IMAGE: CNS photo/Tyler Orsburn
By Norma Montenegro Flynn
GRAPEVINE, Texas (CNS) — A
video message from Pope Francis and a procession of Encuentro crosses
representing all of the participating episcopal regions were the highlights during
the first day of the National Fifth Encuentro gathering taking place Sept.
20-23 in Grapevine.
With hearts full of excitement
and joy, about 3,000 Hispanic ministry leaders cheered as they welcomed
representatives for each of the 14 episcopal regions approaching the stage and
carrying the same crosses and colorful banners that accompanied their
gatherings during the multiyear process of discernment and consultation that
began at their parishes. The crosses were placed on the stage by the bishops
who served as chairs for each region.
Pope Francis captivated the
audience with a video message that was received with a standing ovation.
“I see that the Fifth Encuentro
is a concrete way for the church in the U.S. to respond to the challenge of
going beyond what is comfortable, business as usual, and to become a leaven of
communion for all those who seek a future of hope, especially young people and
families that live in the peripheries of society,” the pontiff said.
He also urged them to continue
the process of pastoral conversion at all levels through an encounter with one another
centered in the adoration of Jesus Christ.
The gathering, also known as V
Encuentro, brings under one roof about 2,700 diocesan representatives, 125
bishops from 159 dioceses and archdioceses across the country, and other
members of Catholic organizations. During the four-day event, they planned to continue
the discernment process to develop a national pastoral plan for Hispanic
ministry.
Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of
Galveston-Houston, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops,
welcomed the crowd and addressed the need for healing and accountability
sparked by the clerical sex abuse scandal.
“As bishops, we have fallen short
of what God expects of his shepherds. By this we again ask forgiveness from
both the Lord and those who have been harmed, and from you, the people of God.”
Cardinal DiNardo said.
He emphasized the efforts being
made to support and accompany survivors in their healing and to implement
stronger protections against sexual abuse.
“Amidst this darkness the
Encuentro is a light that shines and illuminates the way forward. The
enthusiasm, compassion, the love and the joy of the Encuentro process is a
means of grace. A gift to us as we rebuild the church,” the cardinal told the Encuentro
participants.
Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller
of San Antonio led the evening prayer and asked for prayers for the victims of
clerical sexual abuse.
“Let us pray to God for the
victims of the crimes that led to this crisis. Do everything you can for the
healing of all the victims of these abuses and pray also for the perpetrators
and for us, your shepherds,” Archbishop Garcia-Siller said.
Remembering the nearly five
decades of encuentros in the United States, Mercy Sister Ana Maria Pineda, a
theologian at Santa Clara University in California, called the Texas gathering
a historic moment.
“We are the elders and the
offspring of the sacred history woven with the many threads of the past and the
present and looking toward the future,” she said. “We recall the past and how God
has traveled with us throughout these many decades as Catholic Hispanics, Latinos.”
Sister Pineda has participated
in all the encuentros since 1972, when the first Encuentro took place in
Washington. During that very first gathering, priests, bishops and lay leaders
proposed significant ways to attend to the pastoral needs of Hispanic
Catholics.
In 1977, the second Encuentro also
was held in Washington with the theme of “Pueblo the Dios en Marcha” (“People
of God Going Forward”).
“In my memory, it is like a
Pentecost moment,” Sister Pineda recalled. That year about 1,200 Hispanic
Catholic leaders reflected on issues such as evangelization, ministries, human
rights, education and political responsibility.
Sister Pineda described it as a
turning point in which they shared stories of joy, sorrow, neglect and hope.
They were drawn together as a Hispanic community and became aware of the unique
contributions they offered to society and the church. In turn, the church was
motivated to respond more authentically to the needs of that growing community.
The third Encuentro, in 1985,
focused on youth, the poor and human dignity, and led to the creation of a
national pastoral plan for Hispanic ministry.
Encuentro 2000 embraced the many
culturally diverse communities in the United States and the cultural and
religious contributions that also enrich the church, Sister Pineda said.
Bishop Michael F. Olson of Fort
Worth welcomed the participants, including international guests such as
Archbishop Christophe Pierre; Guzman Carriquiry, secretary of the Pontifical
Commission for Latin America; and bishop-representatives from the Latin
American bishops’ council, or CELAM, as well as from Canada, El Salvador and Mexico.
Through a process of missionary
work, consultation, leadership development and community building, the
Encuentro seeks to develop better ways in which the Catholic Church responds to
Hispanic Catholics in parishes around the country and to strengthen them as
leaders and missionary disciples.
– – –
Copyright © 2018 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. www.catholicnews.com. All rights reserved. Republishing or redistributing of CNS content, including by framing or similar means without prior permission, is prohibited. You may link to stories on our public site. This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. To request permission for republishing or redistributing of CNS content, please contact permissions at cns@catholicnews.com.
