V Encuentro Proceedings and Conclusions

52 | Proceedings and Conclusions of the V National Encuentro of Hispanic/Latino Ministry page 171). We will recognize that this goal is being fulfilled when the Hispanics/Latinos in the community not only feel that they belong, but also feel ownership and responsibility for the Church, its ministries, and its mission, with full freedom to promote a formal and stable Hispanic ministry. Exercising gifts and overcoming strains in the community. The delegates were keenly aware of the potential of the Hispanic/Latino community’s giftedness to be a transforming presence in the Church. For example, their spirit of joyfulness and celebration creates a sense of welcome and family unity in the com- munity, and there is a great desire to share the beauty of traditions, devotions, and commu- nal celebrations. These gifts have the poten- tial to integrate all people of the parish into a family of faith, irrespective of their language or cultural background. At the same time, there are factors at play in most parishes and organizations that can cre- ate obstacles to Christian unity in the com- munity. Differences of generation, language, race/ethnicity, age, liturgical and aesthetic preferences, political ideology, and even theological perspectives can create strains in the bonds of charity that hold us together as a community of faith. Within the Hispanic/Latino community there are many bilingual and bicul- tural leaders who are adept at managing the conflicting expectations of different cultural groups and worldviews. These bridge-people are already on their way to becoming effective leaders for an intercultural Church, and pasto- ral leaders would do well to fortify and build on their capacities to bring together people of different perspectives and experiences. Promoting and accompanying young lead­ ers. Speaking for themselves, the Hispanic/ Latino young adult delegates in the Regional Sessions asked to be allowed to get involved and have opportunities for pastoral and spir- itual formation. Sadly, they asserted that they sometimes feel left out. The delegates in general recognized that young Hispanics/ Latinos are not only the future of the Church in the United States—they are its present as well. Their leadership needs to be fostered, making use of the talents they bring to the Church first in the ministries to their peers, then in every other aspect of community life. In some respects, they are much more ready to lead than older adults, such as using tech- nology and social media; pastoral leaders would do well to invite them to show the way, then stand aside while they put their exper- tise into practice for the common good and the evangelizing mission of the Church. There is a great need in Catholic youth and young adult ministry for youth ministry leaders who are role models of ecclesial integration, with a vibrant faith that retains the treasures of Hispanic/Latino Catholicism, incarnated in the contemporary cultural setting of the United States. Religiously engaged Latino young adults make excellent candidates to fill those roles, and they can mentor adoles- cent Hispanics and other young adults in their groups to continue this service. This experi- ence of leadership has the added benefit of provoking a reflection on God’s call to service in the Church, which can be strengthened with retreats and vocational talks, both in English and in Spanish. In that regard, when cultural or language barriers are noticeably prevent- ing some young Latinos from engaging in the ministry, pastoral leaders should use a Regional Session I