April 17, 2017 – For Immediate Release

Ken Johnson-Mondragón joins the V Encuentro Leadership Team as Coordinator of Research

Washington DC: The USCCB Secretariat for Cultural Diversity in the Church has contracted Ken Johnson-Mondragón as the V Encuentro Coordinator of Research to oversee the gathering, analysis and reporting of data from the five-year consultation process.

After receiving his M.A. in theology from the Catholic University of America, Ken served four years as a parish youth minister and pastoral associate. From 1999 to 2015, he worked for Instituto Fe y Vida, a national Catholic formation institute, where he served as Director of the National Research and Resource Center for Hispanic Youth and Young Adult Ministry. From 2015 to 2017 he took on the role of Director of Latino Research and Development for RCL Benziger, one of the oldest and largest publishers of Catholic educational materials and faith formation resources in the United States. In 2007, Fe y Vida published his first book, Pathways of Hope and Faith Among Hispanic Teens, and he is the author or coauthor of more than two dozen academic and pastoral articles or book chapters. Ken is nearing completion of the Doctor of Ministry program in Hispanic Ministry at the Oblate School of Theology.

As Coordinator of Research, Ken will organize and oversee a team to implement the consultation and research component of the V Encuentro in collaboration with the other members of the V Encuentro Leadership Team (VELT) and the Equipo Nacional de Acompañamiento al V Encuentro (ENAVE). In that capacity, Ken’s team will produce research reports at the diocesan, regional, and national levels throughout the consultation process and will work with the VELT and the Secretariat for Cultural Diversity in the Church to disseminate the findings to a variety of stakeholders across the country. After the successful conclusion of the National Encuentro event in the Fall of 2018, Ken will work closely with the Secretariat to articulate the conclusions of the Encuentro and assess its initial impact in the life of the Catholic Church in the United States.

Ken is passionate about strengthening the pastoral accompaniment of Latino Catholics in parishes, schools, and families with insights based on sound research and shared wisdom among pastoral leaders.

“His experience and research expertise will enhance the V Encuentro consultation process at all levels, and we are excited to welcome Ken to the Leadership Team,” said Mar Muñoz-Visoso, Executive Director of the Secretariat for Cultural Diversity in the Church at the USCCB.

Alejandro Aguilera-Titus, National Coordinator for the V Encuentro, stated,

“Ken will have an immediate impact on the V Encuentro consultation process. His addition to the Leadership Team could not be more timely as thousands of parishes, schools and other Catholic organizations are presently generating information of the needs, aspiration, and contributions of Hispanics/Latinos in the Church and beyond. We welcome Ken with open arms and look forward to working with him.”

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The V National Encuentro of Hispanic/Latino Ministry is a four-year process of ecclesial reflection & action in Catholic parishes across the United States. The V Encuentro process is a priority activity of the USCCB’s Strategic Plan for 2017-2020. ENAVE is the National Team of Accompaniment of the V Encuentro and is a representative group of national Catholic organizations committed to advancing the call to the V National Encuentro of Hispano/Latino Ministry.

Media Contact
Patricia Jiménez, Communications
ENAVE: V Encuentro
(559) 429-5113
contact@vencuentro.org