Creating a culture of encounter

Over the past four years, the Church in the United States has journeyed together through the consultation process of the Fifth National Ecuentro for Hispanic/Latino ministry. The Encuentro process has generated many fruits in many of our parishes and dioceses. The whole experience of the Fifth National Encuentro has been described as a “moment of grace” and has given the Church a sense of hope and joy, not only for our Hispanic/Latino brothers and sisters but for the Catholic Church as a whole.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has published two different documents on this process: one is the Proceedings and Conclusions of the Fifth National Encuentro, which includes recommendations, best practices, statistics and resources. The other is a resource for Creating a Culture of Encounter: A Guide for Joyful Missionary Disciples. Both of these publications were generated through the consultation process of the Fifth National Encuentro and are a cause for much celebration and in deep gratitude to those committed to the work of the V Encuentro.

These publications will be helpful for dioceses (especially diocesan departments and offices), parishes, Catholic schools, lay movements and apostolates in responding to Evangelli Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel).

As we begin to implement the fruits of the Fifth National Encuentro for Hispanic/Latino ministry in our diocese, we have invited Dr. Hosffman Ospino to come to our diocese on March 26 to address the clergy, diocesan directors and the coordinators of parish evangelization/encuentro, and the leadership of the different lay movements, apostolates and Catholic organizations.

Dr. Ospino is associate professor of Hispanic Ministry and Religious Education at Boston College. His work and research concentrates on the dialogue between theology and culture and the impact of this interchange upon Catholic theological education, catechesis and ministry. He lectures national and internationally in these areas and is the co-author of the Encuentro consultation process.

He was also the principal investigator for the National Study of Catholic Parishes in the United States (NSCPHM); and co-principal investigator for the 2014 National Survey of Catholic Schools Serving Hispanic Families — worthwhile reading for anyone ministering with Hispanics/Latinos.

On May 18, 2013, the Holy Father, Pope Francis, addressed the Ecclesial Movements on the vigil of Pentecost at St. Peter’s Square.

“The Church must step outside herself. To go where? To the outskirts of existence, whatever they may be, but she must step out. Jesus tells us: ‘Go into all the world! Go! Preach! Bear witness to the Gospel!’ (cf. Mk 16:15). But what happens if we step outside ourselves?”

He explained further: “In this ‘stepping out,’ it is important to be ready for encounter. For me, this word is very important. Encounter with others. Why? Because faith is an encounter with Jesus, and we must do what Jesus does: encounter others. We live in a culture of conflict, a culture of fragmentation, a culture in which I throw away what is of no use to me, a culture of waste.”

“With our faith we must create a ‘culture of encounter,’ a culture of friendship, a culture in which we find brothers and sisters, in which we can also speak with those who think differently, as well as those who hold other beliefs, who do not have the same faith. They all have something in common with us: they are images of God, they are children of God.”

Pope Francis in Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel) Apostolic Exhortation: On the Proclamation of the Gospel in Today’s World, calls the Universal Church to a culture of encounter by stating, “Yet becoming a people demands something more. It is an ongoing process in which every new generation must take part: a slow and arduous effort calling for a desire for integration and a willingness to achieve this through the growth of a peaceful and multifaceted culture of encounter.”

In the publication Creating a Culture of Encounter (CCE) which is an adaptation of the process developed for the V National Encuentro of Hispanic/Latino Ministry, the USCCB identified it as a priority activity for their 2020 Strategic Plan.

The main goal of “Creating a Culture of Encounter” is to discern ways in which the local Church can better respond to those who live on the peripheries of society and foster ways in which the faithful can respond, as missionary disciples, to the call of the New Evangelization, serving the whole Church.

The Fifth National Encuentro invites and encourages all leaders in the Church clergy, religious and laity to participate in reaching out to those living in the peripheries (outer limits, margins, fringes, borders, boundaries), through the missionary process of evangelization of creating a culture of Encounter as joyful and intentional missionary disciples — witnesses of God’s love in the world today.

Deacon Luis Zuniga is the director of the Office for Pastoral Planning & San Juan Diego Ministry Institute.