Trend shows rise in Hispanics being active in

More Hispanics are becoming more involved in their communities and churches. (Photo from Karl Fredrickson on Unsplash)

Catholic officials said that more Hispanics are becoming more involved in different Church activities. They said that they did not find it surprising.

Rising Number of Hispanics

In a report with Catholic News Agency, Hispanics make up 51.1 percent of the country's growth.

Lazaro Contreras said that the Catholic Church had several regional meetings of Hispanic ministry leaders.

Contreras is the director of the Galveston-Houston Archdiocese's Office of Hispanic Ministry.

He explained that the office is currently finalizing a bilingual manual to help its Hispanic laity. Contreras added that the manual would help them provide a "pastoral response" to the presence of Hispanics in the church.

The director said that the ministry leaders met during V Encuentro.

What is V Encuentro?

According to the V Encuentro website, their goal is to help strengthen how Hispanics respond to the call of serving the church.

Contreras added that V Encuentro also prepares the laity to become leaders who serve the church and community.

The group of church leaders gathered in 2018. During that time, 3,000 Hispanic leaders and clergy from across the nation met.

He said that COVID-19 slowed them down a bit. Contreras added that the priests, deacons, and parish leaders continued to meet during virtual sessions.

Now, the group transitions to in-person training.

Contreras added that the V Encuentro is a "culture of the encounter." It also opened steps for pastoral action in 28 ministerial areas.

He added that parishes and offices started to reopen and expanded their reach during and after the pandemic.

Contreras said church leaders could use their learnings from V Encuentro to motivate leaders to reconnect. He also urged them to invite others back to parish life.

Call for the Laity to Help

The director said this invitation is not limited to Hispanic Catholics but other diverse cultures as well.

He said they wanted to focus on training new leaders, especially from their Hispanic community. Contreras explained that it was essential in the development of the Catholic family.

According to the CNS report, Cecilia Velasquez and her husband, Ivan, are one of the 8,000 registered families in Sacred Heart Catholic Church. The couple said a lot has changed and grown in the church over the past 14 years.

Both of them reportedly moved from Veracruz, Mexico.

Cecilia told the news outlet that their children were the future of the church. They intended to keep them rooted in the Catholic faith.

She added that it is a priority for them to be involved in their church and community.

According to the news outlet, the couple has three daughters. Their 17-year-old is preparing for the Sacrament of Confirmation. The younger children are also preparing for Holy Communion.

As confirmed, all of their children take Catechism classes.

Bishop Italo Dell'Oro noted "a sincere desire to serve the church in faithfulness to the bishops" in the participants.

"I recognize that what we learned during the V Encuentro has already been the beginning of our contribution to this new challenge that Pope Francis has just presented to the Catholics across the entire world," he said of their progress.

The bishop prepares for a Synod of Bishops in 2023.