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GRAPEVINE, Texas — 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.
Twenty-two delegates from the Diocese of Arlington were led by
Father Jose Eugenio Hoyos, director of the
Spanish Apostolate.
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.