Catholic Explorer :: Hispanic youth prepare for a future in the church

“In preparation for an increase in the number of Hispanics living in the United States this century, Spanish-speaking ministerial leaders from throughout the Midwest assembled a conference for youth and young adults. Close to 500 Hispanic Catholics gathered Feb. 17-19 in Grand Rapids, Mich., to plot strategy so the church would be better able to respond to the needs of a growing population. The event””named Encuentro””is organized as a regional encounter of Hispanic youth.

Under the auspices of the Midwest Catholics Association of Hispanic Ministry, directors and coordinators of Hispanic ministry from 22 dioceses in Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Wisconsin rallied a representative group of faithful mostly between the ages of 17 and 25 to identify ways that the church could enhance their faith experience. Robert McCarty, executive director of the National Federation of Catholic Youth Ministry, explained in a telephone interview Feb. 16 with the Catholic Explorer that the process toward making a more responsive Catholic Church began two years ago. It started a the parish level, where congregations with a significant Hispanic population brainstormed for ideas that had the potential for making the process of evangelization more productive primarily because it would be steeped in a format that’s culturally understandable and logical.”

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