The future of the Catholic Church in California --- and nationwide --- is largely in the hands of today's Hispanic youth. In the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, 70 percent of Catholics are Hispanic. In California, more than 50 percent of youngsters entering kindergarten are Latino. Hispanics are currently the largest ethnic group in the U.S. church.
Changing demographics are having profound implications for the future of the Church, which is why more than 400 youth and young adults recently gathered at Bellarmine Jefferson High School in Burbank for a regional "Encuentro," a gathering to assess the strengths and difficulties of the lives of Hispanic youth and their parish-based youth ministries.
The Encuentro marked the first time Hispanic youth gathered regionally from the 12 dioceses in California along with the dioceses of Reno and Las Vegas.
"Latino youth are joyful. We understand unity, and we know how to make a commitment. We have a strong faith that grows," said Ismael Magańa, 19, from the Diocese of Monterey.
Heidi Sanchez, 27, leads the youth group at St. Christopher Church in Moreno Valley in the Diocese of San Bernardino. Church leaders, said Sanchez, "can count on us and give us important responsibilities. We can help them understand the needs of youth."
While Latinos instinctively yearn for unity, their massive diversity can't be ignored, either. The needs of Hispanic youth vary immensely.
Immigrant youth worry about learning English, getting work, sending money back to their families abroad, and securing immigration papers, said Juana Torres, 24, coordinator of the Hispanic youth group at St. Catherine of Siena Church in Reseda, in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Those born in the U.S. are more concerned about school, their friends and peer pressure around alcohol and drugs.
"How do I incorporate a teen raised in Los Angeles with a teen who just arrived from El Salvador?" wondered Torres. "It's a clash of cultures."
Throughout the Jan. 20-22 Encuentro --- largely conducted in Spanish --- youth and young adults reflected in small groups on five themes: the needs and ambitions of Hispanic youth, best pastoral practices with youth and young adults, leadership, vision and pastoral principles, and pastoral proposals. Dialoguing with them were numerous bishops engaged in small table discussions.
Among the bishops in attendance were Cardinal Roger Mahony, Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishops Alexander Salazar, Oscar Solis and Gabino Zavala, San Bernardino Bishop Gerald Barnes and Auxiliary Bishop Rutilio del Riego, Monterey Bishop Sylvester Ryan, San Diego Auxiliary Bishop Gilbert Chávez, Sacramento Auxiliary Bishop Richard Garcia, and Orange Auxiliary Bishop Jaime Soto. Bishop Soto serves as the Episcopal liaison between the nation's bishops and the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry.
The presence of so many bishops reflects an "honest, sincere preoccupation and concern for what is happening to Hispanic youth," said Bishop Soto.
One is the lagging level of educational attainment among Hispanics, which could have serious consequences for them and the future of the church, he said.
"Where will our future priests, deacons, administrators, teachers and social workers come from if our Latino youth don't get an education?" he asked.
Sexuality is another serious issue as Latino youth battle teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. In society there is "an obsession with sexuality without a real faith-based orientation of how to appreciate sexuality," noted Bishop Soto. "Latino culture thinks too much about sex, but doesn't talk enough about it."
Catholic leaders and parents urgently need to engage Latino youth in thoughtful discussions about sexuality, he added.
Youth minister Heidi Sanchez said she understood the need for young Hispanic women to know "how to respect themselves and care for their body and their dignity and to know they value a lot."
A festive evening celebration on Saturday included a youth talent show and a mariachi band during which hundreds of youth in the audience broke out into spontaneous singing. As a sign of the times, rather than holding cigarette lighters in the darkened auditorium, youth held up their cell phones.
Cardinal Mahony celebrated the closing Mass and encouraged Hispanic youth to accept the invitation of Jesus to evangelize the Gospel to other youth "with the joy of your youth."
"There is nothing more important in life than to spread the Gospel and to defeat evil with the strength of Jesus," said the cardinal. Catholic youth, he added, "need to see that the Gospel is not against the advancement of society, instead it encourages and makes for its more full development." He encouraged Hispanic youth to reach out to youth of all races and to see how much they have in common.
The regional Encuentro took place in preparation for the national Encuentro at Notre Dame University in June. |