With an eye toward ministering to the Hispanic population of the Trenton Diocese, the Office of Pastoral Life and Mission and Hispanic Ministry Initiatives is sponsoring a diocesan V Encuentro retreat Sept. 30.

Held in Christ the King Parish, 380 Division St., Long Branch, the retreat will be an opportunity to gather delegates from parishes, apostolic groups and Catholic organizations to share their experiences of reflection, discernment, consultation and evangelization.

The group will use the day to reflect on the different social, cultural and pastoral realities experienced by Hispanics and Latinos living in the U.S., as well as propose practical responses to specific needs and aspirations of the Hispanic community.

V Encuentro – the fifth national Encuentro of Hispanic/Latino ministry – is a four-year process of ecclesial reflection and action inviting all Catholics in the United States to intense missionary activity, consultation, leadership development and identification of best ministerial practices. The process has been proposed as a priority activity of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Strategic plan for 2017 to 2020.

The main goal of V Encuentro is to discern ways in which the Church in the U.S. can better respond to the Hispanic and Latino presence and strengthen their response to the call as missionary disciples serving the entire Church.

The process of Encuentro has been the catalyst for developing ministries among Hispanics and Latinos during the past 50 years. Each of the previous Encuentros has significantly changed the way the Church responds to the Hispanic and Latino presence, and the way in which they respond to the Church.

For more information, visit www.vencuentro.org.  Participants must register in their parishes or by contacting Sandra Lopez at 609-403-7138 or [email protected].