María Cristina Hernández

María Cristina Hernández  is an immigrant from Quito, Ecuador, with 25 years of experience in parish and diocesan ministries in the United States. She serves as a consultant for the Latina/o Network of Theological and Ministerial Leadership at Santa Clara University in California and teaches a course on Pastoral Ministries in the Diocese of Oakland. She served as co-chair of her diocese’s Synodal process and participated in discussions with Synod voting members in Rome in 2024 as part of a delegation from the United States. Previously, she directed the Office for Life and Justice in the Diocese of Oakland and worked as the Director of Education and Economic Development at Catholic Charities of the East Bay. María Cristina was a consultant and presenter for the V National Encuentro of Hispanic/Latino Ministry and is currently a member of the Hispanic Advisory Board for the USCCB. María Cristina earned her degree in Economics from the Pontifical Catholic University of Quito, and she holds a Master’s Degree in Pastoral Ministries from Santa Clara University. A Guadalupana at heart, María Cristina is a dedicated leader in building bilingual and bicultural restorative synodal bridges to better minister to the Latino/Hispanic community and its mission to serve the larger church community.