Wednesday, October 28, 2026
7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. EDT
Location: 125 E Street NW Capitol View Event Convening Space (9th Floor) & Livestreamed
Young Latinos are leaving organized religion at rates faster than any other group in the United States. With churches serving to bring communities together to act around shared ideals, declining participation in organized religion has a ripple effect into public life, weakening the social fabric, dampening civic participation, and contributing to deepening polarization.
The week before the midterm elections, when democratic participation is in the national spotlight, this Latino Leader Gathering will examine the causes and consequences of this phenomenon, asking: What’s behind the wave of disaffiliation among young Latinos? Can it help explain some of the dangers affecting our public life? What forms of faith-based engagement in public life create dynamic communities of dialogue, and what forms drive people away?
The call to participate actively in one’s community is central to Catholic social teaching. Can the moral vocabulary of Catholic social teaching survive in the lives of young people who no longer practice other elements of their faith? Can it serve to share the Gospel with those who have moved away from the Church?
Christian Soenen, program manager of the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life, will moderate the conversation.
This gathering will have three parts:
6:00 - 7:00 p.m. | Welcoming Happy Hour
Meet and network with other young leaders over food and drink.
7:00 - 8:00 p.m. | Latino Leader Gathering
A conversation on “Disaffiliation and Disengagement among Young Latinos” with four leaders.
8:00 - 9:00 p.m. | Reception
Continue the conversation with other young leaders over food and drink.
This Latino Leader Gathering is for young adult Catholics to come together to explore links between faith, Catholic social thought, and their lives and work, especially on public policy.
Recording
The dialogue starting at 7:00 p.m. EDT will be recorded and posted online for later viewing.
Participants
Juan Miguel Alvarez
Juan Miguel Alvarez is the program director of New Horizons at the University of Notre Dame, an effort to mentor and support emerging Catholic leaders. He previously served as director of the Haciendo Caminos partnership at the university and ministered in the Archdiocese of Chicago, with an emphasis on Hispanic ministry.
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Jasmin Chavez Cruz
Jasmin Chavez Cruz is a master’s student at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy and a member of McCourt Avanza, a student group focused on domestic policy issues affecting Latino communities. She previously served as associate director of the White House Internship Program and as a presidential appointee at the U.S. Department of Education, where she supported the White House Initiatives on Hispanics and Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.
Aleja Hertzler-McCain
Aleja Hertzler-McCain is a reporter for Religion News Service covering Latino faith and American Catholicism. She has previously reported at National Catholic Reporter and Sojourners, where she won awards from the Catholic Media Association and the Associated Church Press.
Joe Rubio
Joe Rubio is the national co-director of the Industrial Areas Foundation, the largest and longest-standing network of local faith and community-based organizations in the United States. Rubio has organized and supervised IAF projects in Texas, Arizona, and Colorado.
Related
Accessibility
All accommodation requests should be sent to cathsocialthought@georgetown.edu by Monday, October 26. A good-faith effort will be made to fulfill requests.