Members of the Hispanic and Latino community from throughout the Diocese of Cleveland gathered for the daylong diocesan V Ecuentro Hispanic/Latino Process on Sept. 16 at Sagrada Familia Parish on Cleveland?s West Side.
Special guest for the event was new Cleveland Bishop Nelson Perez, who chairs the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops? Subcommittee on Hispanic Affairs. Bishop Perez said he was ?formed by the process of Encuentro as a pastor and a bishop.? He participated in the Third National Encuentro in the 1980s and, as a pastor in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, was active in its implementation. He welcomed delegates to the local Encuentro session.
According to Misael Mayorga, director of the diocesan Hispanic ministry, the process is an effort to Hispanic ministry. The seven participating diocesan parishes are Sagrada Familia, St. Michael the Archangel and Our Lady of Lourdes, all in Cleveland; St. Mary in Painesville; Sacred Heart Chapel Parish in Lorain; St. Bernard in Akron and St. Mary in Wooster.
Mayorga said the V Encuentro process was named as a priority activity in the USCCB Strategic Plan 2017-2020, ?and our diocese/parishes serving the Hispanic community has taken up the bishops? call to participate in this nationwide conversation and missionary action. It is a four-year process of
ecclesial reflection and action that invites all Catholics in the United States to intense missionary activity, consultation, leadership development and identification of best practices in the spirit of the New Evangelization,? Mayorga said.
Parish delegates met to discuss taking the first step and getting involved. Edgar Beltran served as assessor of the day. There was time for prayer, music and lunch in the morning. Participants shared ideas and heard testimony before the afternoon session, which was open to the whole community, began.
The parishes first met in March to kick off the process. Each parish prepared a report that was presented at the Sept. 16 program. The next step is the regional Encuentro, which includes Ohio and Michigan, followed by the national Encuentro.
Bishop Perez celebrated Mass at 5 p.m., which was followed by entertainment, including performances by Danza Guadalupana from Norwalk and Comparaza del Chinelo Chalma of Cleveland. Both are Mexican cultural performing groups.
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