Christian baptism: A program for lay leaders in Hispanic ministry in the Archdiocese of Baltimore, Maryland

The growing Hispanic population in the United States of America presents a challenge to the Catholic Church in terms of providing spiritual care to Hispanic Catholics, especially in view of the shortage of Spanish-speaking priests and the need of pastoral training for Hispanic lay leaders. One area where this need is particularly urgent is the baptismal catechesis of the parents and godparents of children who are to be baptized. Baptism is not only the first Sacrament received by Hispanics, but it is too often the only one they receive. Moreover, the celebration of Baptism often incorporates many elements of religiosidad popular that reinforce the human and biblical value of life in a family supported by an extended community.; The purpose of this doctoral project was to design three workshops on the Sacrament of Baptism and to implement and evaluate these workshops in three parishes of the Archdiocese of Baltimore with the hope that these workshops could be used as model by leaders in the Hispanic communities for their own ministries.; The project-report has three parts: The first part presents general information about Hispanics in this country and in particular about the sociological-religious situation of Hispanic Catholics in the Archdiocese of Baltimore. The second part is a study of the Catholic theological understanding of the Sacrament of Baptism, and also treats Hispanic devotional traditions associated with the celebration of the Rite of Baptism of Children. The third part describes the implementation of three workshops on Baptism with Hispanic leaders; the implementation stressed not only the Christian meaning of Baptism, but also the beautiful meaning of many Hispanic religious traditions that previously were taken for granted or ignored. The final part of the report contains an evaluation of the program and recommends several changes and adaptations in content, duration and methods for the future implementation of the program according to the actual situations in different parishes.; This doctoral project is envisioned as a response to the urgency expressed in many official documents of the U.S. Catholic Bishops about the need within the Church to appreciate and recognize the blessings and values of Hispanics as a great contribution to the Church, especially at this time of globalization and multiculturalism that affect the entire society. This project is also presented in tandem with the message of Pope John Paul II expressed in the document The Church of America, "to construct together one single America," as well as in response to the theme for Encuentro 2000, "Many Faces in God's House: A Catholic Vision for the Third Millenium."; Finally, it is hoped that the findings derived from the sociological and religious study of Hispanics in the Archdiocese of Baltimore will be used for similar projects elsewhere in planning and implementing pastoral plans and religious programs for Hispanics and other ethnic groups in the Church.