Presentation at the First Ecclesial Assembly of Latin America and the CaribbeanGood morning, brothers and sisters. First of all, and on behalf of Bishop Oscar Cantú, Chairman of the Subcommittee for Hispanic Affairs of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and on behalf of the entire Hispanic/Latino People of God living in the United States, I would again like to thank CELAM for the invitation to participate in this historic Ecclesial Assembly. It was a source of great joy to receive the invitation from Archbishop Jorge Lozano to participate in the listening process that prepared us for this Assembly. The reason for the invitation was very clear and pastoral: The deep desire to also hear the voices of the millions of Latin American and Caribbean immigrants who live in the United States.   Later we were invited to register seventy delegates to the assembly from Hispanic/Latino Ministry in the United States. These delegates to the assembly have walked with us remotely and have been part of the fruitful small group dialogue, and have enjoyed the beautiful prayers, testimonies, inspiring presentations, and liturgical celebrations. Several of them have commented to me how enriching this journeying together has been, and how much they identify with the vision, language and sense of Church of the First Ecclesial Assembly.   In fact, and for reasons that can only be explained by the action of the Holy Spirit, Hispanic/Latino Ministry has walked in amazing harmony with the Latin American/Caribbean Ministry for more than half a century. You have had 5 General Conferences, we have had five National Encuentros, and each of these Encuentros has been informed and enriched by your general conferences.   The V National Encuentro of Hispanic/Latino Ministry, held between 2017 and 2020 in the Church of the United States, was a synodal process inspired in part by Aparecida and based on the vision and methodology of Evangelii Gaudium. The theme of the V Encuentro was Missionary Disciples: Witnesses of God’s Love, and in it, Hispanic/Latino ministers identified themselves as Joyful Missionary Disciples. The methodology used was the one that Pope Francis defines in EG #24 and which is based on 5 moments: Taking the First Step, Getting Involved, Accompanying, Bearing Fruit and Rejoicing, which helped us to create a culture of encounter in a missionary key. And so, after a year of preparation, we launched ourselves out into the peripheries in a Latino way, in other words, like the men and women of the People of God going forth who live and celebrate their faith in the United States. In a Latino way, with enthusiasm, with faith, with joy, with devotion, in solidarity and eliciting hope. It is worth noting that these same leaders are the ones who are now being consulted on how to carry out well the current synodal processes in their dioceses, saying to them: “We need your help because you already have experience in synodal processes.”   This pastoral harmony between Latin American/Caribbean Ministry and Hispanic/Latino Ministry in the United States which goes beyondborders, is deeply human, and its protagonist is a People of God who, for the most part, have had to leave their countries and homes over the decades. However, as the saying goes, “you can take the person out of their country of origin, but you can’t take the country of origin out of the person”. Our cultural heritage, our religious traditions, our faith in God’s providence, our authentic Marian devotion, our sense of community, our love for family – we carry them all with us. So, by becoming aware of our baptismal call, by feeling called to serve in our faith communities and in society, we discover that we are not only immigrants, but also missionary disciples to our destination country, missionary disciples with a prophetic voice and a great transforming power. It is surprising and fascinating to see how, from our poverty, and in the midst of a certain exile, we are missionary disciples to this country which we are also making our own because, with all due respect to the poet, I am from here and I am from there. We are bridge builders. I am sure that the present and future fruits of this First Ecclesial Assembly for Latin America and the Caribbean will be a source of inspiration, hope and pastoral creativity for Hispanic/Latino Ministry in the United States. The two-fold focus on listening and overflowing has already begun to dwell in our hearts and souls. We also hope to find ways to journey together, in pastoral conversion towards the great celebration of 500 years since the Guadalupan Event and two thousand years of Redemption. Moving ever more from the ‘other’ to ‘we’. I will conclude with some verses from the poem Pueblo Hispano: Pueblo en Marcha [Hispanic People: A People on the Move], written by one of the great missionary disciples in Hispanic/Latino Ministry, Sister Aida Sansor, from the Yucatan by the way. I am part of a journey, of a pilgrim journey and even if I wanted to stop … I know I am a pilgrim, a pilgrim and emigrant who is constantly searching. Do you want to know where we are going as a pilgrim people? We journey because we came, we came because we left, we left because we followed the voice of the God we feel.   Do we journey towards a place? No, that is not our destination. Our destination is not to arrive at a place, but to forge a path   in which one can walk with the freedom of the Son. The freedom of Jesus. Again, thank you very much and may we continue to journey together.   Alejandro Aguilera-Titus The post Presentation at the First Ecclesial Assembly of Latin America and the Caribbean first appeared on V National Encuentro of Hispanic/Latino Ministry.

  Southeast Regional Encuentro The Regional Encuentro has been a tradition in the Southeast for over four decades. Every two years it has been hosted in the Diocese of St. Agustine, FL and in the Regional Encuentro towards the V Encuentro it was hosted in Our Lady of Guadalupe, Doral, FL. This due to COVID-19 could not be postponed but had to take a different setting. The Regional Southeast Encuentro was held virtually, with the same charism and dynamism present in all those who participated.  On both days the morning sessions were attended by Diocesan Directors for Hispanic Ministry and Pastoral Juvenil Coordinators; the evenings were for Diocesan Delegates.  In the following pages you will find a summary of what happened during those days. The total number of participants was 180 representing 24 dioceses. September 29, 2020 The morning session begun promptly at 10:00 am with an opening prayer. The group of Diocesan Directors of Hispanic Ministry and Pastoral Juvenil was sent to share the word  like the two disciples of Emmaus. At their return they were welcomed by Father Sergio Serrano, OP Diocesan Director of New Orleans who closed this moment of prayer with a short reflection.  The agenda this morning was introduced by Father Emilio Sotomayor, Sch.P Executive Director of SEPI who continued sharing a reflection centered on Accompaniment in the present times. The group was divided into breakout sessions where they had the opportunity to share echoes of the presentation. The morning continued with a presentation by Fr. Rafael Capo, Vice-President of Mission for St. Thomas University and previous SEPI Executive Director. His presentation was an excellent briefing on the process of the V Encuentro and where are we on its regards. Later on SEPI team introduced “Insights on Methodology of See, Judge, Act applied to Evangelization and Acompanamiento in the Context of Pastoral Planning.” After this presentation there were breakout groups to discuss on the Best Practices for Evangelization and Acompanamiento, followed by a common sharing. The morning ended with a closing prayer by Fr. Emilio. The evening session was with the Diocesan Delegates who were introduced and welcome by Fr. Rafael Capo. There were 24 dioceses present at this virtual Encuentro. Archbishop Cristophe Pierre send his message pre-recorded in advance. His message was inspiring and uplifting, a call to renew the Dream of Pope Francis of a Missionary Church that is not afraid to go out and embrace the poor and become poor, one that is afraid to express God’s tenderness. The 180 participants had the opportunity to be divided into breakout sessions to discuss best practices in the area of Accompaniment and Evangelization. September  30, 2020 The second morning of the regional encuentro centered on Pastoral Juvenil and Family Ministry. The morning begun with a prayer led by Mrs. Blanca Primm, Diocesan Director of Knoxville,TN and Ibis Centeno, Pastoral Juvenil Coordinator for the Diocese of Charlote, NC. The day continued with a presentation of SEPI’ Future Projects and Action plans by Fr. Emilio Sotomayor, Sch.P. and continued with his reflection on Family Ministry and Pastoral Juvenil. After his presentation Juan Jose Rodriguez, MA from SEPI team shared the process of the Book of La Pascua Juvenil as a methodology of See, Judge, Act applied to pastoral Juvenil. The group of Diocesan Directors and coordinators of Pastoral Juvenil was divided into breakout sessions to share their best practices on pastoral Juvenil. The next presentation was lead by Mrs. Lucia Baez Luzondo from the Archdiocese of Atlanta. Their presentation centered on utilizing the Methodology of See, Judge, Act in the context of Pastoral Planning on Family Ministry. After their presentation, the group was once again divided into breakout sessions to discuss the best practices on Family Ministry. Father Emilio closed this part of the day in prayer. During the Evening the delegates were welcomed by Mrs. Eva Gonzalez, Diocesan Director for Louisville, KT and Coordinator for Region V for the V Encuentro as well as Mrs. Vivi Iglesias, Community Engagement Manager with the Southeast Regional Office and Coordinator for Region XIV for the V Encuentro. Archbishop Thomas Wenski, of the Archdiocese of Miami and Chairman of the Southeast Regional Office for Hispanic Ministry (SEPI); continued with a presentation on Pastoral Juvenil and Family Ministry in the context of the present change of times. His presentation was inspiring and moving. After his presentation, there was a panel of four people. Their testimonies lit up the night, it was felt when the Delegates were divided into breakout sessions and they shared on the best practices for the areas of Family Ministry and  Pastoral Juvenil. The plenary was filled with great hope as some of the delegates got to share what they had discussed in their groups. The Encuentro concluded with a prayer lead by Fr. Emilio Sotomayor, Sch.P, sending all delegates to not be afraid to be Missionary Disciples, to be Light and Salt of the earth. It was joyful to end this evening singing together with Iván Díaz, Contemporary Catholic Singer, composer of “Nuestra Alegria”, the song that became the hymn for the V Encuentro October 1st There was a one-hour meeting that welcomed Archbishops, bishops, clergy, diocesan staff and leaders from the Southeast Region. This meeting was completely in English. After the welcoming by Fr. Emilio Sotomayor, the meeting began with a prayer led by Msgr. Thomas Rodi, Archbishop of Mobile. The first in taking part was Fr. Rafael capo, who recalled the process in the V Encuentro and the stage we are in. Then, Bishop Felipe Estevez, representing the bishops of the XIV region and Bishop John Stowe representing region V explained the hopes and vision of the V Encuentro from the perspective of the Bishops. The Encuentro continued with presentations on three ministerial areas: Family Ministry (Lucia Baez Luzondo from Atlanta), Pastoral Juvenil (Brittany Garcia from Knoxville) and intercultural competences (Carlos Flores from St. Petersburgh). After a moment of Q&A, the meeting concluded with a closing prayer and the singing of “Nuestra Alegria” hymn of the region for the V Encuentro. There was a sense of renewal and a refreshing desire to continue in the journey of working together. A great part of conclusion for the Encuentro was the commitment to strenghten three ministerial areas as priority in the Southeast. These ministerial areas will be: Family Ministry, Vocations, Migrant Ministry. The post Southeast Regional Encuentro first appeared on V National Encuentro of Hispanic/Latino Ministry.