WASHINGTON, D.C., OCT. 10, 2011- The U.S. bishops convened a group of national and regional Hispanic Catholic organizations to discuss how to continue improving the Church's Hispanic ministry in the United States.

The Sept. 26-28 meeting in San Antonio, Texas, gathered representatives of some 15 organizations.

"Today Hispanic ministry is present in more than 4,500 parishes across the U.S. and 85% of the 195 dioceses in the United States have an organized Hispanic ministry," said Bishop Joe Vasquez of Austin in his welcoming remarks. "There is no doubt that Hispanic Ministry is an expanding reality in the local churches."

Alejandro Aguilera-Titus, director of the national Office of Hispanic Affairs, under the bishops' Secretariat for Cultural Diversity, said that the meeting "marks a new beginning in Hispanic Ministry. Our organizations are committed to closer collaboration and a more strategic organizational development."