Bishop Óscar Cantú speaks at U.S. Hispanic ministry meeting

The National Catholic Association of Diocesan Directors for Hispanic Ministry held its 2026 annual conference from Oct. 20 to 23 in Anaheim, California. The meeting gathered diocesan directors and leaders of Hispanic and Latino pastoral ministry from across the United States to discuss formative keys in the experience of Saint Juan Diego.

Speakers at the conference included Bishop Óscar Cantú of San José, Bishop Mario Alberto Avilés, C.O., of Corpus Christi, and Auxiliary Bishop Eusebio Elizondo, M.Sp.S., of Seattle. Monsignor Eduardo Chávez of the Archdiocese of Mexico City presided over the Mass on Oct. 20 and spoke on the topic of the truth regarding Our Lady of Guadalupe. Monsignor Chávez, who served as the postulator for the canonization of Saint Juan Diego, noted that the gathering serves to prepare leaders for the 500th anniversary of the apparitions.

Other participants included Sister Esperanza Micaela “Mickey” Espinoza, MCP, director of the Hispanic Ministry Office for the Diocese of Little Rock, and Deacon Cristóbal Gutiérrez, director of the Hispanic and Latino Ministry Office for the Diocese of Owensboro.