V Encuentro Proceedings and Conclusions

Proceedings and Conclusions of the V National Encuentro of Hispanic/Latino Ministry | 151 • Mission and service-oriented projects provide an opportunity for Hispanic young adults to discover a vocation. • Develop a mentoring program for Hispanic young adults who feel passionate about working in the Church. • Offer spiritual retreats where young men and women have the opportunity to grow in their sacramental, spiritual, and prayer life. • Conduct formation sessions for those preparing for the sacrament of Matrimony. • Create groups and associations where young Latino married couples can gather to pray, share their experiences, and strengthen their relationship as a couple and within their family. • Identify vocation directors for discernment and the promotion of vocations. • Intentionally engage priests, seminarians, deacons, and religious to promote vocations. • Create a committee and organize vocational programs such as retreats and camps. • Involve families more, especially in prayer and dialogue with their children. • Accompany the young people in developing their “life project” – their understanding of what God is calling them to do and be in life. • Integrate the history, languages, principles, theology, skills, and methodologies of Hispanic ministry into the formation required for all seminarians. • Dedicate financial and human resources for vocations ministry among Hispanics in order to foster and form new vocations to the priesthood, religious life, the diaconate, and lay ecclesial ministry. • Create programs for the formation of vocations to the permanent diaconate within the Hispanic community, especially in Spanish. • Invite couples who live together but are not married to strengthen their relationship and enter into the bonds of marriage. • Develop bilingual promotion materials to promote vocations among Hispanics, with different audiences in mind: college campus ministers; youth, young adult and pastoral juvenil ministers; parents; prayer and bible study groups; apostolic movements; religious education programs; etc. • Organize prayer groups for vocations at the parish level. • Integrate the USCCB training Building Intercultural Competence for Ministers as part of the formation process for all seminarians. • Include a pastoral experience in a multicultural parish—as well as the study of Spanish language and culture—during seminary formation. • Invite young Hispanics who are interested in religious and/or priestly life to spend weekends in seminaries, convents, or monasteries. V. Resources The following resources were recommended by presenters and participants of the V National Encuentro : • Hispanic Ministry Resource Center, ¡Oye! , annual magazine ( http://hispanic-ministry.com/publications/ oye-magazine/ ). • National Catholic Council for Hispanic Ministry, Hispanic/Latino Culture of Vocations Manual , forthcoming. • Asociación Nacional de Sacerdotes Hispanos (ANSH - http://www.ansh.org/ ). • Asociación Nacional de Diáconos Hispanos ( https://www.facebook.com/ ASOCIACIONNACIONADIACONOSHISPANOSUSA/ ). Ministerial Area Sessions