By EMMALEE ITALIA
Contributing Editor
Tying into the National Eucharistic Revival, the 2023 New Jersey Catholic Charismatic Conference “Behold Him!” is planned for Oct. 28-29 in St. Mary Church, 19 Cherry Tree Farm Rd., Middletown.
The conference begins Oct. 28 with a session from 7-9 p.m., and continues Oct. 29 from at 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. The event will include worship led by Gez Ford and the Malachi Mission Band; keynote speakers and workshops; Mass celebrated by St. Mary’s pastor, Father Jeffrey Kegley; a healing service and candlelight procession from the main church to the diocesan Shrine of Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament.
Bishop Joseph A. Espaillat II, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of New York, will be the keynote speaker on Oct. 28. Additional speakers for Oct. 29 include Father John Gordon, Secretary for Evangelization in the Archdiocese of Newark, and Gilbert Rodriguez, associate director of adult faith formation in the Archdiocese of New York.
Bishop Joseph A. Espaillat
Appointed by Pope Francis in January 2022, Bishop Espaillat is the youngest Catholic bishop and the first Dominican bishop in the United States. A native of Manhattan, Bishop Espaillat was named in 2015 as pastor of St. Anthony of Parish in The Bronx, N.Y., a position he still holds. He is also the founder of the ministry Messengers of Christ.
Bishop Espaillat has become popular for his unconventional way of teaching, including rapping to young people in his community to help them connect with God. He also hosts a podcast called “Sainthood in the City.” “They think a saint can’t be hip, a saint can’t be cool, a saint, you know, can’t wear hoodies, you know, a saint can’t wear Jordans,” he said. “We just said, let’s just go out there and let’s do it.”
Father John Gordon
A dynamic preacher, teacher and evangelist, Father Gordon has served in a variety of parishes over his 34 years of priesthood. He has also served as a high school chaplain and formation direction of the pre-theologate program in Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio. Father Gordon was recently named the acting vicar for pastoral life and remains the coordinator of the Office for Evangelization of the Newark Archdiocese. He also serves as the coordinator for the charismatic renewal, and the coordinator for multi-cultural affairs. Father Gordon is a former member of the National Service Team for the Catholic Charismatic Renewal and currently serves as a council member for Pentecost Today USA. He is also a member of the People of Hope Community, a Catholic Charismatic Covenant Community.
Gilbert Rodriguez
Gilbert Rodriguez has more than 20 years of experience in evangelization with a heart for young adult ministry. He earned a Master of Theology degree from St. Joseph’s Seminary and College, Yonkers, N.Y., which fueled his passion for equipping people in revival culture and Holy Spirit empowerment. Rodriguez is an alumni of the Encounter School of Ministry and is currently an instructor at the school’s New Jersey campus. He has been married for eight years to his wife, Franshel; the couple lives in Brooklyn.
Registration is $60 per person; for more information and to register, visit http://dotccr.org/beholdhim.