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Planning committee announced to draft 2021-2025 diocesan Pastoral Plan for Hispanic/Latino Ministry

Encuentro delegates from around the Southeast hold pictures of the Virgin Mary of different Latin-American advocations during the 2018 Encuentro Regional in Miami, Florida. COURTESY OF DEACON CHRIS GUTIÉRREZ

BY ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD, THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC

By the end of 2020, the Diocese of Owensboro’s Office of Hispanic/Latino Ministry hopes to have drafted a 2021-2025 diocesan Pastoral Plan for Hispanic/Latino Ministry.

Deacon Chris Gutiérrez, director of Hispanic/Latino Ministry in the diocese, emailed a memo on July 2, 2020 to the staff of the McRaith Catholic Center (the central offices for the diocese) announcing the planning committee that will work with him and parish Hispanic ministers to draft this plan.

“For the next six months this group will be studying and discerning the Proceedings and Conclusions from the V National Encuentro Process and evaluate our own local pastoral growth, progress and continuing challenges as a diocese,” Deacon Gutiérrez wrote, referencing the V National Encuentro of Hispanic/Latino Ministry, which has explored and discussed how best to serve and accompany the growing Hispanic and Latino populations around the United States over the past five years.

And not a moment too soon – Deacon Gutiérrez added that their last Diocesan Pastoral Plan for Hispanic Ministry in the diocese expired back in 2011.

“We are especially grateful to Bishop Medley and his continuous support throughout these years in this process of Encuentro and for supporting us in moving forward with the next stage of this important work,” wrote the deacon.

Deacon Gutiérrez also expressed gratitude to the diocesan offices of Youth and Young Adult Ministry, Marriage and Family Life, and Evangelization and Discipleship “in advancing a healthier level of ecclesial integration.”

The planning committee members are as follows:

1) Bruno Espinoza (Owensboro)

2) Elena Zamora (Owensboro)

3) Deacon Baltazar Rafael (Sebree)

4) Deacon Edwin Pacheco (Russellville)

5) Claudia and Marco Valladares (Bowling Green)

6) Ellis Salas (Hopkinsville)

7) Casey Gómez (Franklin)

8) María García (Franklin)

9) Consuelo Aguilar (Guthrie)

10) Sandra Reséndiz (Guthrie)

11) Norma Molina (Paducah)

12) Miguelina Young (Paducah)

13) Bertha Arroyo (Henderson)

14) Gabriela Ángeles (Henderson)

15 ) Ángela García (Mayfield)

16) Elvira Bartolo (Mayfield)

To learn more, visit https://vencuentro.org.


Originally printed in the August 2020 issue of The Western Kentucky Catholic.


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