Jake Samour Director, Office of Marriage and Family Life, Diocese of Wichita Hispanic representative for NACFLM (National Association of Catholic Family Life Ministries); member of NACFLM Region IX Chairperson for the new Federation of Hispanic Family Ministry

Ricardo and Lucia Luzondo – Directors of Intercultural Ministries, co-founders and Directors of Hispanic Outreach at Marriage Building USA / Construyendo Matrimonios USA, Inc. , and co-founders of Family Renewal Ministries, Inc. (Renovación Familiar) Julia Dezelski – USCCB Assistant Director, Marriage & Family Life Carla Ferrando-Bowling – Director, Family Life Office, Archdiocese of Washington Eva Gonzalez – Director of Hispanic Ministry, Archdiocese of Louisville; NCADDHM Region V Aurelio and Radel Guinto – Couples for Christ Mike Koley – Foccus, Inc. Socorro Truchan – Associate Director, Secretariat for Parish Life and Lay Leadership – Domestic Church

Fr. Rafael Capó – Vice President for Mission, St. Thomas University Fr. Luke Ballman – USCCB Executive Director of Secretariat for Clergy, Consecrated Life, and Vocations Veronica Lopez Salgado – Communications, Translations and Speaker, Diocese of Jackson, MS Mario and Paola Martinez – Marriage and Family Life Ministry, Diocese of San Bernardino Dania Sanchez – Coordinator, Pastoral Juvenil Hispana, Region X – Dallas, TX Rosalba and Sergio Cardona – National Board Members, Movimiento Familiar Cristiano USA (MFCC-USA)

Pastoral Juvenil

Q: Subgroup: Evangelization

Kathia Arango – Office of Hispanic Catholics, Archdiocese of Philadelphia Andres Arango – Bishop’s Delegate for Hispanic Ministry and Director of Evangelization, Diocese of Camden, NJ Dulce M. Jimenez – Translator/Editor, Religious Education Consultant Tony and Sue Morris – U.S. Ecclesial Team, Worldwide Marriage Encounter Fr. Tom Ogg – U.S. Ecclesial Team, Worldwide Marriage Encounter

Prophetic Voices, Protagonists of Hope

The Virgin Mary, through her youthful “yes” to God, became the instrument of the Incarnation for the salvation of humanity (Lk 1:26–35). Pope Francis reminds us that “true youth means having a heart capable of loving” (CV 13), and that “youth is an original and stimulating stage of life, which Jesus himself experienced, thereby sanctifying it” (CV 22).

The preferential option for young people has the power to renew the Church in the United States. This requires that the whole ecclesial community values, supports, and invests significant time, human, and financial resources in them. Today, more than half of young Catholics in the U.S. are Latino. Ministering to them is not only a pastoral priority for their lives but also a decisive investment in the future of the Church.

Experience shows that young people are often the best evangelizers of their peers, especially when guided by committed adults. By encouraging youth protagonism in “peer-to-peer” evangelization, the Church empowers them to live out their baptismal vocation and multiplies the reach of pastoral agents. Ministers cannot be present in every space where young people gather, study, or work. Youth themselves extend the Church’s presence into these spaces.

Formation and Accompaniment

Pastoral Juvenil provides formation and pastoral accompaniment to Spanish-speaking and bilingual youth during adolescence and early adulthood, until marriage or the age of 30. This ministry is lived in two primary forms: parish-based youth and young adult groups, and ecclesial youth movements. Both bring together young people from diverse socioeconomic, cultural, immigration, and educational backgrounds.

Specialized ministries also serve Latino youth in schools, universities, detention centers, and among those living with diverse physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. Pastoral Juvenil seeks to ensure that all young people—whether believers or seekers—find a place of welcome and encounter.

Attention must be given to the key transitions in a young person’s life: from adolescence to young adulthood, from youth ministry to family life, and from Confirmation to ongoing participation in the Church. It is crucial that Confirmation not be seen as an endpoint but as the beginning of a lifelong journey of discipleship. Parishes and ecclesial movements are called to provide continuity, offering pathways for ongoing human, Christian, and spiritual growth.

Youth Ministry and Pastoral Juvenil

The presence of Youth Ministry and Pastoral Juvenil in parishes is essential for Hispanic youth to feel welcomed and engaged. It is urgent to offer them continuous human, Christian, and missionary formation, along with guidance for vocational discernment.

We invite lay leaders, religious, deacons, and priests to dedicate time to listening to young people, encouraging them, and walking with them. It is vital to create spaces for youth to gather in small communities of faith and to invite them to active service in parish life, recognizing Pastoral Juvenil itself as a ministry.

Young Adult Ministry and Pastoral Juvenil

For young adults, Pastoral Juvenil offers opportunities to deepen faith, strengthen spirituality, and work together for the Kingdom of God. This stage is especially fruitful as a seedbed for vocations—to marriage, priesthood, consecrated life, and lay leadership.

Young adults also enrich youth ministry with adolescents, bringing their experience, knowledge, and leadership. Adult ministry and catechesis benefit greatly when they integrate jóvenes formed through Pastoral Juvenil. Particular attention is needed for young couples, who often long to share their faith with peers and to find support from mature families in their parishes or movements.

School and Campus Ministry

Pastoral Juvenil in schools, colleges, and universities must address both the opportunities and challenges of the academic world. While some Catholic institutions provide strong pastoral presence, many Hispanic/Latino students in public universities lack any support. The National Catholic Network de Pastoral Juvenil Hispana (LaRED) is committed to strengthening campus ministry, which remains an urgent pastoral priority.

Parishes near public universities are encouraged to extend their outreach and collaborate with Catholic campus centers, sharing resources and experiences to ensure that Hispanic students are accompanied during these formative years. Likewise, we recognize the need to reach out to young Latinos preparing for the workforce through trade schools and professional programs, inviting them into young adult communities.

Ecclesial Movements

Ecclesial movements are a vital source of evangelization, often reaching young people whom traditional ministries cannot. The lay apostolate, whether in parishes or movements, is enriched when it partners with jóvenes. The conclusions of the First National Encuentro for Hispanic Youth and Young Adult Ministry (2006) remain a valuable guide for local, diocesan, regional, and national action today.

Prophetic Voices

The V Encuentro (2018) highlighted new priorities: leadership development, particular attention to young Latinas, and greater support for vocational discernment and ongoing formation. A powerful moment occurred when jóvenes sat at table with bishops, prayed for them, and witnessed that the same Holy Spirit inspires both pastors and youth for a shared mission.

Inspired by these experiences, LaRED launched the “Decade for Pastoral Juvenil 2020–2030 – Proyecto Juvenil Hispano”, responding to the V Encuentro, the National Dialogue, the XV Synod on Youth, and Christus Vivit, Pope Francis’ exhortation to young people. This initiative invites the Church in the U.S. to walk together in pastoral de conjunto.

With Mary as our model of listening, accompaniment, and mission, we invite all jóvenes and pastoral agents to constant spiritual renewal. In a spirit of synodality, we are called to offer concrete responses that transform reality, support one another, and bear witness to Jesus Christ in everyday life.