Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde outlined diocesan outreach to Hispanics, multicultural communities and commitment to Catholic education and service to the poor during a media breakfast held last week at the Spanish Apostolate.

"You are covering the most exciting place in the country to be a Catholic today — the Diocese of Arlington," Bishop Loverde told nearly 20 reporters print and broadcasters, including several Spanish language newspapers located in Maryland and the District of Columbia.

"The third segment of our mission these days, as I see it, is ministering to our multicultural community," said Bishop Loverde, the son of a Sicilian immigrant. "For many immigrant Catholics, the Church serves as the touchstone and assists them in integrating themselves into society.

"Numbers of different wonderfully gifted people bring us their culture and their faith, including the Vietnamese Catholics, the Korean Catholics, the Ghanaians, Brazilians and the list goes on. And the greatest number among them is our own Hispanic sisters and brothers," he said.

The bishop spoke about many issues related to the Catholic Hispanic community, including the increasing number of Masses in Spanish, gang violence, the plight of immigrant day laborers in Northern Virginia, to whom he expressed support.

He also introduced Father José Eugenio Hoyos as the new director of the Spanish Apostolate. Father Richard Mullins, associate director of the Spanish Apostolate, and Seyoum Berhe, director of the Office of Resettlement, also participated in the press conference.

The need for more Hispanic or bilingual priests was another topic discussed by the bishop. "Currently we are in the process of application to reestablish the diaconate program, and some of the requirements to enter into the seminary have changed recently," he said.

Among the attendees was Salvadorian Mauricio Pineda, the first Hispanic immigrant to enter the seminary for the Arlington Diocese under the new changes.

Father Hoyos said that the promotion of vocations inside the Hispanic family is one of his priorities in his new office, "which is like having three or four parishes at the same time.

"We have many things to do," he said. "We will enhance pastoral and social programs to reach out to the community, and inside this office we need to build strong pastoral leaders to spread our faith door to door."

Regarding the situation of day laborers in Virginia, Father Hoyos said after the conference that he and Father Mullins will visit public sites where the immigrants gather to offer their services. Some political groups, including vocal opposition in Herndon, do not want these Hispanic immigrants on public streets.

Of the 67 parishes in the diocese, 34 have Masses in Spanish. Five just started in the past year. The 39 schools educate around 18,000 students annually. The Office of Refugee Resettlement has served and assisted 18,000 people.

"We’re moving forward — we’re not going backwards," he said. "It’s a time for building foundations."