Two Spanish-speaking officials from the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey spoke at this year’s annual conference of the National Catholic Association of Diocesan Directors of Hispanic Ministry (NCADDHM), held in Newark, N.J., from Oct. 21 to 24. The theme was “Walking with Joy. Anchored in Hope,” inspired by the Universal Church’s Jubilee Year of Hope 2025.
Maria Moncaleano, director of Hispanic Ministry in Paterson, gave a speech welcoming the participants on Tuesday, Oct. 21. She is NCADDHM’s vice president, chairperson of the conference planning committee, and is a representative of Episcopal Region 3 of New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Freddy Garcia, Paterson Diocesan associate coordinator of evangelization and a campus minister, spoke about “Communion, Participation, and Mission: The Path of the Young Adult” on the conference’s third day, Oct. 23.
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“I shared my personal story about how I embraced a life of faith in my young adulthood and grew committed to the mission of the Church,” Garcia told BeaconNJ.org after the conference. “The goal in the end was to offer insights on how to achieve objectives from the National Pastoral Plan for Hispanic Ministry, specifically regarding young adults, Hispanic and Latino.”
Of the conference’s 265 participants, 14 were bishops and 30 were priests, along with religious, and young adults, including several faithful from the Paterson Diocese. Episcopal Region delegates came from the Newark Archdiocese, Paterson Diocese, Metuchen Diocese, and Trenton Diocese in New Jersey and the Allentown Diocese and Harrisburg Diocese in Pennsylvania.
Dr. Gerardo Salazar, NCADDHM’s COR manager, called this year’s event “the best attended conference in the last 33 years.”
One attendee from Paterson, Father Cesar Jaramillo, pastor of Holy Spirit Parish in Pequannock, N.J., posted about the national gathering on social media, “Feeling inspired and encouraged by such a cloud of wonderful witnesses and amazing presenters at this year’s conference.”
NCADDHM’s purpose is to create a collaborative ministry. The association engages in reflection and planning of Hispanic ministry. It provides continuing formation for diocesan directors serving in the United States.
