Kathia Arango was elected national coordinator for the Hispanic Catholic Charismatic Renewal (CCR) in the United States and Canada. Arango is the director of the Office for Hispanic Catholics for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, a position she will continue to hold. She also serves as member of the Hispanic Ministry Commission for the Diocese of Camden.
She was chosen for her CCR position during the last annual meeting of the Hispanic National Service Committee for the Catholic Charismatic Renewal (Comité Nacional de Servicio Hispano, CNSH), held in New York. The CNSH comprises a spiritual director, a national coordinator, four members, eight regional representatives and eight young adult regional representatives. Arango’s position as National Coordinator, a volunteer ministry, started April 30, 2017, during the ECCLE (Encuentro Católico Carismático Latino Estadounidense) in Boston, Massachusetts.
With this new ministry, Arango also became a member of CONCCLAT (Consejo Católico Carismático Latino Americano – Latin-American Catholic Charismatic Committee). On this committee, she represents the United States and Canada, and will work, together with 20 other national coordinators from several countries of Latin America, to promote the vision of the CCR in the Spanish-speaking community across the continent.
“This new ministry will give me a great opportunity to enhance the continuing work in evangelization projects here in South Jersey and Philadelphia area,” she said.
Since 2014, Arango has been director of the Office for Hispanic Catholics for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. She also serves as the Representative of the Episcopal Region III to the National Catholic Association of Diocesan Directors of Hispanic Ministry (NCADDHM). From 2011-2014, she served as registrar for the Lay Ministry formation programs and coordinator of the Spanish formation programs for the Diocese of Camden. Arango has served as the coordinator of the Hispanic Catholic Charismatic Renewal for the Diocese of Camden. Since 2014, she serves as a member of the National Hispanic Catholic Charismatic Renewal Executive Committee. From 2013-17, she served as the representative of the North America–Caribbean Region to the Young Adult Latin America Committee. She has been an active minister, preaching at retreats and conferences in a national and international level.
Arango holds a Master of Arts in pastoral theology from Georgian Court University (New Jersey); a bachelor’s in accounting (Americana University, Asuncion, Paraguay) and a certificate in leadership formation from the International Catholic Charismatic Renewal Services Institute (Rome, Italy).