Nelson Araque, MA
Nelson Araque is from Bogota, Colombia and he lives in Dania Beach, FL with his wife and his daughter. He teaches at Cardinal Gibbons High School in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Mr. Araque holds a B.A in Philosophy and Literature from Universidad de La Salle in Bogota, Colombia, a M.A. in Pastoral Ministries from St. Thomas University in Miami and he is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in Theology at Barry University where he hopes to receive a D. Min soon. Mr. Araque is also a Catholic Climate Ambassador and you can contact him at nap70@hotmail.com
Alejandro Barraza
Alejandro Barraza currently serves as Director of Hispanic Ministry in the Diocese of Las Cruces, New Mexico. He has served as a leader in youth ministry of Hispanic adolescents and young adults for 25 years. He has served at the parish and diocesan level in both English and Spanish. Alejandro currently serves on the Leadership Council of NCYAMA. He is a member of the National Association of Catholic Youth Ministry Leaders (NACYML) and is also a speaker for the Congar Institute and Our Sunday Visitor.
Francisco H. Castillo, D.Min
Francisco Castillo, DMin, is a senior editor and multicultural specialist at RCL Benziger. He is also adjunct professor of Religious Studies at Broward College. He worked for 13 years as a Catholic educator and Campus Minister. He is a member of the Academy of Catholic Hispanic Theologians of the United States, a member of the National Hispanic Institute of Liturgy and of the John Paul II International Film Festival. His professional interests include Catholic social doctrine, liturgical and theological aesthetics, liberation theology, U.S. Hispanic/Latino(a) theology, comparative religion, religion and film and cultural identity. He is also a writer and poet. He lives in South Florida with his wife and son.
Catholic Relief Services
Catholic Relief Services is a pro-life organization dedicated to preserving the sacredness and dignity of human life from conception to natural death. Catholic Relief Services is a manifestation of love for our brothers and sisters around the globe by the Catholic community of the United States. We protect, defend and advance human life around the world by directly meeting basic needs and advocating solutions to injustice.
ENAHVE
ENAHVE is the National Team of Accompaniment and is a representative group of national Catholic organizations committed to advancing the call to the V Encuentro Nacional Hispano/Latino de Pastoral. ENAVHE is represented by 17 national and regional Catholic organizations that directly serve the Hispanic Latino community. ENAHVE is part of the USHM network of websites.
Federation for Catechesis with Hispanics
The Federation for Catechesis with Hispanics (FCH) is a Federation of the National Conference for Catechetical Leadership (NCCL). Its mission is serve those who minister in catechesis with Hispanics. FCH is part of the USHM network of websites.
Rev. Eduardo C. Fernández, SJ, STD
Other than teaching classes in missiology and Latino theology and ministry at the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University at Berkeley and the Graduate Theological Union, Professor Fernández publishes, gives workshops and retreats, and assists at local parishes. He has also worked in university campus ministry. A native of El Paso, Texas, he earned a Masters in Latin American Studies at the University of Texas at Austin and a doctorate in theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome His two latest books are Mexican American Catholics (Paulist Press, 2007), awarded a 2008 Catholic Press Association Book Award in the category of pastoral ministry, and Culture-Senstitive Ministry: Helpful Strategies for Pastoral Ministers (Paulist Press, 2010) with Kenneth McGuire, CSP and Anne Hansen.
Dulce Gamboa
Dulce Gamboa, Latino outreach associate, joined Bread for the World in February 2009. In this role, she develops, maintains and strengthens relationships with Latino Christian denominations and agencies to support and carry on the mission of Bread for the World to end hunger and poverty in the United States and around the world. She previously worked as a project coordinator for the Church Relations department at Bread. She is member of the Board of Directors for the Franciscan Action Network and she volunteers as an English and civics teacher at Carecen, a non-profit organization that helps Latino immigrants become U.S. citizens. Prior to working at Bread, she worked as an advisor for one of the Electoral Commissioners in Mexico City. Dulce received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and International Relations from CIDE–Mexico and a Master of Arts in Political Management from George Washington University.
Adrian Alberto Herrera, MA
Adrian Alberto Herrera is currently the Associate Director for the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis at the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. He has served as a consultant to the National Advisory Committee on Adult Religious Education formerly known as NACARE. He has written articles for various publications and materials developed by the Bishops’ Committee for Evangelization and Catechesis for Catechetical Sunday 2010. Adrian was one of six animators of the National Conference for Catechetical Leadership FCH “Forum for catechesis with Hispanics.” He was a member of the planning committee for NCCL 2007, 2008 and 2012 and has served as a catechist, youth minister and Director of Religious Education. Adrian received his BS in Microbiology and Chemistry from the University of Texas, El Paso and an MA in Pastoral Studies from the School of Theology at St. Mary’s Seminary in Houston. Besides his professional interests, Adrian enjoys playing football (he’s a big fan of the Argentina National Team), he likes to read books on world history and ecclesiology, and loves to strum his guitar. He enjoys spending time with his children and writes a blog and Facebook page with reflections in Spanish.
Patty Jiménez, D.Min
Patricia Jiménez, D.Min is a founder and the webmaster for U.S. Hispanic Ministry and has worked for over 20 years in the areas of youth ministry, catechesis, and teaching and administering lay formation programs. Patty has experience in parish, academia, and diocesan ministry and has been a speaker at local, regional, and national events. She received her Doctorate in Ministry specializing in Hispanic and Latino Theology and Ministry at Barry University in Miami Shores, Florida, a Masters in Theological Studies and a Masters in Ministry for a Multicultural Church from the Franciscan School of Theology in Berkeley, Ca. Her interests are technology and new media, cross-cultural administration, franciscan spirituality, and Hispanic Theology and Ministry.
Gabriel Martínez, SFO, Ed.D
Dr. Gabriel obtained his Masters at Loyola Marymount University and a doctorate from the University of San Francisco, two Jesuit universities. His wife Marina earned a degree in psychology and a certificate in gerontology at the University of Fresno. For 20 years, they have served the Diocese of Fresno in very diverse ministerial areas. Both are professed Secular Franciscans.
Sr. Hilda Mateo MGSpS, D.Min
Hilda is a workshop facilitator and director of on-going formation for the U.S. province of her religious community, Missionary Guadalupanas of the Holy Spirit (MGSpS). Sister Hilda is originally from Miami, FL, born of Cuban parents, is bilingual, bi-cultural and has focused her pastoral ministry in lay leadership formation with the Guadalupan event as a paradigm and pedagogy for developing and organizing evangelizing, justice-oriented communities. She worked for nine years in the Diocese of Pueblo, CO addressing culture, faith and immigration in the development of an adult faith formation program in Spanish for Hispanic ministers in Southern Colorado. Hilda has been a member of her religious community since 1994 and in 2008 received her Doctorate in Ministry, with a concentration in US Latino/a theology from Barry University (Miami Shores, Fl).
Timothy Matovina, PhD
Dr. Timothy Matovina is a Professor of Theology and Executive Director of the Institute for Latino Studies at the University of Notre Dame. He is the author of Latino Catholicism: Transformation in America’s Largest Church. El Dr. Timothy Matovina es profesor de Teología y Director Ejecutivo del Instituto de Estudios Latinos en la Universidad de Notre Dame. Él es el autor de Catolicismo Latino: La transformación en la iglesia más grande de Estados Unidos.
Steffano Montano, MAPT
Steffano Montano, MAPT, is the Coordinator of Service Learning and an Adjunct Instructor of Theology in the Department of Theology and Philosophy at Barry University. He was born in Miami, FL in 1984 to Cuban immigrants and was formally a novice of the Order of Preachers. Steffano has served at Barry since 2009, beginning in the Office of Campus Ministry, where he served as Coordinator of the De Porres Center for Community Service. He has coordinated the Service-Learning goals and partnerships of the department since 2013, which include maintaining community partnerships that enable students to take part in service-learning and leading workshops with the department faculty on service-learning pedagogy.
Vince Olea, D.Min
Vince currently serves as the director of the Santa Teresita Youth Conference Center in the Diocese of Fresno. He has worked passionately for nearly twenty years as a director of youth ministry serving young people in Catholic parishes in San Diego and Los Angeles, most recently accompanying inner-city Hispanic youth at Dolores Mission in Boyle Heights, Ca. Over the years, Vince has served as a conference organizer and speaker, an instructor for Loyola Marymount University Extension, a case manager team leader serving the homeless in Santa Monica, CA, a concert promoter, and a consultant on rites of passage for a major film production company. Vince received his Doctorate of Ministry with an emphasis in Hispanic theology and ministry at Barry University, a Dominican university in Miami Shores, Florida. He has published articles in Ministry and Liturgy, The Journal of Religion and Film, Radical Grace and The Journal of Hispanic Latino Theology.
Luis Ramirez
Luis A. Ramirez has served in catechetical ministry for over 22 years. He received his certification in Pastoral Studies and certification in Catechetical Leadership from Loyola Marymount University. Currently, he serves as the Director of Faith Formation at Christ Our Savior parish, in the city of Santa Ana and is part of the faculty of the Institute for Pastoral Ministry for the Diocese of Orange. Luis is also a Board Member for the Federation for Catechesis with Hispanics.
Rudy Vargas, IV, D.Min (Candidate)
Rudy Vargas, IV is a Field Consultant for the University of Notre Dame’s, ACE Consulting, Catholic School Advantage Campaign in the Archdiocese of New York. Mr. Vargas developed and designed an Archdiocesan Hispanic enrollment and retention program titled Madrinas (Godmother). Mr. Vargas has served on the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops (USCCB) National Advisory Council, on the board of the Center for the Applied Research for the Apostolate (CARA), Georgetown University; and the Jesuit Collaborative. He has also served on the following Advisory Boards: Fordham University, Graduate School of Religion and Religious Education. He is presently a board member of the Catholic Volunteer Network. Rudy is a doctoral candidate at the Institute for Hispanic/Latino Theology and Ministry Program at Barry University, Miami Shores, FL. He has a master’s degree from the Graduate School of Religion and Religious Education from Fordham University, Rose Hill Campus, Bronx, NY and his bachelor’s degree from State University of New York, Empire State College in Human Services-Community Organizing and Education. He started his college career at City University of New York, LaGuardia Community College, with an associate’s degree in Human Services-Mental Health. Rudy is married to Sandy for over 30 years blessed with three children-Vanessa, Rudy V, and Veronica Raquel- and, a granddaughter Samantha Christine.
Lupita Vital, MA
Lupita Vital is the Director of the Hispanic Apostolate in the Diocese of San Jose, California. She is from Guadalara, Jalisco in Mexico and Lupita has been part of this diocese for 25 years. She has worked in catechetical and liturgical ministries at the parish and diocesan level sharing her experience with dioceses of Mexico and across the United States.