups: 14-17; 18-24; and 24-30. The process of Encuentro is intended to engage Hispanic young people from these three age groups at the parish and diocesan level. The National Encuentro is for Hispanic young people 18 years and older and will take into account the diversity of the life experience within Hispanic youth and young adults:

• Foreign-born and U.S.-born Hispanics with roots in the various Latin American countries and Spain, including Latin American Indians.
• Migrant workers, urban and suburban residents, high school and college students, professionals, and military personnel.
• The local process will include an outreach effort to involve Hispanic young people at risk and those who incarcerated.

Goals and Objectives

In February 2005, the kick-off meeting of national committees for the National Encuentro was held at Notre Dame. A diverse group of talented individuals, representing partners and collaborators will chair fifteen national committees working out specific details of the Encuentro. At that meeting, the goals and objectives for the National Encuentro were also developed:

1. To gather representatives of the Latino young adult community, a body of delegates made up of diocesan and regional caucuses, for a national event that challenges and celebrates their pastoral commitment to Hispanic youth and young adult ministry, and to commission them to actively participate in the process of evangelization in the church of the U.S.A.
2. To participate in a process that develops a living, breathing document that reflects the work undertaken by the young adult commissions on the diocesan and regional levels in the U.S.A., which contains general principles, priorities and prophetic stances for a National Hispanic Pastoral Juvenil (NHPJ).
3. To promote appreciation and respect of the Latino cultural heritage (and other non-Latino cultures) by:
   
   • providing opportunities for exchange of diverse cultural experiences
   • raising awareness of the heterogeneous composition of the Hispanic youth and young adult population in the U.S.A.
   • becoming a voice that welcomes and includes the Latino religious and cultural experiences into the life of the church in the U.S.A.
4. To engage Hispanic young adults in every process of the Encuentro by including them as active participants, since they are the main actors and protagonists for the implementation of a well-developed pastoral juvenil at all levels.
5. To ensure that the content and processes of the National Encuentro occur within a framework of “formation-in-action” (education and participation) to strengthen the young adult leadership of the event.
6. To provide an experience of church in its national and universal context, in light of the bishops’ documents: Renewing the Vision, Sons and Daughters of the Light, and Encuentro and Mission, acknowledging and advocating that youth and young adult ministry is the responsibility and the mission of the entire church.

The National Encuentro uses the biblical image of the fisherman’s net, as its spiritual and pastoral motivation. All ministers working with young people are called to take to heart the challenging invitation to “put out into the deep” for a catch . . . “Duc in altum” . . . made by Jesus to his disciples and echoed by John Paul II in the Pastoral letter Novo Milenio Ineunte (NMI). The net is also a symbol of communion in mission as we strive to model a shared ministry that makes the church the home and the school of communion in which every single minister is responsible for the well being of all Catholics. As such, collaboration between the diocesan offices for Hispanic ministry, youth and young adult ministry, and for Pastoral Juvenil Hispana is essential. Equally essential is the commitment on the part of pastors, parish staff and leadership, to respond to the needs and aspirations of Hispanic young people with new ardor, new expressions and new methods.

NFCYM encourages all dioceses to participate in this collaborative event. Continue to check the NFCYM website for Encuentro information. For more program and registration details, please contact Rey Malave, general chairperson or Carolyn Adrian, event coordinator.

The Encuentro Manual is available online (in English and Spanish) through USCCB:

• www.usccb.org/hispanicaffairs/MANUAL-EnglishText.pdf
• www.usccb.org/hispanicaffairs/MANUAL-SpanishText1.pdf

and the NFCYM.