Hispanic Lay Leadership Conference 2022

The Hispanic Lay Leadership Conference was held in person in June 2022 at Camp Allen after not meeting for two years due to the pandemic. Nearly 300 Hispanic lay leaders attended, representing 16 congregations across the Diocese of Texas.

For a first, there was more youth participation as about 20 youth showed a major interest in leadership.

“As a young person it is very important for us to know more about how we can get involved in the church,” said Karen Olivera, a first-time youth member from San Esteban, Cleveland. “I suggest inviting more young people and offering a workshop only for young people.”

The theme for the conference was “Retomando el Camino,” meaning “Getting Back on Track.” The gathering began with worship, which included a sermon by William Llana, a lay church planter. It continued the next day with a lineup of innovative workshop presenters and culminated with a keynote delivered by the Rev. Jesus Reyes. The two-day event was filled with social activities for attendees to catch up since the pandemic.

At the end of the conference, Bishop Hector Monterroso commissioned eight lay leaders who voluntarily accepted the mission to start a new initiative within their communities. The purpose of this annual conference was to empower, equip, and challenge the Hispanic church to engage in the task of evangelism and missions.