By Jennifer Mauro | Associate Editor
For four evenings in a row – as well as three mornings – St. John Neumann Parish, Mount Laurel, is hosting a mission titled “Living the Gospel Today,” which will be led by Catholic lay Evangelist Bill Wegner.
“This mission focuses on the words of Jesus and our call as lay people in the Church, our call to holiness and how we live that in our everyday lives,” Wegner said.
Wegner, a parishioner in St. Veronica Parish, Howell, is of Good News International Ministries – whose goal is to promote deeper spirituality, spread the word of God’s unconditional love through missions and retreats and encourage personal involvement in the lives of those in need, according to its website.
“We’re called to go back to the basics of our faith to re-establish in our own lives what Jesus has called us to do and be,” Wegner said of the parish mission series. “This mission goes to the basics of the Gospel.”
The mission will be held at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 29-Feb. 1 in St. John Neumann Church, 560 Walton Ave., Mount Laurel. Beginning Jan. 29, series topics will be “Our Call to Holiness,” “The Challenges of Jesus,” “Our Call to Reconcile” and “Questions of Jesus.” Refreshments will be served each night after the hour-long discussion.
In addition, Wegner will be giving shorter parish missions Jan. 30-Feb. 1 after daily morning Mass, which begins at 10 a.m. Those topics are scheduled to be “The Unconditional Love of God,” “Including the Excluded: Good News to the Poor” and “Prayer and God’s Grace.”
“If you’re looking to go deeper into your faith, this mission if for you,” Wegner said.
Vidya Olivarez, who is on the Liturgy Committee in St. John Neumann Parish, said the mission series was a good way for anyone to prepare for the Lenten season.
“Lent is all about us living the Gospel and having us go through the same journey Jesus walked on this earth,” she said. “When we know that he, too, tread on this ground, that helps us become stronger.”
Wegner and his wife, Cheryl, are full-time evangelists and have appeared on Eternal Word Television Network and many Catholic radio programs. In addition to the Good News International Ministries, the couple is the originators of the annual “Celebrating our Catholic Faith Tent Revival.”
The parish mission is free and open to the public. For more information, call the parish office at 856-235-1330.