In response to the growth of the Hispanic community of Philadelphia, His Eminence Cardinal Justin Rigali transformed the office for Hispanic Catholics in 2005, naming Monsignor Hugh Joseph Shields the Vicar for Hispanic Catholics. The Vicar for Hispanic Catholics represents His Eminence Cardinal Rigali in serving the pastoral needs of the Hispanic Apostolate of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, in order to strengthen their participation in the life of the Church.

Monsignor Shields supervises the work of the Office of the Vicar for Hispanic Catholics (OVHC), the Catholic Institute for Evangelization, the Vincentian Hispanic Evangelization Team, the Delaware County Team, and the South Philadelphia team.

The OVHC works in harmony with other offices of the Archdiocese to better serve the Hispanic community, as well as organizations and individuals who are not necessarily part of the Archdiocese, yet are concerned about the well-being of our Hispanic community. At present, the OVHC serves as a resource to the 37 parishes with Hispanic Apostolate and Misión Santa María Madre de Dios, with a total of 34 priests, 33 religious sisters, 15 Hispanic deacons and many lay volunteers (serving in different committees), among them members of the Americorps VISTA program.

It is the function of the Office of the Vicar for Hispanic Catholics to walk in solidarity with the increasing Spanish-speaking population residing in the archdiocese- reaffirming their values and traditions, and encouraging leadership in their parishes and communities. This growing population reflects the multi-cultural nature of the United States, with representation from the 19 Spanish-speaking countries of the Americas, as well as Spain. The Archdiocese’s Hispanic community represents a total of twenty nations with their respective cultures and traditions united by the same language and faith in a unique reality- the United States.