By Gloria Barrera
Special to The Message
The Office of Hispanic Ministry annually organizes a one-day diocesan retreat, called Encuentro de Fe, which is for families in the parishes all around our Diocese. It is a retreat where the parishes become one; to have a day of prayer, adoration, learn about our faith and share with each other. We are blessed to have the assistance of different priests from different parishes who are ready to hear confessions. This cleansing of the soul allows the Encuentro de Fe to become an intimate encounter with Jesus Christ. The most important thing is that as a community we join together to participate in the Holy Sacrifice, which is the Holy Eucharist celebrated by our Bishop Joseph M. Siegel.
The first Encuentro in our Diocese was held in 2018 at Holy Rosary Parish in Evansville with around 60 people in attendance. It is amazing to see how the number of participants has grown over the years. Last year, we had the Encuentro at St. Joseph Parish in Jasper, and more than 400 people attended. Without a doubt, we can see the need and thirst for Christ in our Hispanic community in the Diocese of Evansville. When it began, the desire was that each year the Encuentro would be held at the different parishes of the Diocese, but as the number of participants has grown, we have also outgrown some of the parishes.
We know that the youth and children are the future of our church, and in 2022, we started a workshop for young people and another for children, which, thank God, has been very successful. Last year, we had 72 teens and 67 children, and we hope that over the years the younger generations will continue to grow and join this Encuentro. Every year, we have different special guests for each group, whether it be a priest or people in the ministry of Evangelization. Attendees said this event is a great chance for the whole family to worship, celebrate and learn together. The Encuentro helps people become more involved in the church and integrate into different ministries in their parishes. For some, it goes even deeper. Many who had distanced themselves from the faith have, thanks to their experience at the Encuentro of the joy and excitement of the Holy Spirit being present, been called to return to the church and dedicate themselves to our Savior. It’s amazing seeing how the Holy Spirit manifests itself greatly in his people. This year, we were blessed to win a grant from the Catholic Foundation of Southwestern Indiana that will help us cover our expenses, and it has been a great relief for the Hispanic Ministry to have the funds for this year. The Encuentro this year will take place at Our Lady of Hope Parish in Washington, Indiana, Saturday, Oct. 19. Our theme will be, “The Church in Prayer.”
We hope that we continue to grow more as a community, but more importantly, that we continue to grow in our faith as Disciples of Christ. The Hispanic Ministry works throughout the year in collaboration with the parishes around the Diocese to celebrate, educate and honor the deep faith of the Hispanic community.
If you would like to help with this mission, please contact Bertha Melendres at [email protected] or by phone at 812-424-5536.