By Michelle Martin
STAFF WRITER

For Father Esequiel Sanchez, this year’s meeting of the National Association of Hispanic Priests was a chance to experience the support of brother priests who are engaged in the same work he is.

Fr. Esequiel Sanchez

Sanchez, director of Hispanic Ministries for the Archdiocese of Chicago, was one of four local priests to attend the event.

“One of the most difficult ministries in the Catholic Church in the United States is Hispanic ministries because it is so under-resourced,” Sanchez said. “Out of 677 active priests of the archdiocese, 16 are Hispanic, and there are almost a million Hispanics here. The resources get slimmer as the community continues to grow.”

Increasing vocations in the Hispanic community topped the agenda, Sanchez said.

“In Latin America, vocations are going up, Sanchez said. “Vocations here don’t seem to be growing as much.”

The key to changing that lies in the way the church ministers to families and youths, Sanchez said. Priests need to be visible to young people and involved in their lives.

“It’s not a career to be a priest. You have to have a huge charitable heart. If we don’t foster that in our own families and the families we serve, then it’s a very distant reality to them.”