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May 29, 2002
In Dallas, bishops also to vote on update of Hispanic ministry
Agenda includes votes on whether to divide one of 13 regions into two
By Agostino Bono
WASHINGTON (CNS) — In addition to considering a national policy on clergy sex abuse, the U.S. bishops at their June meeting in Dallas also will vote on a draft document for updating Hispanic ministry which recommends training Hispanics for leadership roles in the Church.
The proposed document notes that Hispanic ministry is at "a crossroads at the beginning of a new century" and requires a refocusing in light of the rapid growth of Hispanics that is expected to make them the majority within the U.S. Church during the first half of the 21st century.
The draft document, "Encounter and Mission: A Call to Pastoral Leadership," is scheduled for a vote at the June 13-15 meeting in Dallas of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. It is being proposed as an addendum to the bishops' 1987 national plan for Hispanic ministry.
Long before a policy on sex abuse was added to the bishops' Dallas agenda, the proposed Hispanic ministry statement was scheduled to be considered. The agenda also includes votes on whether to split one of the bishops' 13 regions into two and allow national collections to accept online donations by credit card.
The Hispanic ministry document says the Church should "develop Hispanic leaders able to minister in the context of a multicultural and pluralistic society while strengthening their Hispanic cultural and ministerial identity."
The draft was approved last November by the USCCB's Committee on Hispanic Affairs as an outline of pastoral principles that have developed from Hispanic ministry.
Having it approved by all the bishops "gives it more emphasis and importance," said Bishop Arthur N. Tafoya of Pueblo, Colo., Hispanic affairs committee chairman.
The aim is to provide guidelines for parishes and dioceses in ministering to Hispanics and in training Hispanics for church leadership, Bishop Tafoya told Catholic News Service in a telephone interview.
"The Hispanic community is growing by leaps and bounds and the growth of Hispanic ministry is influencing other Catholic ministries," he added.
Surveys based on the 2000 U.S. Census report that about 25 million U.S. Catholics are Hispanic. There are about 63 million U.S. Catholics.
"We need to form leadership among Hispanics to take care of our Hispanic people and also to minister to the entire Church," said Bishop Tafoya.
This means stimulating Hispanic vocations to the priesthood, to the permanent diaconate and to lay ministries, he said.
Bishop Tafoya predicted that the U.S. Hispanic population will continue growing, especially through immigration.
The draft notes that a major worry among Catholic leaders is the growing number of Hispanics joining other Christian denominations or religious traditions.
Bishop Tafoya said that this trend can be overcome by building a stronger communal church life, stressing the richness of Catholic liturgical life and developing small ecclesial communities.
"Hispanics express their faith as a community, as a fiesta. Celebration brings the community together," he said.
The draft says that other Christian churches evangelize successfully because they "conduct home visits, provide powerful preaching that skillfully links Scripture with everyday life, and foster a notion of church as extended family that provides Hispanics with a sense of belonging to God's family."
Among the recommendations in the draft are:
•Greater incorporation of Hispanic ministry staff in diocesan decision making.
•Developing youth programs suited to Hispanic ethnic, linguistic and cultural needs.
•Recognizing the national and racial diversities among Hispanics.
•Improving educational resources for training Hispanics for Church leadership positions. •Issuing major Church documents in Spanish and teaching Spanish in seminaries. •Developing closer relations between Hispanics and other Catholic ethnic groups. •Greater dialogue with Hispanics of other faith traditions. The draft also stresses Church commitment to social justice themes important to Hispanics such as education, immigration, border concerns and voter registration. Bishop Tafoya said the Church should be involved in helping Hispanics register to vote. "We have to get people involved in the political system and educate people in how to change things," he said. The draft encourages the Church to help Hispanics become involved in public school boards and parent organizations. "Parish leaders must collaborate with public school officials and teachers to help improve the educational attainment level of Hispanic young people, of which the majority attend public schools," the draft says. It also advocates that the Church take greater steps to increase the number of Hispanic students in Catholic schools. In addition to the Hispanic pastoral plan and clergy sex abuse, the bishops will vote on whether to divide one of their current 13 regions into two. The proposal would split what is now Region IV and create a new Region XIV. Currently, Region IV includes Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North and South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Under the proposal, the new Region IV would consist of Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services. The new Region XIV would be made up of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina. The bishops also will be asked to accept a proposal for online credit card contributions to USCCB offices that take up national collections. The change would affect fund-raising such as that done for Home Missions, the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, the Committee for the Church in Latin America, the Committee to Aid the Church in Central and Eastern Europe and the National Religious Retirement Office. Background information on the proposal notes that Catholic Relief Services began online fund-raising for relief work in Kosovo. Within a month, CRS had received $280,000 in donations. In the two years since, CRS has raised more than $1 million over the Internet. Contributing to this story was Patricia Zapor.
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