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August 27, 2020For several years we have been reading Pedro Moreno's column in this space. Pedro served as director of Hispanic Ministry in the Secretariat for Evangelization and Catechesis for several years, and for this we are absolutely grateful.
In a particular way and with remarkable dedication, Pedro offered us his reflections on various issues of faith in this space. He is fondly remembered throughout the archdiocese, and the Hispanic communities I have visited appreciate his service and commitment to the Church through the Hispanic community. In a personal way, I want to sincerely thank Pedro Moreno for his years of dedication to the Hispanic Ministry of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. However, our world is going through some changes and we are not an exception.
My name is Luis Soto, I was born and raised in a small town in northern Mexico called Obregon. In fact, the origin of the name of the city is Irish. The surname Obregon is the Spanish version of the surname O’Brien or O’Brian.
About a month and a half ago, I came to the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City after serving for many years in the Archdiocese of Denver, the Catholic Leadership Institute and the Augustine Institute. My wife is from Venezuela and we have three young children. I have to say that even though it has been a significant change for all of us, we are adjusting very well and enjoying the summer and our new life in Oklahoma City. The kindness and openness of its people has undoubtedly been a cool breeze amid the heat we sometimes feel.
My role in the archdiocese is a little different from what Pedro has been doing, and I will use this space regularly to communicate the vision and what we seek to achieve. A Hispanic Ministry office has traditionally existed in the archdiocese. Due to the rapid growth of this population, an archdiocesan department to serve them had become a pressing need. However, the Hispanic office model may not be sufficient and bring some unintended negative consequences, especially when more than half of the Catholic population of the archdiocese is of Hispanic origin. We run the risk of dividing – creating our own Chancery for Hispanics and not to join efforts and resources for the evangelization of all.
In our new model, my responsibility is to serve as the assistant executive director of the Secretariat for Evangelization and Catechesis. My role is explicitly to make sure that we serve not only Hispanics, but all ethnic minority groups present in the archdiocese, even though Hispanics are arguably the most influential and numerous.
There no longer will be an Office of Hispanic Ministry. All departments of our Secretariat for Evangelization and Catechesis will assume responsibility for serving all Catholics, in unity of vision, mission and resources. Ultimately, we want to be one family under God. We can spend hours and days discussing our many differences in language, culture, history, ethnicity, etc., but history has taught us that it is not by emphasizing our differences, but by celebrating what we have in common that we can build unity in our Church and society.
As I say it many times: I am Hispanic, I love my Hispanic culture, food, parties, traditions, values, but above all and before all, I am Catholic and that is my first and most important identity. A ministry that emphasizes the Catholic identity of all members of the Church, that recognizes its diversity and uniqueness, and serves all from within it; but above all it builds and strengthens the catholicity and the life of the archdiocese under the guidance of one shepherd in the archbishop and all following the same one Lord in Jesus Christ.
We think that we can be one and it is our ideal. We want the Hispanic community and all ethnic groups to be recognized and celebrated as a blessing to our Church. We do not want to be a dividing force, but a blessing that unites us. Neither race nor origin should be the one that guide our discourse, but rather the desire and mission that God entrusts us to be one with him.
Saint John Paul II wrote in his Apostolic Letter, “Novo Millennio Ineunte” (At the beginning of the new millennium): “To make the Church the home and the school of communion: that is the great challenge facing us in the millennium, which is now beginning, if we wish to be faithful to God's plan and respond to the world's deepest yearnings” (NMI #43). In short, the only way we can be faithful to God's design and respond to the needs and hopes of our world stricken by divisions is by being ourselves, in the Church, in every parish and community – a home and school of communion.
I entrust myself to your prayers and keep Pedro present in mine for all of his dedication and work in the archdiocese as well as all those who worked with him. We are on a mission to become an example, a shining light, a school and a home of communion and unity in the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City.