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Centro director calls service to Hispanic community an honor

UPDATED: Luis Soto, director of the Archdiocese of Denver’s Hispanic Ministry and executive director of Centro San Juan Diego, departed June 5.

“It is time to let someone else take this mission to other levels so that there is a renewal,” said Soto, who seeks to “take what we have learned to other dioceses in the United States, (which) come to ask for consultation on how we work here.”

Soto expressed his gratitude to the Archdiocese of Denver, to Archbishop Samuel Aquila and to the Hispanic community in northern Colorado.

“It is I who have won over the years,” he told El Pueblo Católico. “I have been blessed with the pleasure and the honor of serving this community.”

Soto has been appointed as lead consultant for the Catholic Leadership Institute, which provides clergy and the laity with pastoral leadership formation as well as consulting services that strengthen their confidence and competence in their ministry. The Institute works to enable leaders to achieve the best strategies for a more fruitful and articulated evangelization in their local church.

Born in Ciudad Obregón in Sonora, Mexico, Soto began his apostolic work at Saint Joseph and Annunciation parishes. In 2002, he began his work as the head of the Hispanic Youth Ministry and in 2005 he became the director of Hispanic Ministry in the archdiocese.
Centro’s fruit
Over the last decade, Hispanic ministry has enlivened and grown, and new initiatives have launched under Soto’s direction. Such projects have brought together faithful in Colorado, providing them with opportunities to strengthen their faith and their vocation as disciples.

Among those projects are the Spanish television program Fe Católica Viva, the project “One family under one God,” as well as the various retreats and conferences for Hispanics: young adult gatherings, the Charismatic Congress, the Spanish-language Living the Catholic Faith Conference, and the Catechetical Congress.

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In addition, there have been many training initiatives launched under Centro including the opportunity to earn a bachelor’s in Religious Studies in partnership with the Universidad Anáhuac in Mexico.

Other formation initiatives for Hispanic leaders have been strengthened, such as, courses about Christian living, stewardship programs and English as a second language.

 

Juan Carlos Reyes
Juan Carlos Reyes

“Working with Luis has being a great experience and (time for) continuous learning. It is a real blessing to have had the opportunity to work under his direction. I hope to honor his legacy.”

-Juan Carlos Reyes,
director of family services at
Centro San Juan Diego

Marisol Juarez Garcia
Marisol Juarez Garcia

“My husband and I met Luis 12 years ago. When he started the faith workshops at Queen of Peace (Church) he spoke about the sacraments. I was able to meet my faith completely and to strengthen it in a way that at no point did I doubt my Catholic faith. … More than a co-worker, Luis has been our friend.”

-Marisol Juarez Garcia,
administrative assistant at
St. Therese Parish in Aurora

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