Formation of Hispanic Leaders for Church and Society In the Archdiocese of Santa Fe

Having set the basis of the theological formation among the participants in the two years of the Escuela de Ministerios, we turn our attention to the next component of our formation program: the formation of leaders.

Our Formation of Leaders for Church and Society Program is an adaptation of “Called by Name: Latino Leaders for Church and Society,” a program created by the National Catholic Council for Hispanic Ministry (NCCHM), and implemented by the Mexican American Catholic College (MACC). This program is presented alternatively in Albuquerque and in Santa Fe following the “Escuela de Ministerios,” as a third year of formation.  Participants attend one Saturday a Month for ten months.

The overall goal of this program is to develop Gospel-based leadership for church and society.  In effect it strives to nurture Latino leaders whose vision of themselves as Christians and members of the body of the Church, includes being agents of transformation. The following is list of the leadership courses followed by a succinct description of each one of them.

1. Introduction to the Program:  Review its goals and objectives, review the origins of Hispanic Leadership Development Initiative, and introduce projects. In this First Theme of Year Three participants participate in an introduction to leadership. They are introduced to an overview of program, they review its goals and objectives, and the origins of Hispanic Leadership Development Initiative.  They review the curriculum, and are introduced to the projects they should participate in during the year.
2. Leadership for Change:  requirements and challenges, Latino Leadership in Church and Society, introduction to Theological Reflection, review projects:  In this Second Theme of Year Two participants learn about Leadership for Change, its requirements and challenges. They learn about leadership in Church and society, they review and experience Theological Reflection, and finally, they review their projects.
3. Spiritual Retreat on Catholic Teachings of the Church:  In this Third Theme of Year two participants make themselves conscious that our nature is to be part of community and that leadership is to advocate for the community. This theme includes a presentation on Catholic Social Teaching
4. Collaborative Leadership, Personality Inventories, Cultural Identities: In this Fourth Theme of Year two participants analyze the definition, principles and elements of collaborative leadership, conduct a personality self assessment, and identify six stages of acculturation and the values, goals, and observable behaviors in each stage.
5. Structural Analysis of Church Structures and of Power.  In this Fifth Theme of Year two participants analyze the Church Structures, study Power Analysis, and analyze the power and presence of the Hispanics in the Church.
6. Strategic Planning for Nonprofit Organizations:  In this Sixth Theme of Year two participants increase their knowledge of strategic planning as a tool that they can use to improve the chances of success for their work.  Being strategic means making conscious choices as to how to use limited resources to achieve the intended purpose in response to a dynamic environment. Or put in a more simple way, it is defining targets and hitting them.
7. Theological Foundations of Lay Leadership, Resources Development:  In this Seventh Theme of Year two participants learn the Theological Foundations of Lay Leadership:  The Mission of the Laity in the World.  Participants see themselves, their parishes, and their organization as sharers of the mission of the laity in society.  They develop a new lens through which they can see what to do pastorally in reference to the mission of the Church.
8. Transformative Mediation, Creative Non-violence in Action: In this Eighth Theme of Year two participants learn to develop a creative response language to effectively handle conflict and decrease tension and violence in professional and personal situations.
9. Supporting and Nurturing the Leader, Program Closure: In this Ninth Theme of Year two participants learn to develop a network of peer leader support among participants.
10. Final Retreat conducted by participants – Closing Mass and graduation from Leadership Course, and from the Formation Program.  In this Tenth Theme of Year two participants have the opportunity to put into practice what they have learned.  They are responsible for the planning and conducting the retreat.  Candidates organize the schedule, set the space for the retreat, develop the presentations based on the given suggestions, and lead in the prayer rituals. Candidates could choose their own topic, and design their own retreat according to their needs, their talents, and in reference to the projects they had just completed.

Persons interested in participating in either one of these programs should call the Office of Hispanic Ministry, Rocío González, Director, 505-831-8152.