From the beginning of the Church, the Holy Spirit has led the disciples of Christ to walk in boldness and in truth. Yet today, many young Latinos in the United States struggle to see themselves as part of that story.
Although Latinos are one of the fastest growing populations in the country and make up a large portion of the young Catholic Church, nearly half of Latino young adults are leaving the faith.
Many struggle to find a place in parish life that reflects their culture, language and lived experience. Some feel unseen, unimportant or unsure of their role in the Church and society.
Like St. Juan Diego, many young Latinos today feel unworthy of God’s call. They question whether God could truly be calling them — or whether they belong in the life of the Church at all.
Yet Our Lady of Guadalupe looked at Juan Diego and said, “It must be you.” That same message speaks powerfully to young Latinos today. In response to this reality, there is a missionary program that exists to carry that message into the hearts of young people.
Iskali, an Illinois-based Catholic leadership organization for Latino youth, launched a missionary program this year that seeks to respond to the need to encounter young Latinos. The program seeks to provide parishes with full-time missionaries equipped to walk with, form communities and create parishes where young Latinos can flourish in their faith. Iskali reminds young Latinos that God is calling them, that they belong in the Church, and that their lives have a purpose in God’s mission.
Our Lady as a model
Daniel Sánchez, lead missionary for Iskali, explains that the program’s model of Christian discipleship is rooted in the witness of the Blessed Virgin Mary. She teaches us how to follow the Spirit with urgency, to serve with tenderness and humility, and to magnify the Lord through our lives. Above all, she reminds us that mission begins with an open heart to the will of the Father and the courage to bear Christ within us.
For Iskali, Our Lady of Guadalupe is not only a symbol of faith but a living model of evangelization. When she appeared to St. Juan Diego at Tepeyac, she spoke through the language, signs and culture of her people. She remained close to them and led them into a transformative encounter with her Son, Jesus Christ. Through Guadalupe, we see an evangelization that is personal, incarnational and rooted in love.
Recent popes have repeatedly pointed to Our Lady of Guadalupe as a guide for the Church in the Americas. St. John Paul II called her the “Star of the New Evangelization” and “Patroness of All America.”
Pope Benedict XVI entrusted the people of God to her maternal care at Aparecida. Pope Francis emphasized that she walks with God’s people, especially the poor and marginalized.
In every generation, her message remains the same: God is close, and he is calling his people forward. The Iskali Missionary Program seeks to transform parishes into homes of missionary disciples. Our missionaries create spaces where young adults can encounter Christ, build friendships and walk together in faith. Through retreats, prayer and small communities, they invite others into a deeper relationship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Iskali currently serves young adults in more than 30 parishes, and this new missionary program makes it possible to accompany five additional parish communities this year. With new missions in three parishes in Illinois, one in Wisconsin and one in Yakima, Washington, Iskali is expanding its reach to meet the growing needs of young Latinos. The hope is to bring this model to parishes across the country.
Pastors who desire to walk more closely with their young Latino communities are invited to apply. Iskali is eager to send a missionary, especially to parishes seeking to better serve both young people and the Latino community.
Impact on missionaries
The impact of this mission can be seen in the lives of the missionaries themselves. Priscilla Peña, a missionary at Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Melrose Park, Illinois, saw how many young adults in her community had never been truly encountered by the Church.
“Being a missionary means sharing the love I have received from God and not gatekeeping that joy,” she said. “As a Latina, I carry both my parents’ stories with me, and that helps me understand others and meet them where they are.”
For Amy Sotamba, her “yes” came from a desire to live with intention in her parish after three years with Iskali. “Being a missionary means being completely of service to a community in need,” she explained. “It is about growing closer to God and helping others experience his love.”
Michael Angelo Quiroz saw missionary service as a path of transformation, courage and discipline. “I wish there was someone like me to guide me when I was younger to remind me of the love Christ has for me and the power I carry through him,” he said.
Alejandro Meza, who is discerning the priesthood, saw the program as a first step in responding to God’s call. “This kind of ministry is not available in my parish,” he said. “I am excited to start something new that helps other Latinos encounter God through their gifts.”
The Iskali Missionary program is not built on programs alone. It is built on presence, relationships and the conviction that young people matter to the Church. Like Our Lady of Guadalupe, our missionaries walk closely with their communities, they speak the language of the people, and they point those people to a God who has not forgotten them.
In a time when many feel unseen, unheard or unworthy, the Church must once again speak clearly: “It must be you.” Through the witness of these missionaries, that message is taking root — one heart, one parish and one community at a time.
Vicente Del Real is the founder and CEO of Iskali, a Catholic nonprofit dedicated to forming and empowering young Latino leaders. He writes from Chicago, where he leads Iskali’s mission of faith, service and community.
