V Encuentro Proceedings and Conclusions

Proceedings and Conclusions of the V National Encuentro of Hispanic/Latino Ministry | 115 • Within the Church there are attitudes of competition and distrust between cultural and language groups, amplified by the current climate of social and political polarization with competing agendas. Some people believe that increased attention and care for one cultural group in the parish is a loss for the other(s). • Different cultural groups within the community are often marked by differences in social class, language proficiency, educational attainment, cultural values, citizenship status, and economic resources. These compound the challenge of forming communion in the parish or diocese as the Body of Christ. • The Hispanic community has expressed a desire for more interaction with Anglos, as well as all other cultural groups in the Catholic landscape. • Trained leaders are needed to foster unity in diversity in the church and to form a community of communities. III. Top Recommendations from the National Encuentro • Mandate the Building Intercultural Competence for Ministers (BICM) training at diocesan and parish levels for everyone working in ministry—much like the safe environment training. • Develop resources to help parishes provide opportunities for encounter between cultures where they can learn about/from one another and pray together. • Conduct research on the emerging culture among young Latinos and develop resources to strengthen identity and promote their leadership in the church as “ gente puente ” (bridge people). IV. Successful and Exemplary Practices • Form a Latino committee that includes representatives from the various Hispanic-serving ministries and organizations in the parish or diocese. • Strive to make the Parish Council and Finance Council representative of the cultural groups in the parish. Similar representation can be structured into the liturgy, stewardship, and other parish committees. • The parish mission statement should emphasize its unity in diversity, should be easy to remember and should be repeated constantly in parish life. • Engage different cultural groups in joint projects in the parish—social events, maintenance, feeding the hungry, volunteer dinners, parish festivals, etc. • Hold periodic town hall meetings, both separately by culture/language and together with translation. • The parish staff should be multilingual and at least somewhat representative of the cultural groups in the community. • Provide multiple language options for catechesis and faith formation, as needed. • Organize bilingual or multilingual and multicultural liturgies, especially on Pentecost, major feast days, and the parish patron celebration. Over time, these celebrations can become a beautiful source of unity for the parish. • Enact intentional hospitality across cultures every Sunday. • Provide multicultural retreats/missions for the parish. • Make ongoing formation available for staff that includes recommended practices and habits for intercultural communication. • Organize immersion trips to the home countries of parishioners. • Make ample use of symbols that unite the parish, such as the patron saint, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Unity in Christ stone at the entrance, parish covenants, etc. • Incorporate training for intercultural competence into continuing formation programs for clergy. Ministerial Area Sessions