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In 1965, as the Second Vatican Council came to a close, the Subcommittee on the
Church in Latin America was created by the bishops of the United States; and in
1966, the rst Collection for the Church in Latin America was taken up. This col-
lection was created to support those who seek to live a life of faith in Latin America
and the Caribbean but face obstacles in their spiritual journey.
Even today, the challenges of the faithful in this region include poverty, dif cult
rural landscapes, and severe shortages of priests and other pastoral ministers. But
through this collection, people nd hope. Grants funded by the collection support
projects for catechesis, family ministry, lay leadership training, and prison ministry,
among others, in more than 23 countries.
Mexico
In southern Mexico, the indigenous communities of Náhuatl and Populuca descent
felt their faith practices were disconnected from their native culture. Seeing this
challenge, the Diocese of San Andres Tuxtla, with the help of a grant from the Col-
lection for the Church in Latin America, trained 50 pastoral leaders to minister espe-
cially to the youth,
to accompany them
as they share and live
their Christian faith
as indigenous peoples.
The leaders created
spaces for dialogue in
order to nd com-
monalities between
the Gospel and the
values of these indig-
enous communities.
It is through your
support that these
communities are
strengthening their
ethnic and cultural
customs while deep-
ening their relation-
ship with Christ.