By Berta Mexidor
JACKSON – Latinos carry traditions, culture, languages and faith everywhere they go. It is a common trait among many Latino cultures and it will be on display this fall at the V Encuentro. “Encuentro” is a four-year sequence of parish gatherings to debate, collaborate and share experiences of what it means to be Hispanic and Catholic in the United States.
The “Encuentro” process was the U.S. Bishops’ effort to better understand and serve growing numbers of Hispanic Catholics who brought their music, food and faith traditions into the U.S. The first “Encuentro” was in 1972 and led to the creation of the national Office of Hispanic Affairs.
This multiple progression of encounters is organized starting in parishes going to regions and leading to a final national gathering every four years.The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (UCCB) has called 3,000 delegates from across the U.S for the national V Encuentro, pastoral encounter, to be celebrated in Grapevine, Texas on Se
Susana Becerril
ptember 20-23.
The Diocese of Jackson will have four delegates, all of them women: Susana Becerril, María Isamar Mazy, Danna Johnson and Sister María Elena Méndez, MGSpS, one of the coordinators for Hispanic Ministry for the diocese. The delegates will be led by Bishop Joseph Kopacz. Their voices will represent the Latino experience in Mississippi.
Sister Mendez said more than 500 people have participated in 23 parish teams and two diocesan meetings since the beginning of the process in this diocese.
“We will keep our commitment to work together, and our expectation is to update the national Hispanic plan and – at our return – to apply it in the parishes,” said Sister.
In their search for facilitators, Sisters Mendez and Maria Josefa Garcia, both MGSpS, and V Encuentro’s organizers found Susana Becerril. Becerril began creating small groups in the community of Cleveland Our Lady of Victories Parish. One of the groups included young-adults and adults, and Susana recalled it as a good experience because, regardless the difference of age, the bond created was great. Her family has been in Cleveland for more than seven years. Susana has four siblings and works two jobs to help them. This young lady has big expectations for the national V Encuentro. “I want to see the implementation of programs that can help Latino families in my community, training more facilitators and young initiatives.” Susana explained that around a 50 percent of the Latinos in Cleveland are not attending church activities, because of work schedule or lack of motivation. “We now have Mass in Spanish, and it helps, but I want to help to increase our impact,” Susana stated.
Danna Johnson
Danna Johnson is taking the messages from a dozen parishes to V Encuentro. Danna is working as coordinator of Hispanic Ministry in Deanery five, in the north part of the state. Coming from Honduras six years ago, she has accepted the challenges that every immigrant has, remarking that “only in church you find a spiritual refuge.” Danna brought her family’s Catholic traditions to Pontotoc and with time, hard work and faith she started answering her passion to serve. Starting as a catechist, she is now part of the deanery leadership team, working with faith formation, leadership, liturgy and all 12 parishes of Deanery five.
“Serving others, that is my conviction and my faith has been enriched. This job is a gift from God to me,” Danna said. She participated in the south regional Encuentro hosted in Miami earlier this year where she was impacted by the cultural diversity of the Latino community.
She believes the church ought to address the needs of youth in these challenging times. “All of us need an encounter with Christ and to be together in that journey” Danna concluded.
María Isamar Mazy
Mazy, from the Cathedral of St Peter the Apostle has been in U.S for 13 years. As a medical assistant at the University of Mississippi Medical Center she witnesses pain and the healing process. She got involved in Encuentro at the very beginning of this cycle of meetings. She works in youth ministry “There is a lot to do for the Latino community in Mississippi,” she said. “I like to help distribute information, gather opinions and implement programs to help Latino families and therefore the young generations,” she added
She hopes to bring home examples of successful programs implemented in other states for helping students go to college, family religious education and more. She appreciates the words of Bishop Kopacz, who addressed Mississippi’s delegates, because “it encourages me to continue with this work, … I feel that we have his support.” Reuniting with the diocesan team for this positive experience – she is betting this will be a healing experience. “I am very enthusiastic and ready to help grow this community,” she said.
In 2013, the Pope Francis released an apostolic exhortation called The Joy of the Gospel calling on the Catholic community to encounter one another and Jesus. Encuentro is just one way the Church can do this work. “I wish to encourage the Christian faithful to embark upon a new chapter of evangelization marked by this joy,” wrote the Pope. Danna, Isamar and Susana responded to this call and their happiness is filling their bags. Look for Encuentro coverage in upcoming editions of Mississippi Catholic.