For Immediate Release: July 15, 2017
Nuestra Alegría Viral Video Contest Winners Announced
Washington, DC: The V Encuentro announces the winners of the Nuestra Alegría Viral Video Challenge! Young people across the nation were invited to create their own movements and gestures to the official youth and young adult song for the V Encuentro and submitted their YouTube videos for Catholics across the nation to vote on Facebook.
This challenge was launched as a means to encourage the participation of young Hispanic Catholics in the V Encuentro. The V Encuentro is a four-year process of missionary activity, consultation, leadership development, and strengthening unity in the spirit of the New Evangelization. Its goal is to discern the ways in which the Church in the United States can better respond to the Hispanic/Latino presence and strengthen the ways in which Hispanics/Latinos respond to the call to the New Evangelization as missionary disciples serving the entire Church. The national event will take place September 20-23, 2018 at the Gaylord Texan Resort Hotel & Convention Center in Grapevine, TX.
Voting for the Nuestra Alegría Viral Video Challenge took place from July 1-13, 2017 and a panel of judges from across the nation selected the winners after reviewing the videos on their 18 second submissions and evaluating that the movements and gestures reflecyted the meaning of the song. Twenty-two groups of young Hispanic/Latino Catholics across the nation submitted an entry for the viral video challenge representing 11 of the 14 regions in the United States and spanning 16 states. Video submissions were very creative utilizing flags, drones, and banners. Some of the videos included children highlighting the importance of family to contestants.
The first-place was awarded to St. Francis Borgia Deaf Center Youth Group in Chicago, IL. As first-place winners they receive $1,000 and the honor of having the movements used in diocesan and regional Encuentros and the national event in September of 2018 in Grapevine, TX. The Youth Group used sign language to express the lyrics of Nuestra Alegría. Many Facebook posts reflected their awe and inspiration after viewing St. Francis’ submission.
View the video
Bishop Nelson Pérez, Bishop designate of Cleveland and Chair of the Subcommittee on Hispanic Affairs stated, “Young people are at the heart of the V Encuentro process. It is wonderful to see their creativity and love for Christ and the Church in joyful motion. I look forward to follow along with the movements as we sing Nuestra Alegría in the diocesan and regional encuentros, and at the National Encuentro in Grapevine, TX .”
Second place with a prize of $500 was awarded to Apóstoles De Ágape, St. John Neumann Catholic Church, Miami, FL and the third-place prize of $250 was given to River Valley Millenials, Diocese of Little Rock, AR.
Four groups received honorable mention:
Most Joyful
Escuela de Evangelización San Andrés Jóvenes, St. Francis de Sales, Holland, MI
Best Use of Technology
Jóvenes de Coronado- Sacred Heart Church, Coronado, CA
Best Concept and Creativity
Cristo Joven- Sacred Heart, Washington DC
Best Teamwork
Juventus- Saint Peter and Paul Catholic Church, Salt Lake City, UT
All participants of the contest will receive a copy of the pocket book of the Gospels in September. Stories about the winners and other groups that participated in the challenge will be featured on the V Encuentro blog and social media accounts in weeks to come.
Alejandro Aguilera-Titus, V Encuentro National Coordinator affirmed, “We are very grateful to all the groups that submitted their videos. Their joy, enthusiasm and creativity are the young face of the Church today. Congratulation to the winners!”
All video submissions can be viewed on the Nuestra Alegría Viral Video Challenge Video Page.
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Media Contact
Patricia Jiménez, DMin
Communications Coordinator
ENAVE: V Encuentro
(559) 429-5113
contact@vencuentro.org
The V Encuentro process is a priority activity of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ 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 Fifth National Encuentro of Hispano/Latino Ministry.