HISPANIC FORMATION INSTITUTE
1. Name of Institute
HISPANIC FORMATION INSTITUTE, DIOCESE OF SACRAMENTO
2. Brief History
The Hispanic Formation Institute began in 1995 as a way to fulfill the goals of the Pastoral Plan for
Hispanic Ministry in the Diocese of Sacramento (1991). Because of the impact the Hispanic community has on
this geographic region as well as on the Catholic community, it was decided that a specific plan must be
put into effect in order to properly reach out to this growing population. The Hispanic Formation
Institute was created to address the specific cultural, spiritual and social needs of the Hispanic Catholic
community, providing the education and formation needed for Hispanic laity to effectively work within
their communities.
Having achieved a greater awareness and involvement of Hispanic Laity in their communities, the
Institute continues to focus on the academic and spiritual formation of the baptized, for them to respond
to the calls and the needs of the Christian Catholic Community, to better know their identity, their faith
and their talents. The Institute also invites and welcomes the leadership of the various Pastoral
Movements to strengthen their resolve and to better understand their roles within the local and the
universal Church. Thus, the Institute helps to prepare laypersons to become leaders of evangelization in
their parishes and to serve not only in their home parishes, but also in more remote regions of the
Diocese.
3. Mission and goals
The Institute’s mission is to provide the necessary formation, education and instruction for
Hispanic Lay people to know and to respond to their baptismal call of personal holiness, evangelization
and commitment to the Reign of God as active Christians.
The main goal of the Hispanic Formation Institute, especially in the advanced levels, is to prepare
Hispanic lay leaders to be agents of change in society, in the family and in the Church. It also prepares
them for specific forms of ministry within the Church Community.
4. Institutional structure within the Diocese
The Hispanic Formation Institute falls under the Department of Pastoral Ministry.
5. Number of programs
There are currently three programs in the Spanish language that are offered by the Institute:
1) An introduction and practice of methods of prayer and spirituality.
2) A two-year program of basic and intermediate Biblical and Doctrinal studies.
3) A two-year advanced level of Biblical, Doctrinal and Ministerial studies along with praxis of
specific ministries in local areas with guidance and supervision.
The first program is called “The Experience of God” because through it, the person is invited
and guided to a personal search of God as He is present in his/her life, and to discover in daily prayer
God’s will.
We have called the basic and intermediate level program “The Way, the Truth and the Life”
because Christians through their faith remain in an ongoing and engaging search for God through the
person of Jesus.
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Jesus is the Way which God has traced from the beginning of the History of Salvation, the road
which led to liberation through Exodus and which opens with Christ into the Reign of God.
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The Truth is the very same person of Jesus revealed in his life, death and resurrection, and
through the Church’s life. The more the believer learns the Truth, the greater his/her adherence
and commitment to Christ.
The Life because the plenitude of God is revealed in Christ and is shared through Him. The
Christian chooses the life of Jesus now and unto eternal life as a way of living and promotes it in
others. Jesus announces the Good News of Life and He is the Life (John 1:4)
The advanced level is called “Disciples of the Lord” because for the baptized, the following of
Jesus is ongoing. The term “Disciples” in the New Testament represents those whom Jesus called and
who followed him. The ones who follow according to the New Testament who want to continue learning
the “Way” of Jesus. He gathered them as his collaborators and sent them to proclaim the Reign of God.
Jesus’ call demands a conversion in his following, the desire to love and to help others with an inclusive
and humble love (Luke 6:30; Mark 9:35; Matthew 5:38; John 15:12-13).
6. Name and goal of each program, plus length of each program
The Experience of God: This program helps students understand and deepen their faith in the
Lord by discerning the presence and voice of God in their daily lives. It is also a prerequisite for those
who will participate in the courses, “The Way, the Truth and the Life I & II”. This is a summer or
semester course of 5 sessions, 6 hours per session, for a total of 30 hours.
The Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6): Basic and intermediate levels for all students of
the Catholic faith and for those preparing to serve as ministers in the parish setting. The basic program
focuses especially on Scripture following the itinerary of Salvation History and its application to the
Catholic believer in the economy of salvation as experienced in the rhythm of the Liturgical Year. In a
parallel description of the development of the Old and the New Testaments and of the Early Church, the
student is invited to live the mystery of God’s life with His people today. The intermediate program
maintains the focus on Sacred Scripture, as well as on Church History and its written and oral Tradition.
It gives the students doctrinal knowledge of the faith, along with personal, spiritual and leadership abilities.
The program will meet once a month for ten months, totaling 100 hours.
Disciples of the Lord (Acts 9:1; 14:1-7): The advanced level is a two-year program that prepares
the students for roles as Ecclesial Lay Ministers, be it as Catechists, “Maestro Catequista”, Parish Ministry
Coordinators and leaders in specific areas of ministry. Here they are seeking a deeper understanding of the
Church’s teachings, its liturgical life, their own vocation, and the spirituality of service. The program meets
two Thursdays a month for ten months, for a total of 120 hours.
The curriculum for these programs is a systematic combination which includes Holy Scripture,
theology, ecclesiology and history, ethics and morality, sacraments, liturgical and pastoral applications. The
methodology applied is for adult learners in a community of faith, of listening and of reflection along with
ministerial practice. This methodology integrates four areas of personal formation: Human Formation,
Spiritual Formation, Intellectual Formation and Pastoral Formation. The various levels are designed in the
light of the Church’s documents and of the National Norms for the Formation and Certification Standards for Lay
Ministers. To ensure professional quality, advanced level graduates are expected to continue with
enrichment courses offered by the Diocese or by other institutions with corresponding records.
Sister Paulina Hurtado, O.P.
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