By Bishop John R. Manz

This column originally appeared in Spanish in the special Jan. 13 issue of The Catholic New World. It is reprinted here, in English, as a service to other readers.



In most people’s minds, Sept. 11 will forever define the year of 2001. It was also a year in which many important strides were made in the area of Hispanic ministry within the Archdiocese of Chicago. Although the world stopped turning for a brief moment in September and has slowly begun to return to its original state, the work in Hispanic ministry continued because of its tremendous momentum.

As the Episcopal Liaison for Hispanic Affairs, I am pleased to share with you some of the important milestones that were achieved in this ever expanding and important ministry in the Archdiocese of Chicago.

In January, Alejandro Castillo was named director for the Office of Hispanic Communications. The efforts of this office have created stronger ties to the local Hispanic media and have created and sustained a weekly Spanish language radio program co-hosted by Father Esequiel Sanchez.

In June, Maria Garcia was named director of the Office of Natural Family Planning, the scientific method couples use to achieve, space or avoid a pregnancy in line with the teachings of the Catholic Church.

In July, Carlos Salmeron joined the Office for Racial Justice to make the parish workshops on racial and ethnic sensitivity more inclusive and relevant for all participants, especially to those whose primary language is Spanish.

Announced in October, Father Sanchez was named director of the newly created Office for Hispanic Catholics and the office was expanded to make the current structure of the archdiocese more accessible to the growing Hispanic community and to more effectively address its concerns. One of the more compelling components of this office is that of youth ministry, coordinated by Jorge Rivera.

Throughout the year, Valentin Araya of the Family Ministries Office and Roberto Rivas, director of the “Camino y Esperanza” retreats combined to offer more opportunities in the way of spiritual formation for married couples in the Latino community.

Hispanic ministry has seen a continued growth in the number of parishes offering a Spanish Language Mass, currently at 128 parishes, representing one-third of all parishes in the Archdiocese of Chicago.

Organizers of this past year’s Noche de Gala Awards Banquet, its largest and most successful to date, awarded a grant of $10,000 to the Liderazgo Pastoral to support Lay Ministry Training.

On Nov. 25, 10 new Hispanic permanent deacons were ordained at Holy Name Cathedral by Cardinal George, bringing the total number to 138.

Hispanic ministry also celebrated some important anniversaries this past year, including the 15th anniversary of the Archdiocesan Posada celebrated at Holy Name Cathedral as well as the 15th year of publication of “Chicago Catolico,” the official Spanish-language newspaper of the archdiocese.

Our seminary system has also seen significant gains with respect to Latino enrollment. At St. Joseph Seminary, 19 of the 47 (40 percent) of the students are Latino. At St. Mary of the Lake Seminary in Mundelein, 20 of the 76 (26 percent) seminarians studying for the Archdiocese of Chicago are Latino, five expected to be ordained in May 2002. And 31 percent of the men to be ordained to the priesthood in May 2002 originated at Casa Jesus—a one-year program of language and formation for Hispanic candidates considering the priesthood.

Looking to the future … in March, Maria Sedano, will officially take the position as director for the Office for Catechesis. We look forward to her leadership in this very important ministry.

Of course, these are only a few of the numerous examples of growth in the area of Hispanic ministry that occurred throughout the archdiocese in 2001. It is important to note that these recent gains were not overnight developments, but rather, are the result of decades of hard work and perseverance by countless individuals. One individual in particular I would like to acknowledge is Cardinal George for his strong and unwavering support and encouragement in the area of Hispanic ministry.

While there have been some notable achievements in some areas, our parishes and schools continue to struggle because of changing demographics, a factor that contributes to lower enrollments and overall parish participation. The Archdiocese of Chicago, however, continues to provide financial assistance beyond the generous contributions made by local parishioners, to many of the parishes and schools in our Latino neighborhoods.

In 2000-2001, the Archdiocese of Chicago spent nearly $19 million in the form of capital grants for projects such as interior and exterior replacements and upgrades to parish and school structures located in areas serving the Hispanic community. This included $6.8 million spent in Vicariate III (which include the communities of Pilsen and Little Village) over 2000 and 2001. Reflecting the tremendous growth in the northern portion of our archdiocese, nearly $3.5 million was spent in Vicariate I (which includes all of Lake and northwest portion of Cook counties) primarily for new school construction and parish renovations in 2001. Operating grants, which include employee health and retirement benefits, totaled slightly over $4.5 million in 2001, with Vicariate III receiving nearly $3.5 million, or 77 percent, of the total operating grants given to parishes with a Hispanic presence.

The church has always depended on the generous contributions of its parishioners for the support of its parishes and schools. I would like to take this opportunity to encourage you to become more involved with your local parish and school. I would like to especially encourage Hispanic professionals to consider sharing your gifts with your local parish community as disciples of Christ. The church is in need of your time, talent and treasure.

As members of the body of Christ, we must use all we have to bring the Good News of Jesus Christ to a world that desperately needs it.

There are many obstacles that we as a church must continue to overcome in the months and years to ahead. The decisions we make today will greatly effect the direction of the ministry and the manner in which we transform our society. We now live in an increasingly globalized world where borders are becoming less and less visible yet people are still kept apart. Whatever the outcome, it is important to know that our efforts in preaching the Gospel and celebrating the Sacraments Christ has given us, will, with the grace of God, be a powerful force that will, indeed, transform our world.

Thank you and may God Bless you.