V Encuentro Proceedings and Conclusions

24 | Proceedings and Conclusions of the V National Encuentro of Hispanic/Latino Ministry THE PASTORAL CIRCLE IN THE V ENCUENTRO From the time of its development by Cardinal Joseph Cardijn in his work with the Young Christian Workers movement in the 1920s and 30s, the pastoral potential of the See- Judge-Act methodology was evident, both as a tool for putting Catholic social teaching into action and as a process for pastoral plan- ning and accompaniment. Pope John XXIII encouraged the use of this methodology in his Encyclical Letter Mater et Magistra in 1961, and since that time it was accepted and utilized broadly in all levels of ecclesial oper- ations in Latin America, as well as in Hispanic ministry in the United States. Like the three Encuentros of Hispanic ministry that preceded it, the V Encuentro also made broad use of this methodology, now commonly known as the Pastoral Circle. The process has been adapted to meet the needs of a variety of situations and naming conventions. For exam- ple, the recent Synod on Young People, the Faith, and Vocational Discernment followed a process of “Recognizing, Interpreting, and Choosing,” and the Concluding Document of the Fifth General Conference of the Bishops of Latin America and the Caribbean follows a similar structure in three main parts (cf. Aparecida, 19). Within the scope of the V Encuentro process, each of the five sessions for small groups at the grassroots level were structured around the Pastoral Circle in five steps as follows: • See. Focus on how the theme of the ses- sion connects to the individual person’s story and the Hispanic community’s his- torical memory. • Judge. Reflect on the theme of the ses- sion with questions to discuss in light of our Catholic faith. • Act. Invitation to specific actions as mis- sionary disciples going out to the periph- eries, with emphasis on outreach to Hispanic Catholics. Most actions focused on Hispanic youth and families. • Celebrate. A short ritual that captured the essence of what was discussed during the session. Pastors and facilitators were encouraged to incorporate religious songs / hymns and popular devotions familiar to Hispanics in their communities. • Mission. Beginning with the first ses- sion, all participants in the V Encuentro received a “Mission and Consultation Journal” where they took notes about their missionary experiences. In addition, the Parish, Diocesan, Regional, and National Encuentros all led the delegates through a process that incorporated presen- tation, reflection, and dialogue along the lines of the Pastoral Circle, both in the over- all structure of each event, and at times within individual components of it. For example, the 28 Ministerial Area Sessions on Saturday afternoon of the V Encuentro National Event were explicitly structured around a pastoral process of “See-Judge-Act”. This process serves as a model for ministry and accompa- niment in small groups, as an effective way to incarnate the teachings of the Second Vatican Council especially as contained in the Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et Spes, and as a meth- odological guide for pastoral planning at all levels in the Church. V Encuentro as a Model and Guide