V Encuentro is a four year process geared to finding new ways to engage Hispanic Catholics. The process starts at the grass roots level and calls for development of resources and initiatives to better serve the Hispanic population.
Doctor Maria Romo Chavira, chancellor for the Diocese of Phoenix gives us more details on the process.
JOSÉ CÃRDENAS: V ENCUENTRO IS A FOUR- YEAR PROCESS GEARED TO FINDING NEWS WAYS TO UNITE HISPANIC CATHOLICS. JOINING ME TO TALK ABOUT THIS PROCESS IS DOCTOR MARIA ROMO CHAVIRA, CHANCELLOR FOR THE DIOCESE OF PHOENIX. WELCOME TO 'HORIZONTE'. EXPLAIN THIS WHOLE THING. V ENCUENTRO IS FOURTH ENCOUNTER. WHAT ARE THESE ALL ABOUT?
MARIA ROMO CHAVIRA: THEY ARE FROM THE UNITED STATES CONFERENCE OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS. THIS IS THE FIFTH ONE. THE FIRST ONE HAPPENED IN THE EARLY '70s AND AS A RESULT THERE WAS A SECRETARY FORMED FOR CULTURAL AFFAIRS. WE DON'T KNOW WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN IN THE FIFTH ONE.
JOSÉ CÃRDENAS: HAVE THEY ALL BEEN FOCUSED ON HISPANIC CATHOLICS?
MARIA ROMO CHAVIRA: THEY HAVE BUT THIS YEAR EVOLVED A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY AND EVERY DIOCESE IN THE UNITED STATES PARTICIPATES AND IN OUR DIOCESE THE FOCUS IS ON ALL CATHOLICS BUT BEING LED BY THE HISPANICS THROUGH HISPANIC MINISTRY BUT IT IS FOR ALL CATHOLICS. THE BISHOP ASKED ALL THE PASTORS TO PARTICIPATE.
JOSÉ CÃRDENAS: ARE THERE ISSUES SPECIFICALLY WITH HISPANICS TO DECIDE TO HAVE THIS AND FOCUS ON LATINOS?
MARIA ROMO CHAVIRA: YES, ONE OF THE BIGGEST THING THAT WAS PART OF THAT WAS A STUDY DONE BY THERE CENTER FOR APPLIED RESEARCH IN THE APOSLIT AND THROUGH THAT REPORT THE BISHOPS ARE AWARE OF THE GROWING POPULATION PARTICULARLY OF THIS DEMOGRAPHIC. HERE IN ARIZONA, HISPANICS REPRESENT ABOUT 59% OF CATHOLICS. SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE KNOW THROUGH THE DATA IS THAT HISPANICS ARE GROWING AND THEY ARE GOING TO BE MAKING UP THE MAJORITY OF THE CATHOLIC'S POPULATION. WHEN WE LOOK AT SECOND OR THIRD GENERATION HISPANICS WE ARE FINDING THEY MAY NOT BE AS CONNECTED TO A PERISH OR CHURCH. THEY MAY GO TO MASS HOWEVER THEY MAY NOT BE INVOLVED IN LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES OR DECISION MAKING OPPORTUNITIES. THEY MAY NOT BE HAVING THEIR CHILDREN IN CATHOLIC SCHOOLS, FOR EXAMPLE. THOSE ARE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT V ENCUENTRO IS GOING TO BE ASKING. WE ARE GOING TO BE ASKING QUESTIONS TO FIND OUT WHAT IS HAPPENING AND TAKE A POLL OF THE PEOPLE.
JOSÉ CÃRDENAS: I TAKE IT IS TO ADDRESS THESE ISSUES. HOW WILL YOU DO THAT? I UNDERSTAND THERE ARE FIVE SESSION OVER THE COURSE OF ALMOST THE NEXT TWO YEARS CORRECT?
MARIA ROMO CHAVIRA: CORRECT. THROUGH THE USCCB THERE ARE MATERIALS THAT HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED. THERE ARE FIVE SESSIONS OF 90 MINUTES EACH. EVERY PERISH WILL HAVE A TEAM THAT IS IDENTIFIED THROUGH THE PASTOR. THAT TEAM WILL GO THROUGH A FIVE SESSION PROCESS. IT IS ABOUT 90-MINUTES EACH. WE ARE DOING MODIFICATIONS IN OUR DIOCESE AND WORKING THROUGH THAT NOW. BUT IT IS ABOUT 90 MINUTES.
JOSÉ CÃRDENAS: EACH OF THOSE SESSIONS IS OVER A CERTAIN PERIOD OF TIME. LIKE SESSION ONE IS OFFERED FOR WHAT THE NEXT THREE MONTHS OR SO? AND THEN SESSION TWO AND SO FORTH AND THE FIFTH SESSION WILL BE IN 2018?
MARIA ROMO CHAVIRA: THE PROCESS HAS DIFFERENT SEGMENTS. THE FIRST STEP WILL BE TO WORK AT THE LOCAL LEVEL WITH THE PERISHES. AT THE PARISH LEVEL, THERE WILL BE REFLECTION IN THOSE QUESTIONS THAT ARE BEING ASKED. AND THEN THAT INFORMATION IS GOING TO BE SINATHIZE AND PRESENTED IN SEPTEMBER. AND FOLLOWING THAT WE ARE GOING TO BE HAVING SYNTHES WERE THE REGION. THE UNITED STATES IS DIVIDED INTO 14 REGIONS. WE ARE PART OF REGIONS 13 WHICH CONSIST OF WYOMING, COLORADO, NEW MEXICO AND ARIZONA FOR EXAMPLE. AND WE WILL COLLECTIVELY GET TOGETHER AS A REGION IN FEBRUARY, 2018 AND THAT INFORMATION WILL BE SYNTHESIZED AND PRESENTED IN TEXAS AND FROM THERE THE INFORMATION WILL BE SYNTHESIZED BY THE BISHOPS.
JOSÉ CÃRDENAS: AN ISSUE FACING THE CHURCH AS A WHOLE HAS TO DO WITH THE LOWER NUMBER OF VOCATIONS AND FEWER YOUNG MEN GOING INTO THE PRIESTHOOD. WILL THIS ADDRESS THAT?
MARIA ROMO CHAVIRA: THIS WILL BE THE OPPORTUNITY TO ADDRESS SOME OF THOSE QUESTIONS. ONE OF THE THINGS POPE FRANCIS HAS ENCOURAGED US TO DO IS GO OUT AND SMILE LIKE THE SHEEP. WE HAVE TO ENCOUNTER THE PEOPLE. PART OF THAT IS TO GO OUT IN THE PERIPHERIES AND ENGAGE IN A CONVERSATION LIKE WE ARE DOING NOW AND TALK ABOUT SOME OF THOSE ISSUES AS TO WHY IS THAT HAPPENING. THAT WILL BE AN OPPORTUNITY TO ENGAGE IN THAT DIALOGUE.
JOSÉ CÃRDENAS: YOU MENTIONED POPE FRANCIS, THE FIRST LATIN AMERICAN POPE, SPANISH SPEAKER. HAS THAT HAD ANY IMPACT? MAKING YOUR JOB EASIER? TOUGHER? IN CONVINCING PEOPLE TO STRENGTHEN THEIR TIES TO THE CHURCH?
MARIA ROMO CHAVIRA: I CERTAINLY BELIEVE THERE IS A RENEWED INTEREST. THE POPE IS SOMEONE PEOPLE CAN RELATE TO. I BELIEVE THAT PART OF HOW HE IS ENGAGING THE CATHOLIC POPULATION IS EXCITING FOR PEOPLE. THEY WANT TO BE A PART OF IT. PART OF HIS WRITING WITH THE JOY OF THE GOSPEL WAS VERY INFLUENTIAL IN THE DOCUMENTS GIVEN THAT FOLKS WILL BE TRAINED ON. SO HIS QUESTIONS WILL BE PART OF THAT.
JOSÉ CÃRDENAS: YOU MENTIONED EARLIER A FOCUS ON SECOND AND THIRD GENERATION HISPANICS WHO MAY BE DIPPING AWAY FROM CHURCH. WHAT ABOUT INCREASING NUMBER OF RECENT IMMIGRANTS WHO ARE FINDING STRONGER IDENTIFY AND TIES WITH EVANGELICAL AND PROTESTANT CHURCHES?
MARIA ROMO CHAVIRA: INTERESTINGLY THIS EVENT STARTED WITH THAT PARTICULAR FOCUS. FOCUSING ON THE FIRST-GENERATION IMMIGRANTS COMING TO THE UNITED STATES. IN THE REPORT ONE THING REVEALED IN THAT IS THEY ARE FEELING PRETTY WELL CONNECTED. IT IS WHEN FOLKS ARE GETTING INTO THEIR SECOND AND THIRD GENERATION AND THEY ARE PRIMARILY ENGLISH SPEAKING WE ARE LOOSING THE CONNECTION. BUT THAT IS CERTAINLY PART OF THE PROCESS. BUT THE FOCUS IS GOING TO BE ON THE SECOND AND THIRD GENERATION HISPANIC YOUTH.
JOSÉ CÃRDENAS: VERY GOOD. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US ON 'HORIZONTE' TO TALK ABOUT IT.
MARIA ROMO CHAVIRA: THANK YOU. A JOY TO BE HERE.
Dr. Maria Romo Chavira, Ph.D.: Chancellor, Diocese of Phoenix
