A Time to Speak — Walking toward the third Encuentro

EvaGonzalez-wBy Eva Gonzalez

It seems that it was just yesterday when, in April of 2014, we had a Day of Reflection where the topic of family within the context of evangelization was the focus.

During his homily, Archbishop Joseph Kurtz said, “You are meant to be an example. You are to be the leaven, not only for others from Latin America, but for people throughout the church.

“We need you to be committed to your family and to deepening your devotion to God, to Mass, prayers and the church,” he said.

He reminded the Hispanic community that the work of the new evangelization needs each and every one of them.

Since then, the focus on family has continued its journey. In September 2014 the second Archdiocesan Hispanic Encuentro focused on a follow-up to the Day of Reflection.

During his keynote address, entitled “La Iglesia Doméstica: Centro de Evangelización” (“The Domestic Church: Center of Evangelization), Piarist Father Rafael Capó, who is the director of the Southeast Pastoral Institute (SEPI), said, “You and your family are not spectators.

You are called to be protagonists.

“The church’s mission is to evangelize and every family is called to share in that mission. Your family is a domestic church, a small temple within the home where every member is called to walk in unity and to participate.”

In May of this year, the Ecclesiastical Province of Louisville (dioceses in Kentucky and Tennessee) gathered for an encuentro on pastoral family, which provided the opportunity to listen to and discuss in small groups the pastoral challenges of the Hispanic family within the context of evangelization and the many challenges that families face.

In his homily, Archbishop Kurtz asked his listeners to pray that three important issues would be forefront at the synod — the beauty of marriage, the importance of the witness to marriage and the importance of accompanying families who are hurting. Then he added, “You are the yeast,” referring to the Hispanic community. “The presence of Latino families in the United States is essential if we are to be renewed in family life.”

In continuing the topic of family, on Sept. 19 of this year, the third Archdiocesan Hispanic Encuentro will take place under the theme “The Family and its Mission.” It will focus on the preparatory catechesis for the VIII World Meeting of Families, which will be held Sept. 22-25 in Philadelphia.

This catechesis provides a clear Catholic scope on marriage and family, where love is the centerpiece of our mission as human beings created in the image and likeness of God. Particularly presented from the context of the Hispanic culture, children, youth, young adults and adults will have the opportunity to listen and reflect on the great gift of family “the domestic church!”

Equally important, a topic on “The Family within the Context of Creation,” based on the encyclical “Laudato Si’,” will plant the seeds for future conversations.

And this is how, step by step, we walk this journey with the Hispanic community toward the third Archdiocesan Hispanic Encuentro of the Archdiocese of Louisville.

The Record
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