After months of parish level consultation and outreach, the Diocese will convene a gathering of more than a thousand people at Riverside City College on August 19 to discuss the important role of Hispanic people in the Catholic Church.
This Diocesan V Encuentro event will welcome delegates from the faith communities of San Bernardino and Riverside counties to gather together around the table, to ponder and analyze the many responses people have offered to the U.S. Catholic Church in the first phase of this four year project.
Leading up to this event the V Encuentro Team of the Diocese has kept busy accompanying all the “Missionary Disciples” who have been gathering important responses from people on the peripheries regarding the consultation the U.S. Bishops have asked from Latino and Hispanic Catholics.
This consultation is essential because it takes place where millions of Hispanic /Latino Catholics live, within the peripheries of families, church and society. Those who reached out and listened attentively to Catholics whom may have felt unheard, desolate, or disaffected, will be challenged to evaluate structures and ways to do ministry as part of a pastoral conversion. Young Catholics have been especially invited to share their hopes and frustrations.
Full story at Inland Catholic Byte.
Of course… “Identity Catholicism.” What a brilliant angle!
The Church was into “Identity” before it was popular. We’ve always had Irish, Italian, Hispanic etc. parishes.
C&H, that was when the Mass was in Latin, the same at every parish. It was a unifying feature of the faith, regardless of the ethnic makeup of the flock. One must identify as Catholic before all else, which sadly is not the case today.
Instead of trying to cater Catholicism to a group identity, such as youth, gays, Hispanics, young adults, or whatever, how about just celebrate dignified, solemn, reverent Masses, preach meaningful homilies that have been prepared for more than two hours during the week, offer faith formation programs that teach the Catholic Faith accurately and convincingly and deeply, and promote retreats and prayer and ways that families can live Catholic Faith in their ordinary lives.
Covfefe, your ideas make sense up to a point. We who are cradle Catholics have a hard time with the notion that many people come to the Church not because it is Catholic, but for the services that help them get through life. That doesn’t mean we water down anything. But, a great percentage of Catholics in the U.S. speak Spanish. They won’t be attracted to any church where they don’t “fit in.” Gays are welcomed to the Church and treated with dignity and allowed to participate and they bring in more people to Christ. Young adults, juggling careers and married life need programs that will help them cope. We need to get people to the church, then we can start good faith formation and the rest.
Yes, let’s judge people “by the color of their skin” and not “by the content of their character.” Not!
The pressing need is for US bishops like Bishop Barnes to replace the large number of Catholics exiting the US New Church with members from immigrant groups: that is what is really going on here. Population replacement.