The joy of the Lord was almost tangible in St. Raphael-Holy Angels Parish Center, Hamilton, Sept. 26 as more than 300 men, women, young adults and children praised and worshiped the Lord at the fourth annual Charismatic Rally.

The day’s teachings and witnessing, concluding with a joyous celebration of the Eucharist, were built around the rally theme of “Rebuild My Church – The New Evangelization.”

Participants in fact rallied around keynote speakers Franciscan Father Dave Pivonka, director of seminary formation, Franciscan Province, Washington, D.C., and Sharon Santos, director of religious education, St. Mary Parish, New Monmouth.

The event was sponsored by the Trenton Catholic Charismatic Renewal and the Mother of God Covenant Community, a charismatic community of members consisting of married couples, single men and women, clergy and religious from various parishes who commit themselves to one another in prayer and shared activities.

Throughout the day, the crowd heard that followers of Jesus are called upon to be “living stones” — called to holiness, to embracing the Cross, self-denial, prayer, service and evangelization, which will renew the Church in the power of the Holy Spirit. Santos spoke of the call to holiness of all Christians, and the joy that comes from surrender to God’s will. “To be radical in Gospel living is what we are called to,” she said.

“The call to conversion is to learn to embrace the Cross, not for the sake of suffering but for the sake of our own Resurrection in Christ,” Santos said. “And the call to holiness is universal. It is not reserved to just a select few. It must be manifested in day to day living, in behavior, in speech.”

Father Pivonka focused on the call to prayer. “There is no way we’re going to hear what God wants to say unless we pray,” he said. “It is not a hobby . . . If we don’t pray and be quiet and still, we miss God who is all around us, because we are looking for something else,” he said.

A hurting world cries out for “something different,” Father Pivonka said, advising everyone to “always be prepared to give an account of that which gives you hope (1 Peter 3:15). When you have joy, people want what you have!”

Rodrigo and Catie Flores and Jim and Susan Gent, couples from the Mother of God Community, also gave their “witness,” that is, told their moving conversion stories to encourage the faithful gathered there.

The Gents, parents of four sons, chose to carry two babies to term after learning that they would lose them to a rare genetic disease. Their son Austin died at five months and Steven died at two years, seven months. The story was all the more remarkable since Susan Gent had been strongly pro-abortion as a young woman, before her marriage.

The couple witnessed to the power of love and God’s grace, the Sacraments and family support to help them, one day at a time. “It isn’t sufficient to be anti-abortion; Christ calls us to be people of life,” Susan Gent said, who spoke of learning the infinite value of every human life.

In his homily during the closing Eucharist, Father Jeffrey Kegley, pastor, St. Raphael-Holy Angels Parish, and spiritual director, Mother of God Community, invited the congregation to recall its “roots” in the Holy Spirit, when the Charismatic renewal broke out in the Catholic Church with great enthusiasm.

He exhorted Christians to return to the four key points for growth that can be learned in a Life in the Spirit Seminar: prayer, study, service and witness. A Life in the Spirit Seminar leads the faithful to a deeper conversion to Christ and openness to the Holy Spirit. “If we want to study more, if we want to pray more, what do we need to do? What do we pray? Come, Holy Spirit!” Father Kegley said.

Praise and worship was led by Dan Dirkes and the music ministry of the Mother of God Community.

Bob Bursley, coordinator for Small Christian Community Ministry in the Trenton Diocesan Office of Catechesis, and member of the Trenton Diocesan Steering Committee for the Charismatic Renewal, noted that the number of families and children attending has increased since the first rally.

“What we have been working at is seeking to be more welcoming to young adults, but in doing that we have drawn youths as well as young adults,” he said of the increasing number of youths in attendance.