Subcommittee on Asian and Pacific Island Affairs  

Fifth Anniversary of Encountering Christ in Harmony: A Pastoral Response to our Asian and Pacific Island Brothers and Sisters

By: Fr. Linh Hoang, OFM

Following the 2001 pastoral statement Harmony in Faith, by the Committee on Migration, Encountering Christ in Harmony (June 2018) was the first “pastoral response” created, adopted, and published by the whole body of U.S. Bishops to address the pastoral needs of Asian and Pacific Island Catholics. It was also a culmination of years of hard work and guidance by the Subcommittee on Asian and Pacific Affairs. It now marks five years of informing and inspiring all people to the presence and engagement of the Asian and Pacific Island (API) Catholics in the U.S. Church and the wider society.

Since its publication, the pastoral response has been promoted and distributed to many parishes and dioceses around the U.S. Several national Catholic gatherings such as the L.A. Religious Education Congress, the California Catholic Ministry Conference, the Mid-Atlantic Congress, the Catholic Social Ministry Gathering, etc., have featured the Encountering Christ in Harmony in their keynote addresses, workshops, and panel discussions. The pastoral response also has been promoted through social media, various publications, and national gatherings of Asian and Pacific Catholic groups, including the Lao Catholic Conference of the U.S. and Canada, the Asian and Pacific Catholic Network, and several others. The response has been used in educational settings, for instance, in theology classes at a couple of theological schools.

While attention has been given to the response, currently there isn’t a clear indication of how it is being utilized in parishes and dioceses. There hasn’t been a survey or evaluation of the use of the response to understand its impact. Thus, this fifth anniversary of the pastoral response provides an opportunity to celebrate its achievements and to evaluate its influence. There are a few things in place to make this happen. An Asian and Pacific Island Catholics National Encounter will take place July 15-17, 2024, in Indianapolis, IN. The dates precede the National Eucharistic Congress which starts a day after. The API National Encounter will celebrate the pastoral response, highlight the cultural values and pastoral gifts that API Catholics offer to the Church, as well as discuss future opportunities. It will be an occasion to strategically plan on how to make the pastoral response more effective in parishes, schools, and dioceses. From its very inception, the pastoral response wanted to enliven the Church through the faith, gifts, and participation of the API communities.

The mission has started, and the API Catholic communities continue to bring forth the Gospel message to all people. We are very excited to invite you to the API National Encounter! For more information, contact @email