Media CenterCRS Announces Five-Year Encuentro Sponsorship

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:
Paul Eagle
Catholic Relief Services
410-951-7399
[email protected]

Encuentro Initiative Will Reach Massive U.S. Hispanic Catholic Audience

BALTIMORE, MD, August 3, 2015 – Catholic Relief Services (CRS) will be one of four major sponsors of the V Encuentro, the most important and comprehensive initiative in Hispanic ministry ever undertaken by the Catholic Church in the United States. The initiative will involve an estimated 1 million pastoral leaders, 175 dioceses and numerous Church organizations, parishes and lay ecclesial movements.

In making the announcement, Dr. Carolyn Y. Woo, President and CEO of CRS, emphasized the importance of the Hispanic community to the work of CRS, the official overseas humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States.

“In the U.S., Hispanic/Latino families have for generations lived in solidarity with their brothers and sisters in their countries of origin,” Woo said. “They have also increasingly supported our work of global solidarity. Sponsoring the V Encuentro is a way to show our gratitude and highlight global solidarity as an essential part of the Catholic Hispanic/Latino identity.”

The Encuentro process is designed to identify the needs, aspirations and contributions of the Hispanic community, along with the pastoral actions needed to address them. Convened by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the V Encuentro begins this year and continues until 2019. In the spirit of accompaniment, the role of CRS is threefold: as a sponsor, or padrino; the participation of CRS staff at national, regional and diocesan levels; and as an expert voice for best practices in global solidarity within Hispanic ministry.

“As Hispanics/Latinos continue to grow within the Catholic Church, it is of the utmost importance to champion their ongoing formation and leadership development,” said Joan Rosenhauer, CRS’ Executive Vice President for U.S. Operations. “With this sponsorship, CRS will be a part of the dialogue and the movement that is enabling the Hispanic community to grow their ministry.”

According to the USCCB, since 1960, 71 percent of the U.S. Catholic population growth is a result of the increase of the Hispanic/Latino population in the United States. The Pew Research Center’s 2013 National Survey of Latinos and Religion reported that 55 percent of the nation’s estimated 35.4 million Latino adults in the United States (approximately 19.6 million Latinos) identify as Catholic.

“The Encuentros have been the backbone of Hispanic ministry in the United States,” said Roberto Rojas, Advisor for Hispanic Outreach for U.S. Operations. “The V Encuentro should lay the foundation for the new evangelization of the Church in this country.”

The conclusions of the Encuentro will be presented in a comprehensive document at the culmination of the process.

Press release in Spanish.

###

Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. The agency alleviates suffering and provides assistance to people in need in more than 100 countries, without regard to race, religion or nationality. CRS’ relief and development work is accomplished through programs of emergency response, HIV, health, agriculture, education, microfinance and peacebuilding. For more information, please visit crs.org or crsespanol.org and follow CRS on social media: Facebook, @CatholicRelief, @CRSnews, YouTube, Instagram and Pinterest.