$25,000 Awarded to Fund Hispanic Evangelization Center in Diocese of Charlotte

Catholic Extension announced today that it has awarded a $25,000 grant to the Diocese of Charlotte to fund programs at the Hispanic Evangelization Center that will educate and train lay leaders to meet the growing needs of the remote area’s nearly 2,000 Hispanics. The grant represents the latest in a serious of grants totaling $750,000 during the past decade which have enabled the Diocese of Charlotte to emerge as a leader in Hispanic Ministry.

Father Julio Dominguez, pastor of St. Francis of Assisi in Lenoir, N.C., established the Center in 2009.  Father Dominguez is the only Spanish-speaking priest in the central region of the diocese, which is acutely aware of the need for well-trained Hispanic laity to help priests who do not speak Spanish meet the pastoral needs of parishes with large Latino populations. The Center teaches the Pontifical Catechetical Institute’s School of Faith/Escuela de la Fe curriculum, and hosts retreats, workshops and conferences in faith formation and pastoral preparation. This institute of theological formation and pastoral preparation will serve as a model for other regions of the Diocese.

“It is my hope that the Center’s activities, enhanced by Catholic Extension’s support, will help the Hispanic community better understand and live their faith and give them the confidence to share it with others,” said Father Julio Dominguez.

 All projects and activities support the Center’s mission to recruit, prepare and certify Hispanic lay persons to work in parishes within the diocese. Catholic Extension funds will support the operational expenses of the Center, including supplies for conferences, workshops, retreats, and the School of Faith program, which expects a fall 2010 enrollment of more than 35 students. The Center will continue to operate out of St. Francis of Assisi’s facilities until a separate building can be purchased.

“Father Julio recognizes that leadership must come from within the Hispanic population in order for parishes serving mostly Latinos to grow,” Joseph Boland, Senior Grants Director for Catholic Extension.  “Catholic Extension is happy to support him and the Center’s efforts to equip lay members with the tools they need to minister to their Hispanic faith communities.”

The $25,0000 grant for the Center is part of the $91,000 in funding that Catholic Extension is providing this year alone to support ministerial efforts among the rapidly growing Hispanic community in the Diocese of Charlotte, which is home to more than 300,000 Hispanics. In 2006 the diocese was recognized by the USCCB’s Committee for Hispanic Affairs for Excellence, commending its well-established diocesan office and regional structure, effective diocesan coordination of Hispanic youth and young adult ministry, and its strong pastoral plan for Hispanic ministry.

Catholic Extension is pleased that the over $750,000 invested in Hispanic ministry in the Diocese of Charlotte during the past 10 years has yielded such a successful result.

The Hispanic Evangelization Center grant is one of more than 1000 Catholic Extension will fulfill this year in poor and isolated communities across the U.S. and its territories.  Last year alone, the organization invested $14 million in America’s 84 “mission dioceses,” geographic regions of the U.S. where the Catholic Church is growing and needs are great. Catholic Extension was able to do so through contributions from 47,000 individual donors who share its commitment to strengthen communities and sustain the Catholic faith throughout the country.