Some two-dozen representatives from the Diocese of Sacramento traveled to Los Angeles last month for “Encuentro 2000: Many Faces in God’s House.” They returned with a fresh dose of enthusiasm for building a multi-ethnic and inclusive church.

The diocesan delegation joined some 5,000 Catholics from throughout the United States and beyond, who had come to honor the multi-ethnic church in America, invited by the U.S. Bishops’ Committee on Hispanic Affairs. Representatives came from 153 of the 190 dioceses in the country and 88 bishops were present.

Among the diocesan participants was Bishop William K. Weigand, who helped lead a discussion on strengthening the sense of community in the United States. During an interview, Bishop Weigand noted that the diocese has started its own Encuentro process.

“We try to do things like this,” he said, “and we need to continue to do it.” Encuentro 2000, he said, is “giving this an impulse.”

The four-day gathering highlighted the variety of cultures and ethnic groups within the church, from Tongans, Poles, Filipinos and Native Americans to Latinos, African-Americans and Vietnamese. It included liturgies, speeches and breakout sessions where the participants gathered in small groups to discuss topics ranging from “Making Girls and Women a Priority” to “Jail and Prison Ministry.”

Most of the Sacramento Diocese participants had already begun the process well in advance of the gathering. Since January they have been meeting in a multi-ethnic group to discuss a series of topics prepared to help implement Encuentro at the local level.

“We’re learning how to do it in parishes,” said Linda Shumate, diocesan consultant for catechesis who was among those attending Encuentro 2000. The Los Angeles gathering, she said, “will be a wonderful sign if we can bring it home.”

Two members of the diocesan delegation also took part in the Los Angeles gathering by leading small group discussions. Deacon German Toro and Milagros Calavetti facilitated sessions devoted to sharing stories of encounters with the living Christ. Deacon Toro is director of the diocese’s Hispanic Apostolate and Calvetti is coordinator of ministry to Hispanic youth and young adults.

Many said the gathering inspired them to continue working for an inclusive church. “It’s a call to action, not only an event. We can’t go back now,” said Sister Martha Juarez, a member of the Sister Catechists of Jesus Crucified who serves as diocesan consultant for Hispanic catechesis.

Gloria Soto, family life coordinator for the diocese, said she and others “feel blessed to be part of this Encuentro.” The reconciliation ceremony in particular was a powerful experience, she said.

Sister Leonor Quijada, a member of the Sister Catechists of Jesus Crucified, agreed with Soto, saying that the ceremony opened the participants’ eyes to the sufferings of others and at the same time “left us with much hope and much healing.”

The rite of reconciliation, with Cardinal Bernard Law of Boston presiding, was one of the most powerful events of Encuentro 2000. It included testimonies by Native American, African-American, Latino and disabled Catholics. They spoke of suffering discrimination and humiliation in the church and in U.S. society.

The crowd in the huge assembly hall of the Los Angeles Convention Center stood for a prolonged ovation after hearing the words of Oblate Sister of Providence Mary Paul Lee, an African-American and the granddaughter of a slave owned by the Jesuit Fathers at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.

Many participants said the reconciliation rite moved them to tears and made them more sensitive to the experiences of others. Some also said they would like to repeat the event in their own dioceses.

Lisa Lungren, a member of the Sacramento contingent, said the entire experience of Encuentro 2000 “will help me because each culture has had time to learn about the other. I can go back and share the real meaning of being Catholic.”

“The experience here is precisely what our parishes need,” Bishop Weigand noted. “All of our parishes experience great diversity, but this doesn’t mean each culture feels known and appreciated.”

The liturgies during Encuentro 2000 included performances by various ethnic groups—Tongans, Poles, Nigerians, Latinos, Filipinos, Koreans and African-Americans—and prayers in as many languages, including Native American dialects. Prayer spaces reflecting the devotions of different cultures and traditions lined the periphery of the main assembly hall.

Participants brought samples of water from their hometowns and poured these into a continuously flowing fountain in the hall, symbolizing the mingling of races and cultures. Bishop Joseph Fiorenza of Galveston-Houston, TX, president of the National Council of Catholic Bishops, added a vial of water drawn from the River Jordan during Pope John Paul II’s recent visit to the Holy Land.

The gathering was the fourth Encuentro held since 1972 and the first to reach beyond the Hispanic community. Auxiliary Bishop Gabino Zavala of Los Angeles, chairman of Encuentro 2000, said during a press conference that the Holy Spirit had led Hispanics to “invite the diversity of the whole church in its reality to come together.”

Mercy Sister Maria Elena Gonzalez, president of the Mexican American Cultural Center in San Antonio, TX, and co-facilitator of the general sessions with John Butler, president of Archbishop Carroll High School in Washington, D.C., urged the participants to continue the work begun at Encuentro.

“This has not been an event,” she said in farewell. “This has been the beginning of a process. Please take this home.”

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