V Encounter gathers almost 400 missionary disciples to evangelize in the Salt Lake diocese

Friday, Nov. 24, 2017

DRAPER – The Diocesan V Encuentro welcomed more than 375 missionary disciples and delegates from all over the diocese to Saint John the Baptist Catholic Church on Nov. 18.

The gathering marked the culmination of the efforts made throughout the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City in response to the initiative, which “is a process of evangelization, consultation and mission that was officially launched last year to discern ways for the Church in the United States to better respond to the ever-growing Hispanic presence, and to help Hispanic Catholics to strengthen their Christian identity and their response as missionary disciples for the entire Church,” according to  a press release from ENAVE, the national organization that coordinates the Encuentro effort.

At the Nov. 18 gathering, Maria Cruz Gary, director of the diocesan Office of Hispanic Ministry, and the V Encuentro diocesan team presented a briefing of the five-week evangelization process with the themes “Called to a Loving Encounter with Jesus,” “With Words and Actions: Do It!,” “Walking Together with Jesus,” “Bearing Fruits of New Life” and “Celebrating the Joy of Being Missionary Disciples.”

These sessions were originally presented to 165 delegates from parishes throughout Utah who attended a five-week evangelization training. They then passed the information along to members of their parishes, who became missionary disciples of the V Encuentro.

The Diocese of Salt Lake City is one of 163 dioceses nationwide that have engaged in the V Encuentro. Locally, the effort started more than two years ago, but it did not get up full speed until the Most Rev. Oscar A. Solis was installed in March as the 10th Bishop of the Diocese of Salt Lake City.

The bishop sent forth the 165 delegates at the Sept. 23 diocesan Pastoral Congress.

The V Encuentro “is not just a process to unify all the Catholics on the peripheries, but everyone is welcome. Besides, this is a process of the New Evangelization,” Gray said. 

After reviewing the themes at the Nov. 18 gathering, the V Encuentro delegates presented their parish reports to Gray. The reports include written suggestions for priority areas that the diocese should focus on the next few years, and recommendations to be shared at the  upcoming regional meeting. The reports also propose strategies to promote the evangelization mission of the diocese, among other themes. 

The next step of the process will occur in the spring, when diocesan representatives will share the local recommendations at a conference with others from the episcopal region. Following that will be a national conference. The diocese has been allotted 44 delegates for the regional Encuentro and 22 delegates for the national Encuentro.

After the Nov. 18 gathering, Bishop Solis celebrated a Mass. As the procession into the parish began, the V Encuentro cross was carried into the church by young people who are enrolled in the DACA (Deferred Action of Childhood Arrivals) program. 

Concelebrating the Mass were Father Martin Diaz, rector of the Cathedral of the Madeleine; Fr. Jorge Roldan, parochial vicar of Sts. Peter and Paul Parish;  Fr. Gustavo Vidal, pastor of St. Mary Parish; Fr. Marco Tulio Lopez, pastor of St. Andrew Parish; Fr. Oscar Hernandez, pastor of San Felipe Parish; and Fr. Rick Sherman, pastor of St. John the Baptist Parish. 

 “We are gathered here today to celebrate our identity as one missionary diocese,” Bishop Solis said. “Today we thank God for gathering us as a community of faith. … Through us God can spread and continue His mission of the New Evangelization.”

As the Mass was about to conclude, Bishop Solis thanked those present for celebrating “our identity as missionary disciples of God and of the Catholic faith in the Diocese of Salt Lake City.”

The bishop also acknowledged the presence of “our brothers and sisters in DACA. We need to support them; we need to pray for them. We need your help in calling our elected officials to ask them to do anything they can so we can have an immigration reform and a path to citizenship.”

Asking the DACA young adults to stand, the bishop said, “Our Church is with you.” 

Bishop Solis also thanked Gray for her efforts in leading the V Encuentro in the diocese.

“We are very blessed because we have an extraordinary and very dedicated leader in our Pastoral Center who has organized and guided the V Encuentro,” he said as those present applauded. “She is an example of working for our Church with lots of love.”

Bishop Solis also recognized and thanked all the members of the diocesan V Encuentro teams.