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Do you think God only calls extraordinary people to do something special? Here you will find regular people, like you and me, who heard the invitation from God. They responded, and today walk with our people, faithful to God’s wishes. How will you respond?
By Israel MartínezMusic is one of the best means of expression and prayer. When we sing, we lose our inhibitions and can pronounce words, desires, and sentiments that perhaps we did not know. This is why it is a good vehicle for vocational reflection, as it invites you to consider the call from Christ. At the beginning of 2012, as part of the work being developed by the Spirituality Committee of La Red, the National Catholic Network of Pastoral Juvenil came up with the idea of convening a national contest on vocational singing. The goal is to invite young Hispanics to create songs that call...
Por Christine Cox Staff Writer at St. Mary’s CollegeDuring her years at St. Mary’s College in South Bend, Indiana, Areli Bautista helped many people find their voices and express themselves. It’s a natural fit for Bautista who has a double major in communication studies and psychology.“I love serving as a communicator in any way possible to help my community and individuals in need,” she says. “I think that communication studies and psychology together will allow me to listen to those who are unheard, be the voice for those who are oppressed, and understand problems others face. Even if it is...
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By Jorge RiveraThis cannot go on! The reality is that today young Catholics are living in a very diverse society. The image of the United States has been transformed from “melting pot” to a tapestry of colors and shades. And we cannot continue practicing youth ministry as if this reality did not exist, or in separate compartments where one has nothing to do with the other but run parallel. Youth ministry needs to consider an approach that on the one hand is culturally specialized, and on the other walks toward unity among all young people. The bishops of the United States have emphasized this...
By Kyle ShinsekiI am a Jesuit scholar in the process of formation for the priesthood with the Society of Jesus. I grew up in Hawaii and during my childhood my parents did not attend any church. So when I entered the university, far from my family and friends, I felt a void, as if something was missing in my life. Almost without thinking about it, I bought a candle with the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, like the one that was always lit in the home of several Mexican friends in Hawaii. This candle gave me peace in the midst of my new environment. Inspired in some way by the Virgin, I made the...
Excerpted from the Claretian MissionClaretians are known in many places more for their service of the Word, than for their schools. And yet, they have developed an intensive educational ministry. By 1909, the Claretians had already initiated various educational programs in the Chocó region of Colombia. In May 2006, the Ministry of Education in Colombia granted official approval to the Claretian University Foundation (FUCLA). This is a distance learning center that offers degrees in theology, the Bible, anthropology with emphasis on ethnic rights, and social work with emphasis on social...
By Carmen F. AguinacoOn any Wednesday afternoon throughout the school year, you will find many children and youth in church… and they seem to be very happy. Although this may not ring true for many, it is. For more than 20 years youth of all ages have gathered at St. Agnes Parish in Chicago to dance. They are part of a dance group, Horizontes Mexicanos, founded in the parish by Ofelia Guevara and her husband. “One of the sisters from the parish knocked on our door. We didn’t want to, but she insisted so much we considered it was a call, a vocation from God,” says Ofelia Guevara, who is a...
By Elisabeth RománThe New York Times once described Lourdes Pérez as “a petite woman wearing high heels and a silk suit, with the unenviable job of marshaling both the artist (Daddy Yankee) and the growing number of people who required something from him. Most of her energy was directed toward a relentless speed-dial volley between the artist’s primary handlers and his new corporate overlords.” Whether she is working on public relations strategies for renowned entertainers, corporations or government agencies, Pérez is a force to be reckoned with. The daughter of a career military man, she...
By Sandra NavarroFor Sister Xiomara Méndez, religious vocation has been an adventure, a dream that started from childhood with the desire to help others. She met two women in a retreat 17 years ago. The woman who was preaching caught her attention as her words provoke a new sensation inside that touched her heart. She was also attracted to the fact that the nuns were not wearing habits. In her teens at a Bible course, she met Adrian Dominican sisters, who invited Méndez and her friends to their retreat house once a week for an entire year. Every Sunday, Méndez and her friends...
By Carlos GómezWhen I stand before my peers, few know about the journey of obstacles I have endured in my life: poverty, lack of work, alcoholism, domestic violence, and the need to migrate to the United States as there was no hope for a decent life in Tequila, the small town in Mexico where I come from. I arrived in the United States full of dreams and aspirations of going to college. I set my problems aside and used them as motivation to never go back to living in poverty. I began thinking positively on how I wanted to lead my life. I viewed the United States as a new beginning...
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