Hispanic & Multicultural Ministry Flashcards

What is 'la promesa' in Hispanic Catholic devotional practice?

Answer: A vow or promise made to a saint in exchange for a requested favor, often fulfilled through pilgrimage or sacrifice

La promesa is a devotional vow made directly to a saint or Our Lady, committing to a specific act of piety or sacrifice in gratitude for a received grace or in petition for one.

How does the USCCB's pastoral plan 'Encuentro and Mission' guide Hispanic ministry?

Answer: It provides a framework calling Hispanic Catholics to move from being objects of pastoral care to active missionary disciples

Encuentro and Mission calls Hispanic Catholics to full co-responsibility as missionary disciples, moving beyond passive recipients of ministry to active evangelizers within the Church.

In multicultural catechesis, what does 'cultural competency' require of a catechist?

Answer: Self-awareness of one's own cultural biases plus knowledge and respect for the cultures of those being served

Cultural competency involves self-reflection on one's own cultural lens, combined with knowledge, respect, and effective communication skills for working across cultural differences.

What role do 'padrinos' (godparents) play in Hispanic sacramental preparation?

Answer: They are co-responsible with parents for the faith formation and Christian upbringing of their godchild

In Hispanic tradition, padrinos take on genuine spiritual co-responsibility for their godchild's faith formation, creating a lasting bond (compadrazgo) with the family.

A parish serves both a long-established Anglo community and a newer Latino community. What is a key principle for fostering unity?

Answer: Create intentional intercultural encounters where both communities share prayer, service, and celebration

Intercultural encounters — shared prayer, service projects, and celebrations — build genuine unity by allowing each community to know, respect, and learn from the other.

What is the significance of 'el Vía Crucis viviente' (Living Stations of the Cross) in many Hispanic communities?

Answer: It is a public, dramatic re-enactment of Christ's Passion that evangelizes the broader community and deepens communal faith

The Living Stations of the Cross is a public dramatization that serves as both deep devotional prayer and a powerful form of street evangelization rooted in Hispanic popular piety.

According to Evangelii Gaudium, how should the Church view the popular piety of immigrant communities?

Answer: As a genuine locus theologicus and a valid way of living and transmitting the faith

Pope Francis in Evangelii Gaudium affirms popular piety as a genuine theological source and a spirituality expressed in the lives of the people, deserving respect and pastoral accompaniment.