USCCB - (Office of Media Relations) - Encuentro 2000, Catholic Church Gathering in Los Angeles, To Draw People from All Across the Nation and Beyond

Encuentro 2000, Catholic Church Gathering in Los Angeles, To Draw People from All Across the Nation and Beyond

WASHINGTON (June 20, 2000) -- People from almost every state in the nation as well as some from as far away as Vietnam and the Pacific island of Tonga and others from Mexico and Latin America will participate in Encuentro 2000: Many Faces in God's House, July 6-9, in Los Angeles.

By mid-June, more than 3,600 men and women had registered for the unprecedented event, which marks the only national jubilee year celebration for the Church in the United States. Activities include prayer, cultural celebrations to highlight participants' origins, ethnic music, dance and food festivals, lectures by Church figures and small-group discussions on issues facing today's Church.

Participants have registered from 46 of the 50 states, including Alaska and Hawaii. Top ten states registration-wise include, in order, California, Texas, Michigan, Florida, New York, Illinois, Washington, Arizona, New Jersey and Minnesota.

Translations will be provided in Spanish, Korean and Vietnamese.

Leading dioceses by number of participants include the Archdiocese of Los Angeles; Diocese of San Bernardino, California; Diocese of Phoenix, Diocese of Orange, California; Diocese of Salt Lake City; Archdiocese of San Francisco; Archdiocese of New York; Archdiocese of Seattle, Archdiocese of Chicago and the Diocese of Oakland, California.

Registrants indicated nation of origin as they enrolled and showed that there will be significant numbers who are Native American or who trace their roots to Mexico, Ireland, Germany, Africa, Colombia, England, France, Italy, the Philippines, Scotland, Spain, Poland, Puerto Rico, Vietnam, Cuba, El Salvador or Guatemala.

Encuentro 2000 was initiated by the U.S. Bishops' Committee on Hispanic Affairs which has hosted three previous Encuentros, in 1972, 1977 and 1985. For this Jubilee Year 2000, the Committee opted to expand its celebration to include all ethnic and racial groups which make up the Church in the United States at the start of the Third Millennium.