Pope Francis has one word for Hispanic ministry in the United States ADELANTE!

As we head into the last few months of this wonderful fraternal year we all anticipate meeting our membership goals, right? Consider getting the word to Hispanic Catholic men that the Knights of Columbus share their value of faith, family and community. One of our goals should be to set up a Spanish-speaking Council or Round Table in every Parish where a Spanish-language mass is offered. The key to forming a K of C unit is finding Hispanic men in the parish who speak both English and Spanish and are willing to serve as a liaison between the English-speaking Council and the Spanish speaking Hispanics in the community. Start by finding out find out if your Diocese has a Hispanic ministry program. If so, have the Diocesan Deputy or his designee meet with that leader to discuss ways we can work together within the diocese to work with Spanish speaking Catholics. Second the District Deputies should canvass the parishes in their district for those with Spanish masses. If no council is in that parish, then we need to have the DD meet with the priest to discuss the importance of having a K of C presence at his parish (roundtable or council). We cannot emphasize enough that we need to invite EVERY practical Catholic man to the Knights.
Serving the Hispanic community requires recognition, understanding and incorporating their language, culture, tradition and ethnicity into our programs, communications and methods of recruitment. The United State Conference of Catholic Bishops recognizes the need to address the issues facing Hispanic Catholics. The USCCB has issued a Diversity Mandate to all US Bishops. They understand that reaching the Hispanic community requires a “co-responsibility among laity, religious and the ordained…”