V Encuentro Proceedings and Conclusions

Proceedings and Conclusions of the V National Encuentro of Hispanic/Latino Ministry | 15 Process and Methodology who listened to such voices were challenged to evaluate structures and ways of doing min- istry as part of a process of pastoral conver- sion. Pastors, parochial vicars, and pastoral administrators were also invited to participate in the consultation process with the missionary disciples in their Parish Encuentros. A similar process of analysis, summarizing, and evaluating priorities and pastoral activi- ties was then repeated by delegates at 144 Diocesan Encuentros, followedby 14 Regional Encuentros, and finally the V Encuentro National Event held in Grapevine, TX from September 20 to 23, 2018 . The Working Documents produced at each stage neces- sarily lost some of the finer details contained in the data provided in the prior stage, yet the insights became more encompassing and powerful. As a result, what emerged in each document was not so much a statistical por- trait of pastoral needs, but rather a qualitative socio-religious portrait that is no less valid in its scientific groundings. A great advan- tage in this methodology is that the Working Documents and conclusions for each Parish, each Diocese, and each Region remain valid at that level of ecclesial structure, irrespec- tive of the findings or conclusions that would be developed and articulated in the later Encuentros for a broader level of the Church. MILESTONES IN THE V NATIONAL ENCUENTRO PROCESS With the intention of launching the process at the beginning of 2017, ENAHVE was formed in 2014 with responsibility to develop the training process and prepare the way. The major moments in the V Encuentro process were as follows: I. Preparatory Work • January to December 2015. Mobilization ofENAHVEtodevelopthevision, the theo- logical-pastoral framework, and the com- munication systems for the V Encuentro . With the support of a Lead Bishop and an Anchoring Institution in each episco- pal region, the Equipos Regionales de Acompañamiento al V Encuentro (ERAVE) were formed, to guide the implementa- tion of the process in each stage: parish/ organization, diocese, region and nation. The Regional Teams also received train- ing through an Encuentro process. • January to December 2016. Dev­ elopment of resources and training for diocesan teams and the outline of the process, inspired by no. 24 of Evangelii Gaudium and the experience of the dis- ciples on the road to Emmaus. The web- site http://www.vencuentro.org was also launched, the Guide for the V Encuentro was published for the five small group sessions, and the creation and training of the Diocesan and Parish Teams began. The creation of V Encuentro Diocesan Teams (EDAVE) beginning in January 2016 was the key for a successful imple- mentation of the V Encuentro process. The EDAVE teams were mostly coordi- nated by the diocesan directors or coor- dinators of Hispanic/Latino ministry in their respective dioceses. In dioceses without an office of Hispanic ministry, the Bishop appointed someone as Diocesan Chair. Their work was instrumental in the coordination, promotion, and imple- mentation of the diocesan process.