Our History
1972- I Encuentro
The I Encuentro (1972) allowed us to come out of the shadows and to express our needs, aspirations, and contributions as baptized persons livening in the Church in the United States.1977 – II Encuentro
In the II Encuentro (1977), we identified ourselves as a community of Hispanic Catholics that is diverse yet united in faith, history, culture, and language. We also discerned a way of being a Church based in the ecclesiology of communion and a preferential option for the estranged and those who live in poverty.
1985 – III Encuentro
The III Encuentro (1985) allowed us to raise our voice to articulate a clear direction of the Church’s response to the Hispanic presence and our response as Church. This vision was recorded in the Plan Pastoral Nacional del Ministerio Hispano (1987) and in a model of a Church that is evangelizing, communal, and missionary.
Encuentro 2000
The Encuentro 2000 allowed us to host and to share an experience of Encuentro with all of the cultures and races that make up the Church in the United States. The vision of a Church where all are welcome emerges from our most profound identity like a community of mestizos and mulattos that are pilgrims in this land and called to be wings of solidarity with the many faces in God’s house.Primer Encuentro Nacional Hispano de Pastoral Juvenil
The Primer Encuentro Nacional Hispano de Pastoral Juvenil (2006) allowed us to listen to the voices of Hispanic/Latino youth and to discern the best ways to respond to their needs and aspirations, as well as to recognize their contributions as privileged protagonists of the present and future Church in the United States.
2018 – V Encuentro
A V National Encuentro of Hispanic Ministry will encourage us to continue our walk as God’s people, to raise our voice once more, and to discern our pastoral priorities and strategies that are most appropriate at the present time.