Hispanic Lay Leadership Initiative

Hispanic Lay Leadership Initiative

Representing nearly 40 percent of the Catholic population in the United States today, Hispanics are a blessing to the Church, bringing their deep faith and rich traditions to parishes around the country. TABLE OF CONTENTS Catholic Extension Hispanic Lay Leadership Initiative 1 Participant Profiles Eduardo Cabrera 2 Javier Cervantes 3 Alma Ciriello 4 Gloria Coronado 5 Lupe Rodriguez de Gonzalez 6 Hispanic Lay Leaders Across the Country 7 Additional Catholic Extension Strategic Initiatives 8 Thank You 11

100 Hispanic Lay Leaders in 3 Years The Hispanic community is the fastest growing population among U.S. Catholics. Though our Latino brothers and sisters have brought with them the rich, vibrant faith traditions that have been carried on through generations, many poor mission dioceses do not have the resources to support their pastoral outreach. It is more important than ever to support new Hispanic leaders in our dioceses who can address the spiritual needs of Hispanic Catholics throughout the country. That is why Catholic Extension has launched the Hispanic Lay Leadership Initiative. Through this initiative, we have committed to invest in these leaders who can mobilize and strengthen our Catholic communities across the United States, providing an immediate and long-term impact within the entire Catholic Church. Through this initiative, we have committed to invest in these leaders who can mobilize and strengthen our Catholic communities across the United States, providing an immediate and long-term impact within the entire Catholic Church. The Hispanic Lay Leadership Initiative will create and help fund 100 salaried, lay leadership positions for non-ordained Hispanic Catholic leaders over a three-year period. With your support, these outstanding professional leaders will be in a unique position to address the specific needs of the communites they serve. They will become the faith formation leaders, youth and family ministers, and religious education coordinators who will engage Catholics and implement programs that will build capacity within the church. With the right resources, new Hispanic leaders will cultivate future leadership and stewardship from within the Hispanic community. Outreach to this growing community means that every Catholic, no matter what their ethnicity, will experience a richer faith and a stronger, more united Catholic Church. Participants in the youth ministry at Sacred Heart of Cristo Rey, in Salinas, California, in the Diocese of Monterey, find faith and each other. This growing group of teens is turning to the Church instead of gangs. Our Strategic Initiatives allow us to multiply the impact of our donor s gifts while providing the opportunity for dioceses to access top-level programs that would otherwise be outside of their financial capacity. 1

HISPANIC LAY LEADERSHIP PARTICIPANT Eduardo Cabrera Hispanic Youth and Adolescent Lay Minister DIOCESE OF KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE Eddie Cabrera is one of many bright spots for the Church in eastern Tennessee, where Hispanics are still a minority, but a rapidly growing group. As Hispanic Youth and Adolescent Lay Minister for the Diocese of Knoxville, Eddie is focusing on creating Hispanic young adult groups and bringing teens closer to their faith. Eddie knows the power of involvement in the Church. In his own youth, as a minority in Tennessee, he faced discrimination and felt marginalized. But when he became involved in his parish s youth group, he emerged as a leader. He found that he was able to rise above his hurt. In fact, Eddie discovered that his spirit was not dimmed by the experiences he endured; it was strengthened and multiplied with the help of the Church. Now Eddie is sharing this Christ-centered, resilient spirit by ministering to young people just like him. The young men, especially, who are part of Eddie s ministry are grateful they have someone to turn to for spiritual guidance. This guidance is already making an impact: Two young men in his group have recently announced that they will pursue ordained vocations. They credit their decision to the supportive and vibrant Church experience that Eddie helped create for them. 2 Two young men in his group have recently announced that they will pursue ordained vocations. Eddie is a powerful role model and spiritual leader for Hispanic young people in the Diocese of Knoxville, and he has a vision for the future. He currently is working with each of the 47 parishes in the diocese so he can find ways to meet their needs. He wants to continue to build an infrastructure that brings as many young people together as possible to explore their faith, examine what lies ahead and listen to the deepest yearnings in their hearts. He is making a safe place for these youth to grow spiritually and develop strong, faith-filled lives as committed Catholics. The ripple effect of Eddie s ministry has only just begun. Mission Diocese Eddie Cabrera, shown here with his supportive family, brings his indomitable spirit to his role as a youth and adolescent lay minister in the Diocese of Knoxville, Tennessee.

HISPANIC LAY LEADERSHIP PARTICIPANT Javier Cervantes Director of Hispanic Ministry DIOCESE OF COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO Javier Cervantes is the first ever diocesan Director of Hispanic Ministry in the Diocese of Colorado Springs. In the mere six months since he started, he has rolled up his sleeves and begun integrating the Hispanic community more deeply into the Church in both big and small ways. The Diocese of Colorado Springs did not have a formalized approach to Hispanic ministry prior to Javier s arrival. This included leadership training opportunities for Hispanic adults. To address this need immediately, Javier worked with priests and other leaders in the diocese to launch the Guadalupen Institute for Adult Faith Formation. To date, 40 adults have enrolled in this new venture to be trained as Eucharistic ministers, lectors and catechists. They will then be able to serve in these roles in their own parishes, expanding the Church s reach to hundreds in the diocese. Through the Guadalupen Institute, Javier is helping build an infrastructure that encourages a new generation of Hispanic Church leaders in Colorado. Javier also understands the importance of a meaningful, vibrant Church experience for everyone, so he quickly created five, strategically located Hispanic Centers throughout the diocese. These centers offer Spanish-language Mass and the sacraments every Sunday, ensuring that Catholics from the most remote Hispanic communities in the Rocky Mountains have an opportunity to practice their faith on a consistent basis. In this way, they maintain their connection to the Church and become more integrated into a parish community. Mission Diocese Forty adults have enrolled in this new venture to be trained as Eucharistic ministers, lectors and catechists, expanding the Church s reach to hundreds in the diocese. As another display of leadership, during Hispanic Heritage Month last fall, Javier organized a special diocesan gathering to honor the richness and complexity of Hispanic identity in the U.S. He brought Hispanic parishioners from different national backgrounds together in a celebration of their shared language and religious heritage. Javier is just getting started in his ministry, but he is already making things happen and the Hispanic community is taking notice. All it took was a little bit of movement on our part for the people to reawaken their faith, he says. 3

HISPANIC LAY LEADERSHIP PARTICIPANT Alma Ciriello Hispanic Outreach Coordinator, Stark County DIOCESE OF YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO In Youngstown, Ohio, and the surrounding area in the foothills of the Appalachians, approximately 10 percent of the population is Hispanic. Alma Ciriello, the new Hispanic Coordinator for Stark County in the Diocese of Youngstown, is doing everything she can to strengthen the relationship between this growing population and the Church. Her goal is not only to deepen existing Church relationships, but also to keep Hispanics from leaving local parishes. Many people are going to different places, she says, but I want to bring the Hispanic community back to the Church. Alma s new position has many facets, such as providing Hispanic culture and Spanish language classes to priests and deacons. Six months ago, she began working with five priests who were not bilingual enough to say Mass in Spanish. Today, three of these priests are already providing Spanishlanguage Masses and greatly expanding their outreach to the Hispanic community. The other two priests are close to proficiency and will soon be able to do the same, further strengthening the Church s relationship with hundreds of people in the area. Mission Diocese Six months ago, she began working with five priests who were not bilingual enough to say Mass in Spanish. Today, three of these priests are already providing Spanish-language Masses. When spring comes and migrant workers from Mexico and Guatemala arrive in Stark County, Alma will be there, helping connect them to local parishes and forming youth groups so teens from migrant families have safe, fulfilling activities that will help them grow spiritually and keep them away from dangerous alternatives. Alma brings both a depth of character and a profound sense of faith to her new position. She emigrated to the U.S. from Mexico in 1999 with only a suitcase and her family. She wanted to protect her three sons from the dangers in Mexico, but she didn t know a word of English and she didn t know where to turn. But she found the Church and people who cared. Today, she has a college degree, a faith that continues to deepen, and a burning desire to build a strong and lasting Hispanic ministry. She wants all Hispanics in Stark County to know and love the Church just as she does. 4

HISPANIC LAY LEADERSHIP PARTICIPANT Gloria Coronado Associate Director of Hispanic Catechesis ARCHDIOCESE OF SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS Gloria Coronado, a well-known name among Hispanic Catholics in San Antonio, is the new Associate Director of Hispanic Catechesis in the Archdiocese of San Antonio. She started her position in September of 2012, and in just a few short months, she has helped establish nine new leadership formation groups with more than 700 participants who are training to become catechists in south central Texas. Prior to this role, Gloria had already established herself as an instrument of faith. In fact, she was recruited by the archdiocese because of her gifts for ministry and outreach, gifts she shares with the Hispanic community via Virgen de Guadalupe Radio, her Spanish-language Catholic radio program that is the only one of its kind in the area. Mission Diocese She has helped establish nine new leadership formation groups with more than 700 participants. Gloria and her husband created the radio program on their own, making sacrifices like selling their car and moving to a smaller home so they could finance it. They wanted a unique way to reach the poorest and most vulnerable Hispanics in the area. In just two years, the program has grown into a mass-media catechetical tool and a way of mobilizing the Hispanic faith community. In 2012, Gloria was nominated for Catholic Extension s Lumen Christi Award because of the impact of this on air evangelization. Gloria s new position in the archdiocese, along with her radio program, have created a special synergy. Through her radio program, she promotes Church activities and ministries. She then steps out of the radio booth and provides hands-on outreach to parishes, including one-on-one interactions that forge deep emotional connections. Gloria Coronado, who ministers to Hispanics in the Archdiocese of San Antonio, meets a woman whose life was changed through a prayer group inspired by Gloria s radio show. There is a great deal of excitement and enthusiasm about the impact that Gloria s widespread, multi-layered ministry is already having, and will continue to have in the months and years ahead. 5

HISPANIC LAY LEADERSHIP PARTICIPANT Lupe Rodriguez de Gonzalez Coordinator of Religious Formation of Rural West Texas DIOCESE OF EL PASO, TEXAS With missionary zeal and a homegrown love for the area of Texas she serves, Lupe Rodriguez de Gonzalez is a woman who is singlehandedly reaching people where they are in isolated small towns and bringing them into the Church. As Coordinator of Religious Formation for Rural West Texas in the Diocese of El Paso, she radically lives her faith, driving 700 miles a week to bring her ministry to Hispanic Catholics in scattered communities where there are no ordained ministers. She radically lives her faith, driving 700 miles a week to bring her ministry to Hispanic Catholics in scattered communities. A woman with boundless energy and a heart for the people she serves, Lupe had long been involved in ministry at the parish level. Then, in 2009, she began working part-time for the diocese, focusing on the formation of catechists. When she began her part-time work, she served six communities. Today, she serves 16 communities, despite the fact that they are far apart. Lupe travels constantly, and since only three of the communities are close enough for day trips, she spends the night in churches or parishioners homes. Often she doesn t know where she will stay until the last minute. Some of the communities she visits do not have churches, but Lupe is unfazed. There does not need to be a church building. When we gather, we gather as the Church, she says. With a pioneer s sense of evangelization, Lupe does not see obstacles, only opportunities. She is constantly looking to expand her ministry. In communities where Hispanics are not the only ethnic group, she now provides two formation classes: one in Spanish and one in English. And although she has little free time, she also is pursuing a master s degree in pastoral studies. To Lupe, the possibilities for building faith are as wide and deep as the Texas sky. What drives me to this ministry, to do missionary work, is because that is who we are, she says. We are not a church that can sit back, and say let the work be done by others. 6 Mission Diocese Because Lupe Rodriguez de Gonzalez is so frequently on the road ministering to isolated parishes in west Texas, she often invites her parents and her son, shown here, to join her.

Diocese Hispanic Lay Leadership Initiative Positions Anchorage Baker Beaumont Boise Charleston Charlotte Cheyenne Colorado Springs Des Moines El Paso Kalamazoo Knoxville Laredo Las Cruces Little Rock Mobile New Ulm Owensboro Richmond Salt Lake City San Antonio San Bernardino Santa Fe Savannah Shreveport Sioux City Stockton Tucson Tyler Yakima Youngstown Parish Director of Hispanic Ministry, Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish Hispanic Minister, St. Mary s Catholic Community, Hood River Hispanic Ministry Coordinator, Sacred Heart Church, Klamath Falls Associate Director of New Community Development Associate Director of Worship* Pastoral Associate for Ministry, St. Jerome Church Coordinator of Hispanic Ministries Director of Hispanic Ministry* Hispanic Ministry Program Director Regional Coordinator of Hispanic Ministries Director of Hispanic Ministry Coordinator of Hispanic Ministry Coordinator of Hispanic Youth Ministry* Coordinator of Religious Formation for Rural West Texas Religious Formation Confirmation Specialist* Associate Director for Hispanic Youth and Young Adult and Domestic Church Ministry Hispanic Youth and Adolescent Lay Minister Program Coordinator for the New Evangelization Diocesan Hispanic Outreach and Training Coordinator Lay Campus Minister, St. Albert the Great Newman Center (NMSU) Coordinator of Hispanic Ministry Associate Director of Religious Education, St. Theresa Parish Director of Hispanic Ministry, St. Raphael Catholic Church Director of Hispanic Ministry Hispanic Youth and Young Adult Ministry* Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry for Hispanics Hispanic Reginonal Coordinator (East) Hispanic Regional Coordinator (Southwest) Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry Associate Director of Hispanic Catechesis Coordinator of Pastoral Outreach to Hispanic Young Adults Field Consultant for Adult Faith Formation Director of Pastoral Ministries, Santuario de San Martin de Porres Parish Director of Evangelization and Education of Hispanic Youth and Young Adults, Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe Director of Hispanic Children and Adult Faith Formation, Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe Director of Hispanic Ministry Coordinator of Youth and Young Adults for Hispanic Ministry Director of Hispanic Ministry Hispanic Youth Engagement Coordinator Hispanic Ministry Program, Outreach and Evangelization Assistant to Diocesan Coordinator for Catechesis Assistant Director of Ecclesial Ministry and Hispanic Lay Formation Hispanic Outreach Coordinator, Stark County Santa Rosa Monterey Stockton Yakima Spokane Baker Reno San Bernardino Fairbanks Anchorage Boise Hispanic Lay Leadership Initiative Helena Salt Lake City Tucson Juneau 43 New Leaders Funded in 31 Dioceses Gallup Great Falls-Billings Cheyenne Pueblo Las Cruces Colorado Springs Sante Fe El Paso Bismark Rapid City Grand Island Amarillo Hawaii Dodge City Lubbock San Angelo Fargo Sioux Falls Salina San Antonio Laredo Crookston Brownsville New Ulm Sioux City Duluth Des Moines Tulsa Tyler Superior Jefferson City Little Rock Beaumont Lake Charles Springfield-Cape Girardeau Shreveport Alexandria Marquette Bellville Owensboro Nashville Memphis Jackson Biloxi Lafayette Houma- Thibodaux Gaylord Birmingham Mobile Mission Diocese Kalamazoo Lexington Knoxville Pensacola- Tallahassee Youngstown Charlotte Savannah Charleston Limited Engagement Diocese Richmond *Actively searching

Additional Strategic Initiatives INITIATIVE ADVANCING CHURCH LEADERS PARTNER SUMMARY Graduate Ministry Scholarships Loyola Institute for Ministry Extension Program/ Catholic Theological Union To deepen lay leaders knowledge of Catholic theology as they serve in various ministries in mission dioceses. Children in traditional Mexican garb at St. Francis de Sales Church in Moorhead, Minnesota, in the Diocese of Crookston.Hispanics here and in parishes nationwide maintain their identity and cultural values as they become integrated into the Church in the United States. Biblical Studies Certification Scholarship (Spanish) University of Dallas School of Ministry To deepen Spanish-speaking lay leaders understanding of the scriptures from a Catholic perspective as they serve in various ministries in mission dioceses. Catholic Extension has partnered with the University of Dallas School of Ministry (UD SOM) to bring their Spanish-language Bible study program, Escuela Biblica Catolica, to mission dioceses. Parish Faith Renewal RENEW International To help mission dioceses catechize and energize adult Catholics with substantive education that is delivered through small, faith-sharing communities. Catholic Extension has partnered with RENEW International to bring the Why Catholic? and ARISE programs to parishes in mission dioceses. Hispanic Lay Leadership Initiative 43 New Leaders Funded in 31 Dioceses DEVELOPING YOUNG LEADERS Volunteer Service Initiative Catholic Volunteer Network To help Catholic campus ministries in the mission dioceses expand the involvement of their students through volunteer service. Catholic Extension has partnered with Catholic Volunteer Network to offer campus ministries an opportunity to select and hire a local Catholic university student to serve in a part-time position for one academic year. Campus Ministry Leadership Campus Ministry Leadership Institute To enable campus ministries in the mission dioceses to develop student leaders who will expand Catholic programs without increasing staff or budgets. Catholic Extension has partnered with the USCCB Office for Education to host Campus Ministry Leadership Institute (CMLI) regionally in mission dioceses. Please open flap to view the Catholic Extension Hispanic Lay Leadership Initiative participant locations. Young Adult Leadership Initiative Boston College/ Fordham University/ The University of Notre Dame Catholic Extension has partnered with several Catholic universities to offer a master s degree to outstanding young adult leaders from mission dioceses who commit to working for the Church in a supervised internship during their studies. 7 8

INITIATIVE FOSTERING LONG-TERM GROWTH PARTNER SUMMARY Seminarian Endowment Challenge Facilities Management Training Diocesan Appeals Enhancement Mission Diocese Fund Conference for Catholic Facility Management International Catholic Stewardship Council To help ensure that dioceses will be able to grow their financial capacity to fund the increasing cost of seminarian education. The Seminarian Endowment Challenge offers matching funds to dioceses for dollars they raise toward seminarian education endowments. To give parish leaders the basic and practical skills they need to manage and preserve their facilities. Catholic Extension has partnered with the Conference for Catholic Facility Management (CCFM) to offer a one-day facilities management workshop to pastors, parish business managers and other parish leaders. To help the mission dioceses permanently increase their annual appeal income. Catholic Extension has partnered with the International Catholic Stewardship Council (ICSC) to provide approximately 800 hours of consultative support to the mission dioceses. To help dioceses invest and manage their long-term financial assets with the intent to preserve and grow these assets for the future. STRENGTHENING CATHOLIC EDUCATION Catholic Schools Sustainability Initiative Latino Enrollment Initiative Catholic School Leadership Development Catholic School Management, Inc. The University of Notre Dame Alliance for Catholic Education Loyola Marymount University Center for Catholic Education To help struggling Catholic schools in the mission dioceses become viable, well-managed institutions. Catholic Extension has partnered with Catholic School Management, Inc. (CSM) to offer its Strategic Management and Development Program to Catholic schools in the mission dioceses. To provide school administrators with training and financial resources to help them increase Latino enrollment. Catholic Extension has partnered with the University of Notre Dame Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) to offer the Latino Enrollment Institute training to school administrators in the mission dioceses. To enable mission dioceses to develop and retain their Catholic school system s most promising leaders. Catholic Extension has partnered with Loyola Marymount University s Center for Catholic Education to offer a certificate leadership program to a group of 15 novice or emerging leaders working in Catholic schools. 9

Additional Strategic Initiatives continued... INITIATIVE EDUCATING CLERGY Professional Development for Pastors Advanced Degree Scholarships Financial Management Training International Priest Workshop PARTNER Catholic Leadership Institute The University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary Diocesan Fiscal Management Conference St. Meinrad Seminary s Institute for Priests and Presbyterates SUMMARY To give pastors in the mission dioceses the practical tools necessary to lead with excellence and confidence. Catholic Extension has partnered with Catholic Leadership Institute (CLI) to offer its leadership formation program entitled Good Leaders, Good Shepherds a two-year leadership course for diocesan priests. To provide advanced education to seminarians so they can serve as theological resources, teachers and trainers in their home diocese after ordination. Catholic Extension has partnered with Mundelein Seminary to offer scholarships to seminarians who intend to complete a Sacred Theology Licentiate (S.T.L.) at the conclusion of their seminary formation. To help pastors in the mission dioceses confidently and competently act as chief stewards of parish resources. Catholic Extension has partnered with the Diocesan Fiscal Management Conference (DFMC) to offer a two day workshop for pastors and those preparing to become pastors. To provide an opportunity for international priests to reduce their accents and receive cultural training in order to enhance their effectiveness as pastoral leaders in the mission dioceses. Catholic Extension and St. Meinrad Seminary s Institute for Priests and Presbyterates have partnered to offer language and culture workshops for international priests. 10

The Hispanic Lay Leadership Initiative invests in people who can mobilize and strengthen Catholic communities across the United States. These leaders are making an immediate and long-term impact and guaranteeing the future of the Church. Thank you to all those who have supported the Hispanic Lay Leadership Initiative. For more information on Catholic Extension s Strategic Initiatives please contact: JULIE TURLEY, Vice President of Development 312.795.5139 jturley@catholicextension.org Please visit our website for more information on supporting our Strategic Initiatives www.catholicextension.org/waystogive 11

How we pass on the faith to the children and grandchildren of Latino immigrants is the leading indicator of where the Church will be 30 years from now. This is not a priority just for Hispanic ministry, the entire Catholic Church needs to be involved in it. TIM MATOVINA Executive Director of the University of Notre Dame s Institute for Latino Studies 150 South Wacker Drive, Suite 2000, Chicago, IL 60606 1.800.842.7804 catholicextension.org