Written by Felicia Holcomb, Consultant for Marketing and Enrollment Management, Archdiocese of Kansas City, KS, fholcomb@archkckcs.org
Roughly seven years ago, I started a new career as a marketing and enrollment manager at Resurrection Catholic School in Kansas City, KS, a predominantly Hispanic community. I was eager to share with others the amazing things happening in the school—the things that convinced me to work there in the first place.
One of my first attempts at recruitment was to host an information event. I created the English and Spanish invitations, distributed them to the parish, set up a classroom, and purchased a cheese and cracker tray.
Do you know how many people attended the event? Zero.
Why did no one attend? Simple—at the time, I did not understand the audience.
Fast forward and the school has a waitlist, along with involved parents and a community that celebrates multiculturalism and connection.
That failed event captures why schools’ efforts have to go deeper than flyers, translated newsletters, and cheese trays.
This January marked the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas’ second annual Strengthening Hispanic Engagement Through Connection, Culture and Commitment event. More than just another professional development day for schools, we were asking a much deeper question:
What does it really take for Hispanic families to feel that they belong and are welcome in our Catholic school communities—not just attend them? That question shaped everything about the day, where Catholic school leaders, faculty, and archdiocesan staff came together to reflect, listen, and grow.
What we shared was clear: a sense of belonging and welcome are not an outcome of enrollment strategy. Belonging is the foundation of the community itself.
From the preparation leading up to the event, to the conversations during the day, and the reflections that followed, eight distinct lessons emerged—lessons that offer insight not only for this gathering, but for anyone seeking to build a stronger, more authentic community with Hispanic families.
Lesson #1: This work isn’t about programs—it is about people
This work cannot begin with programs, flyers, or recruitment strategies. It has to begin with people.
Too often, engagement is treated like a checklist: improve communication, host an event, translate materials, increase outreach. What we must remember is that Hispanic families are not looking for more information—they are looking for relationships and an invitation to be part of a family-like community. This is deeply rooted in the cultural value of familismo—a strong orientation toward family and community as the center of identity and trust. An enrollment strategy will never substitute for it.
Like any close-knit family, relationships cannot be automated, rushed, or assumed. Relationships must be built and nurtured, and they absolutely cannot be an afterthought, only rolled out when it is easy or convenient.
Lesson #2: The data tells a story—but the experience tells a deeper one
Take a look at reports on Church membership and you’ll find a familiar reality: Hispanic families are a growing and vital part of the Church. At the Archdiocese of Kansas City, Hispanics make up 21-25 percent of Catholics. Yet, despite this growth, Hispanic families’ presence in Catholic schools does not yet reflect that same proportion. In 2025, based on the NCEA data, our schools were made up of 12 percent Hispanics.
While helpful, one could argue the most important insights don’t come from charts. They come from reflection.
Why is there a gap? What barriers—seen and unseen—might exist in communication, culture, access, or perception?
The data points us to a challenge. The conversation points us to responsibility.
Lesson #3: Language is not just communication—it is connection
What do you do to engage your Hispanic families? Too often, the quick (and sometimes sole) response is, “We translate everything.” Engagement goes well beyond a quick Google Translate fix. Language also matters far beyond translation. On its own, language is a tactic, but when we combine language with culture, we have the makings of a meaningful, authentic connection.
When communication is only partially accessible, families may receive information—but not always confidence. They may understand details—but not always feel included.
True engagement requires more than converting English into Spanish. It requires communicating in a way that honors how families process information, make decisions, and build trust—a concept sometimes called personalismo: the preference for warm, personal communication over transactional or impersonal outreach. When communication feels distant, so does belonging.
Lesson #4: Culture is not an “add-on”—it is part of the mission
Another powerful theme emerges as we discuss engagement: Hispanic culture is not something to accommodate—it is something to embrace as part of the life of the universal Church.
Families notice when their culture is reflected in the school (and Church) environment—not just in misunderstood celebration days or special events, but in everyday interactions, relationships, and leadership.
When culture is visible and respected, trust grows naturally. When it is absent or overlooked, distance grows just as quickly.
“We are not trying to add culture to our schools. We are being asked to recognize the culture that is already there.”
Lesson #5: Belonging grows when people see themselves reflected
One of the most impactful insights we can gather from conversations with families is the importance of representation. Representation is not limited to the classrooms and front office, but to the boards, advisory councils, parent groups, and committees. When students and families see people who look like them, speak like them, and share similar experiences in leadership, teaching, and school life, something shifts.
They begin to believe: “This place is for us.”
And that belief changes everything.
Because belonging is not just about access—it is about recognition.
Lesson #6: Real belonging is proven over time, not in a moment
Belonging is not built in a single event. It is built in what happens after the event. Do we follow up? Do we listen differently because of what we heard? Do families see changes in how we communicate and engage? Do we stay present?
Trust is not created in a single moment of connection. It is created in the consistency that follows it.
Lesson #7: A different way of thinking about community
We are not trying to “reach” Hispanic families. We are being invited to become a Church—and school system—where they already belong. That shift changes everything.
It moves us from strategy to relationship, from programming to presence, and from enrollment goals to community identity.
In that shift, we begin to see what Catholic education is meant to be: not just a place where students are taught, but a community where families are known, valued, and at home.
Lesson #8 (the hardest lesson): We have to look inward first
If there is one lesson that demands the most of us, it is this one. Schools’ conversations must turn toward something more difficult but necessary: reflection. If we want to strengthen engagement with Hispanic families, we have to be willing to examine our own assumptions—about communication, about involvement, about what “participation” looks like, and about what families need.
That means asking hard questions: Do we assume families are unengaged because they are absent from our events—without asking whether our events were designed with them in mind? Do we interpret silence as indifference, rather than as a signal that trust hasn’t yet been built? Do we require families to navigate our systems, rather than meeting them where they are?
This is not about blame or shame. It is about awareness. A community cannot grow where self-reflection is absent.
At the event, this lesson surfaced in a moment of honest conversation among school leaders who named practices they had long taken for granted—and realized, together, that those practices were quietly creating distance.
Consider beginning this reflection with your team:
- When a Hispanic family is absent from school events, what is our first assumption?
- What would a Hispanic parent need to see or hear before they felt safe enough to speak up in our community?
- Whose voice is missing from our decision-making tables—and how do we notice that absence?
Where to Start
These eight lessons can feel like a mountain. They don’t have to be. Here are three concrete actions any school or diocese can take this week:
- Audit one touchpoint. Pick one piece of communication—a welcome letter, a newsletter, an event invitation—and ask a bilingual Hispanic community member to review it honestly. Not just for accuracy, but for warmth, tone, and whether it feels like it was written for them.
- Create one seat. Identify one advisory council, committee, or parent group where a Hispanic family member’s voice is currently absent—and take a concrete step toward changing that.
- Ask the question. Bring Lesson #8 to your next staff meeting. Read the three reflection questions aloud and give people space to sit with them honestly.
Looking to the Future
I recommend that every school and every diocese aim to create a similar experience for its schools—an opportunity to reflect and better serve.
As for the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, we will host our annual event again, but we are committed to ensuring the conversation continues well beyond a single day. The lesson we continue to learn is simple—and it demands ongoing action:
When families feel seen, they engage.
When they feel valued, they participate.
When they feel they belong, they stay—and they help build the community with us.
