V Encuentro Proceedings and Conclusions

60 | Proceedings and Conclusions of the V National Encuentro of Hispanic/Latino Ministry commitment from everyone. One table group echoed Pope Francis, saying: “The poor will save us.” (cf. Evangelii Gaudium, 197-208) This means that the Church must make a consistent and determined effort to respond to their needs: education, immigra- tion, violence, living wages, and touching every form of poverty and suffering. Prepare leaders and witnesses. It is not always easy to listen, especially when people in the peripheries are saying things we do not want to hear. Everyone in the community is called to be a missionary disciple, which means everyone must practice listening with the heart of Christ, most especially our leaders in the Church and in its ministries. Taking the first step— primerear —is more than just going out to the peripheries. It means becoming authen- tic witnesses of the love of God. To do this, the Church must provide its leaders and its peo- ple with an integral education, formation that touches every dimension of the human per- son: spiritual, intellectual, emotional, social, cultural, moral, theological, and pastoral. Our ministries and movements must learn to move beyond a competitive spirit to embrace a pastoral de conjunto that sees the richness of the whole community, united with a com- mon objective and a common goal: the Reign of God. This is what is meant by a pastoral conversion that helps us to see the world and our service in the Church through the eyes of Christ, and it is required of everyone in the Church, including the priests, religious, and bishops. In all of this, we must work on building intercultural competence for minis- try in our parishes and communities. No one should be left out or left behind. Intentional outreach to families and the young. With well-formed leaders in place, delegates called for a prophetic effort in the Church to accompany Hispanic/Latino fami- lies from conception to natural death, offering resources to bring Christ’s love to help them achieve their hopes and dreams as a family. This includes listening to them to know their needs, then responding beyond faith for- mation and participation in the Mass to also address their need for socioeconomic, spiri- tual, sexual/affective, and cultural formation in a holistic way that responds to the family as a whole and all its members individually. Thus, the home becomes the heart of the domestic church for the transmission of the faith. Hispanic/Latino youth and young adults are at a critical stage for the lifelong integration of faith into their identity and spiritual prac- tice. They need a comprehensive ministry that allows them to exercise critical think- ing to find answers to their questions, pro- vided in a pastoral and social setting in which they feel comfortable. Young people in the peripheries need to be called by name, espe- cially through an invitation from one of their peers, then welcomed and integrated into a community where they can feel at home. This may require forming specialized ministries to accompany young people with particular needs in a “judgment free zone,” such as: people in the military, single parents, young people in foster care, the criminal justice sys- tem or gangs, those who identify as LGBTQ, college and university students, workers, and those who suffer from addictions or mental health challenges. Special attention should also be given to the 2 nd and 3 rd + generations, who are often left out because they are not fluent in Spanish and they don’t feel culturally Regional Session 2