By Rocio Granados - La Voz Catolica
MIAMI | For Merit Matos, a parishioner at St. Boniface in Pembroke Pines, finding new ways to bring God into the lives of her 5- and 9-year-old children was a need she shares with many Catholic parents.
“As parents, we always have many questions,” said Matos, who wanted to learn how to evangelize her children “in an interactive way so that they, within their own world, can also grow closer to and learn more about the faith.”
Matos learned through social media about the first Children’s Ministry Conference organized in Miami by the Southeast Pastoral Institute for Hispanic Ministry (SEPI). Geared toward catechists, parents and teachers, the conference also included activities designed specifically for children. Matos attended with her husband and children.
Under the theme “Let the children come to me,” the conference took place July 24-26, 2026, as part of the “Inculturated Prayer and Worship Experience for U.S. Hispanic Children,” a program launched in 2023 in communities throughout the Southeast served by SEPI.
Photographer: Rocio Granados
Desde la izquierda, Juanita Valdivia; su hija, Estefany Murillo y su esposo David Murillo, feligreses de la parroquia St. Michael the Archangel en Miami, posan delante del mural “Dejen que los niños vengan a mí”, en el Instituto Pastoral del Sureste para el Ministerio Hispano, SEPI, el 26 de julio. La familia participó en la primera conferencia de la Pastoral Infantil realizada en el SEPI del 24 al 26 de julio de 2026.
The family as the domestic Church, children’s spirituality, neuroscience, neurodiversity, the importance of the Word of God, music and the place of children in the Church were among the topics addressed. The sessions responded to needs identified in communities participating in the program, “combining a professional perspective with a pastoral approach,” said Sister Lizeth Manrique, coordinator of SEPI’s Prayer and Worship Project for Children.
Sister Manrique emphasized the importance of forming adults first because “the adult is the one who is with the child.” With that in mind, the conference combined theological reflection with practical tools that parents, catechists and educators could use with children.
In her presentation, “Faith in the Family: The Path of the Domestic Church,” theologian Dora Tobar said that “the Church begins in the family” because it is the first place where children receive life, discover their identity as creatures of God and learn to love.
Nurturing children’s spirituality
One topic that generated particular interest was “The Spirituality of Children,” presented by theologian Kristina Piñero. She said nurturing children’s spirituality requires adults to accompany them with trust, tenderness and the witness of their own lives.
“A child does not live protected by masks,” Piñero explained, emphasizing that children’s emotions are visible and should be met with attentiveness and words of encouragement.
Piñero said neuroscience can help adults understand how childhood experiences influence neurological, emotional and spiritual development. Children learn especially through experiences, symbols and relationships and, above all, through the example of adults.
Today, children’s spirituality faces new challenges. In the past, “children had more opportunities to play, to be outdoors. Now all of that has been replaced by technology.”
At the heart of the issue, Piñero said, is the dignity of the human person. “Technology must be at the service of human dignity and never replace relationships, spirituality and inner freedom.”
Photographer: ROCIO GRANADOS
Father Carlos Luzardo, parochial vicar at St. John Neumann Church in Miami, leads Eucharistic adoration with children who participated in SEPI’s first Children’s Ministry Conference, July 25, 2026.
The challenge of including neurodivergent children
Another conference session, “Accompanying Children with Neurodiversity on the Journey of Faith,” was presented by psychologist Laura Fontalvo, who emphasized the importance of understanding neurodiversity and using appropriate terminology.
“None of those disorders where there is different neurological functioning is a disease. They are conditions,” Fontalvo said. She explained that autism should be understood as a spectrum because “no two are alike,” and characteristics can vary widely from one person to another.
Fontalvo said barriers remain to the full participation of neurodivergent children in parish life. Achieving true inclusion, she said, makes it “essential to train catechists, parents and pastoral communities.”
Families also need accompaniment, guidance and support to care for their emotional well-being. True inclusion, Fontalvo said, means ensuring that a person who processes the world differently on a neurological level has a place in society “without losing their dignity” and is recognized as “a beloved child of God.”
Bringing the Word of God into family life
The conference also emphasized the importance of making the Word of God part of everyday family life. Ricardo Grzona, president of the Ramón Pané Foundation in Miami and a trainer of catechists and young people in biblical spirituality, presented “Sowing the Word of God: Practical Strategies for Listening, Sharing and Living It at Home.”
Sister Manrique noted that, for many families, Sunday Mass is the primary time they hear the Word of God. The goal, she said, is to bring Scripture into the home as well, creating opportunities for parents and children to share their faith and for adults to discover “what is happening in the heart of the child.”
Music, a bridge between children and God
Musician Rafael Guarnizo, who presented “Music as an Encounter with God and an Expression of Evangelization,” said music plays a fundamental role in children’s spiritual formation, not only during the liturgy but also in catechesis, prayer and adoration.
“Music itself is a sign of God’s beauty,” Guarnizo said. Through song, children can express their feelings and open themselves to a relationship with God.
Participating in the music of the Church from an early age can also leave a lasting impression. “They are unique and positive experiences” for children’s spiritual lives, Guarnizo said.
Photographer: ROCIO GRANADOS
Participants in the first Children’s Ministry Conference, organized by the Southeast Pastoral Institute for Hispanic Ministry (SEPI) in Miami, pose for a group photo following the presentation “Faith in the Family: The Path of the Domestic Church,” July 25, 2026, in Miami.
Children in the Church community
The conference also addressed “The Place of Children in the Church Community,” presented by Jesuit Father Jorge Luis Rojas, director of the Ignatian Spirituality Center in Miami.
Father Rojas said that “it is important to know that children have an important role in the mission of the Church.” Through their smiles and joy, he said, children can evangelize others. “Like Jesus, they are the light of the world.”
At the conclusion of the conference, Father Rojas celebrated the Eucharist with the participation of the children. Sister Manrique said the experience was intended to show children that they have a place within the Church while respecting the integrity of the liturgy. The children served as readers, brought forward the offertory gifts and participated in the celebration.
The conference also offered faith-formation activities specifically for children, including a children’s panel, games, interactive activities and stories “with a spiritual purpose so that they could grow in their faith,” said Verónica Candelario, assistant coordinator of SEPI’s Prayer and Worship Project for Children.
“We taught them that they can find Jesus anywhere — in their house, in their home, at their school,” Candelario said.
The children also participated in Eucharistic adoration and helped create a mural with other conference attendees. Their silhouettes were incorporated into the artwork, which, according to Candelario, “also creates a sense of belonging.”
The conference drew 15 children ages 5 to 12 and approximately 140 adults, including parents, priests, catechists and schoolteachers from Charleston, South Carolina; Lafayette, Louisiana; Little Rock, Arkansas; and Miami.
SEPI’s Children’s Ministry
SEPI’s Children’s Ministry Program seeks to help children in Hispanic communities throughout the southeastern United States develop a personal relationship with God through prayer from an early age.
Launched in 2023 through a grant from Lilly Endowment Inc., the initiative incorporates elements of Hispanic popular religiosity and offers an approach to faith formation rooted in prayer and Hispanic Catholic traditions.
The program is designed for catechists, parents, music ministers and young adults who work with children. After receiving training, participants can bring these prayer experiences into catechetical programs and family life at home.
The program also includes family Masses, where children discover that they are part of the Church and that their gifts are needed. So far, the program has reached eight parishes in dioceses throughout the Southeast, providing materials, formation and ongoing support at no cost.
To learn more about SEPI’s Children’s Ministry ProgramContact:Sister Lizeth Manrique, Coordinator of the Prayer and Worship Project for Children, [email protected].
Verónica Candelario, Assistant Coordinator of the Prayer and Worship Project for Children, [email protected].
