Charismatic conference March 28-30 has new venue

A new venue, program and format will mark the annual Southern Regional Conference of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal March 28-30. It will be held for the first time at the Best Western Plus Landmark Hotel in Metairie.

The conference theme is “Rebuild My Church,” the words of Christ crucified to St. Francis of Assisi as he prayed in the Chapel of San Damiano. The theme honors Pope Francis and his efforts to rebuild and restore the church in our day through the new evangelization.

“I pray that your participation in the conference will be a time of spiritual enrichment for you and give you renewed energy to continue to participate actively in the new evangelization of our church today,” said Archbishop Gregory Aymond.

Bishop Jacobs to speak
Conference speakers include recently retired Houma-Thibodaux Bishop Sam Jacobs, a long-time leader in the Charismatic Renewal; Jim Murphy, a lay evangelist who has ministered around the world; Maria Vadia, a refugee from Cuba who is now an author and missionary; and Father Robert-Joel Cruz, whose healing ministry brings him from his parish in Houma-Thibodaux around the world.

The conference begins March 28 at 7 p.m. and concludes on Sunday with an 11 a.m. Mass. Everyone is welcome to attend the conference for a single session or for the entire weekend.

On Friday at 3:30 p.m., Father Bill Henry will celebrate a pre-conference Mass of Intercession.

Combined tracks
A new feature of this year’s conference will be the combination of youth and adults into a single conference track. Two conference music groups will lead in worship: Joyful Noise, led by Joe Polito, which has provided music at the conference for more than 20 years; and Noloudrocks, a youth band led by Leslie Bertucci. There will be no separate youth track; rather, teenagers and young adults will join with other attendees in all Conference sessions. CCRNO Youth Ministry members will share leadership of the sessions with the Conference Steering Committee.

The opening session of the conference will include a welcome by Archbishop Aymond; a keynote talk by Murphy on the theme, “Rebuild My Church”; a Eucharistic Festival of Praise led by Deacon Larry Oney and an altar call.

The Saturday session will begin with 9 a.m. Mass celebrated by Father Cruz, who will say a general prayer for healing after Mass. The session that follows is entitled, “Healing Is For You.” Three speakers will address this topic to three different age groups: Vadia will speak to the adults; Deacon Larry Oney to the young adults; and Murphy to teenagers.

Youth not covered by family registration may attend the entire conference for $20, pre-registration; $25 on site. Concessions are available.

Saturday family session
On Saturday from 2 to 5 p.m., there will be a special family session entitled, “Rebuilding the Domestic Church.” Billed as a session “for the young and young of heart,” this will be an afternoon of music, teaching and prayer ministry for the entire family – toddlers to grandparents. Noloudrocks will lead the music; Murphy will speak; and prayer teams from the adult and youth prayer ministry will be available. Special price for this session only is $20 for the entire family.

The theme of the Saturday night session is “The Holy Spirit: Power for the Church.” Vadia will speak and pray for the assembly. This will be followed by a “Praise Party,” a mini-concert led by Joyful Noise. The evening will conclude with “Late Night Worship,” a time of prayer and praise led by the youth ministry from 10 p.m. to midnight.

On Sunday at 9 a.m., Murphy will give a talk on healing, followed by a Eucharistic Healing Service led by Father Henry. Bishop Jacobs, celebrating 50 years as a priest and 25 years as a bishop, will be celebrant and homilist at the Sunday Mass at 11 a.m. The conference will conclude before lunch.

All conference sessions will take place in the Mardi Gras Ballroom of the Best Western Plus Landmark Hotel. Conference attendees are encouraged to use the Landmark as their hotel for the conference. To book a room for the weekend, go to www.ccrno.org/bookhotel or call 888-9500 and mention the Catholic Charismatic Conference to receive the special rate.

Seating is limited and early registration is encouraged. Discounts are available for pre-registration. No pre-registration is needed for single sessions or the Saturday afternoon family session.

All priests, religious brothers and sisters, deacons and their families are invited to attend the conference at no charge, but pre-registration is requested. The fee schedule is as follows: individual adult $50 ($60 on site); married couple $70 ($80 on site); family (same household) $80 ($90 on site); single sessions $20 on site; youth participation (to age 30), apart from family registration, only $20; all day Saturday $40.

For additional information on the schedule, contact the conference office at P.O. Box 7515, Metairie, LA 70010-7515; telephone 828-1368; FAX 831-5810, email: [email protected]; Website: www.ccrno.org.