Source: The Times-Picayune
On December 17, 2000, The Times-Picayune reported that Encuentro, an initiative created to establish guidelines for Hispanic Catholics, has spread to other cultures as well. "'We are Roman Catholic in the Church but we come from many walks of life to be Roman Catholic,' said Francine Collins, a parishioner at All Saints Catholic Church in New Orleans, who spoke at Encounter 2000. 'God doesn't call us to be one uniform. He gave each of us many gifts to use for him.' Parishioners took turns reading poem verses about their different cultures and divided into 13 groups to discuss what the different cultures might do to better communicate with each other within the church. Listening to others' stories was the key, they learned, and several interesting suggestions resulted from the discussions. They included: sharing recipes, creating a new newsletter, adding a greeter at all Masses, bringing back the multicultural parish fair and, maybe, having more frequent parish meetings...Parishioner Esperanza Ramos was translating from English to Spanish for an elderly parishioner throughout the sessions. She becomes a translator whenever the need arises and was the perfect example of how parishioners can help each other...Many, including the dozen or so youth members of Grupo de Jovenas, said Encuentro was a positive event that would make them closer...Event organizers, including Margarita Perez, were pleased with the turnout, the messages of faith shared, and the understanding gained by many in the diverse crowd."