V Encuentro Proceedings and Conclusions

76 | Proceedings and Conclusions of the V National Encuentro of Hispanic/Latino Ministry helping everyone to learn together by doing activities that make a difference and respond to real needs in the community. Finally, the delegates recommended that more attention should be paid to the spe- cialized settings for catechesis, beyond the typical classroom religious education for chil- dren. Catechesis at home has already been mentioned, but Catholic schools are often completely neglected as a place for Hispanic/ Latino children to receive faith formation. Partnerships between parishes and schools should be developed to increase Hispanic enrollment and retention. Similarly, the RCIA is becoming an increasingly important dimen- sion of faith formation in parishes, either for older children who have missed the normal time for their sacramental preparation, or for Hispanic/Latino adults who are expressing interest in the Catholic Church for the first time in their lives. The more opportunities families are given to connect with the Church and grow in faith, the more likely it is that transmission of the faith will be successful. C. FAMILY MINISTRY The table groups in the session on Family Ministry made a clear call for family-based cat- echesis and formation, as well as for a compre- hensive pastoral plan that responds to current needs of families in the Hispanic/Latino com- munity, including an initial effort to identify needs and potential responses. Those recom- mendations largely repeat the corresponding suggestions described by the sessions on Faith Formation and Evangelization respectively, so they will not be repeated here. The next most common recommendation was to develop family ministries in parishes to focus on their pastoral care and accom- paniment. This might entail providing for- mation to pastoral leaders so that they can respond or make referrals for families in crisis situations or to provide accompaniment for particular needs and situations, such as: sin- gle parents, bereavement, family members with disabilities, dealing with addictions and codependency, and supporting the path- way to college and/or Catholic education, to name just a few. There should also be an intentional effort to make every parish event or gathering family-friendly by involving par- ents, children, and older generations in a pro- cess together, or by ensuring the availability of care and activities for the little ones when it would not be feasible to involve them in a session or activity with the adults. Delegates also responded to the perception that many Hispanic/Latino couples are strug- gling in their commitment or living in conjugal partnership without the benefit of the sacra- ment of matrimony. They called for a renewal of marriage preparation to respond in con- structive ways to the contemporary social and cultural challenges facing marriage, as well as for the beautiful Catholic vision for marriage and family life to be incorporated in age-ap- propriate ways into catechesis at all levels, so that it is not being heard by couples for the first time in the few months before a wedding. Ongoing support for couples should also be provided to strengthen communication, elim- inate violence or coercive control in the rela- tionship, and to help them work through diffi- culties they may encounter. Inasmuch as many of the difficulties center on forming and guid- ing their children in faith and life, the Church should provide workshops, support groups, and counseling sessions as needed. Recommendations