Embrace gifts of Holy Spirit, urge speakers at charismatic conference
November 18, 2024 at 1:15 p.m.
UPDATED Nov. 18, 2024
More than 350 participants in the “Anointed” diocesan Catholic Charismatic Conference Nov. 15-16 were encouraged to embrace the gifts of the Holy Spirit – not only during a weekend of speakers, but also in the day-to-day.
“Baptism in the Holy Spirit is just the beginning of walking in the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit, because the supernatural IS the normal Christian life,” said the keynote speaker, Dr. Mary Healy, professor of Sacred Scripture at Sacred Heart Major Seminary, Detroit. “Sometimes what we’re taught is that the supernatural is really meant to be very rare, unusual, and only in the lives of certain extraordinarily gifted saints.
PHOTO GALLERY: 2024 Anointed Conference
“Hearing God speak, seeing the charisms of the Holy Spirit manifested in your lives … healings, miracles – that is meant to be normal,” Dr. Healy said.
Hosted by St. Mary Parish, Middletown, the two-day conference focused on “Baptism in the Holy Spirit” – a personal encounter with the Spirit that brings to life the gifts instilled at Baptism and Confirmation, awakening in the individual a desire for a deeper relationship with God and to spread the Gospel.
The promise of the Father
Other keynote speakers for the conference included Capuchin Franciscan Father Diogo Escudero, a priest from Brazil known for his Marian devotion who now serves the Archdiocese of Philadelphia; and Matej Živković, St. Mary Parish’s new Life Teen Youth Minister.
“Each speaker offered a unique perspective on the central themes of the Holy Spirit, the intercession of the Blessed Mother, and the Father’s heart,” said Father Jeffrey Kegley, St. Mary’s pastor and diocesan liaison to the Catholic Charismatic Renewal.
Father Escudero spoke about how Jesus instructed the apostles to remain in Jerusalem until they could be “clothed with power from on high – then they would be able to be his witnesses.”
“The promise of the Father is the Holy Spirit,” Father Escudero said. “It is important that we know our faith, that we are properly evangelized and catechized, that we live a life in grace.” He said the Holy Spirit “dwells in us and is forming us more and more into his image and likeness.”
Father Escudero reflected on the Blessed Virgin Mary as the spouse of the Holy Spirit and a model of surrender to God’s will.
“Mary shows us how to trust completely in the Lord, even in the face of uncertainty,” he said. “Mary is given to us as such a gift, and I think we do not emphasize enough the role and importance of Our Lady … Mary is essential. We see how profound and what is the role of Holy Spirit and Mary in our hearts. … As Catholics, we are in the Church founded by Jesus Christ himself, and in this Church, he also gives us his mother.”
Živković shared his personal testimony, speaking about the Father’s heart and God’s unconditional love.
“It’s interesting that even after the Cross and after we have been washed by the blood of Jesus and have become a new creation, we all carry extra baggage,” he said, referencing his own childhood experiences. “How many of us can say that we live the fullness, the freedom that the Lord has for us? … [But] when we truly understand how deeply we are loved by the Father, everything changes.”
Dr. Healy encouraged attendees to embrace the Spirit’s transformative power and to not be fearful.
“The Holy Spirit equips us to bring God’s love to a broken world. … Know that there is more, and that the Holy Spirit longs for you to keep that fire burning,” she said.
“How common it is these days for people to be operating, walking under a cloud of fear,” she continued. “I think we saw it on a global scale during the pandemic … many people walked under a cloud of fear and anxiety … it’s still true today. … The Lord is saying ‘No child of mine is to walk in fear or anxiety,’ because I am the Lord, and I am sovereign over all things, I love my children with an everlasting love, and I work all things for good for those who love me.”
Spirit Interceding
Central to the weekend was the Saturday evening healing service, which served as “the emotional and spiritual highlight of the conference,” Father Kegley said. Led by Dr. Healy and assisted by local prayer teams from the Encounter School of Ministry, conference participants offered prayers for healing and renewal, and many participants said they experienced profound moments of grace.
“The testimonies of healing we’ve heard are a testament to the Holy Spirit at work,” said Jim Tortorici, director of the Encounter School of Ministry, which operates from the campus of St. Mary. “From physical healings to emotional burdens lifted, God is touching lives in extraordinary ways.”
Msgr. Lewis Papera, a retired priest of the Archdiocese of Newark, was among those who experienced healing. “I’ve carried pain in my shoulder for months, but during the healing service, I felt it disappear,” he said.
Another attendee, John Kelly, described a spiritual awakening. “I came here looking for answers, and I’m leaving with a heart full of God’s love,” he said.
“This conference is a powerful reminder that the Holy Spirit is alive and active in our Church today,” Father Kegley said. “We are called to be bold witnesses of God’s love and to bring healing to a hurting world.”
He described the atmosphere as one of joy and empowerment, with many who “left feeling recharged in their faith, ready to bring what they experienced back to their communities. The Anointed conference was a vivid demonstration of the power of the Holy Spirit to transform lives and inspire a deeper connection to God and his Church.”
For more information of the Diocese of Trenton Catholic Charismatic Renewal visit https://dotccr.org/.
Father Jeffrey Kegley, pastor of St. Mary Parish, Middletown, and liaison to the diocesan Catholic Charismatic Renewal, contributed to this story.
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UPDATED Nov. 18, 2024
More than 350 participants in the “Anointed” diocesan Catholic Charismatic Conference Nov. 15-16 were encouraged to embrace the gifts of the Holy Spirit – not only during a weekend of speakers, but also in the day-to-day.
“Baptism in the Holy Spirit is just the beginning of walking in the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit, because the supernatural IS the normal Christian life,” said the keynote speaker, Dr. Mary Healy, professor of Sacred Scripture at Sacred Heart Major Seminary, Detroit. “Sometimes what we’re taught is that the supernatural is really meant to be very rare, unusual, and only in the lives of certain extraordinarily gifted saints.
PHOTO GALLERY: 2024 Anointed Conference
“Hearing God speak, seeing the charisms of the Holy Spirit manifested in your lives … healings, miracles – that is meant to be normal,” Dr. Healy said.
Hosted by St. Mary Parish, Middletown, the two-day conference focused on “Baptism in the Holy Spirit” – a personal encounter with the Spirit that brings to life the gifts instilled at Baptism and Confirmation, awakening in the individual a desire for a deeper relationship with God and to spread the Gospel.
The promise of the Father
Other keynote speakers for the conference included Capuchin Franciscan Father Diogo Escudero, a priest from Brazil known for his Marian devotion who now serves the Archdiocese of Philadelphia; and Matej Živković, St. Mary Parish’s new Life Teen Youth Minister.
“Each speaker offered a unique perspective on the central themes of the Holy Spirit, the intercession of the Blessed Mother, and the Father’s heart,” said Father Jeffrey Kegley, St. Mary’s pastor and diocesan liaison to the Catholic Charismatic Renewal.
Father Escudero spoke about how Jesus instructed the apostles to remain in Jerusalem until they could be “clothed with power from on high – then they would be able to be his witnesses.”
“The promise of the Father is the Holy Spirit,” Father Escudero said. “It is important that we know our faith, that we are properly evangelized and catechized, that we live a life in grace.” He said the Holy Spirit “dwells in us and is forming us more and more into his image and likeness.”
Father Escudero reflected on the Blessed Virgin Mary as the spouse of the Holy Spirit and a model of surrender to God’s will.
“Mary shows us how to trust completely in the Lord, even in the face of uncertainty,” he said. “Mary is given to us as such a gift, and I think we do not emphasize enough the role and importance of Our Lady … Mary is essential. We see how profound and what is the role of Holy Spirit and Mary in our hearts. … As Catholics, we are in the Church founded by Jesus Christ himself, and in this Church, he also gives us his mother.”
Živković shared his personal testimony, speaking about the Father’s heart and God’s unconditional love.
“It’s interesting that even after the Cross and after we have been washed by the blood of Jesus and have become a new creation, we all carry extra baggage,” he said, referencing his own childhood experiences. “How many of us can say that we live the fullness, the freedom that the Lord has for us? … [But] when we truly understand how deeply we are loved by the Father, everything changes.”
Dr. Healy encouraged attendees to embrace the Spirit’s transformative power and to not be fearful.
“The Holy Spirit equips us to bring God’s love to a broken world. … Know that there is more, and that the Holy Spirit longs for you to keep that fire burning,” she said.
“How common it is these days for people to be operating, walking under a cloud of fear,” she continued. “I think we saw it on a global scale during the pandemic … many people walked under a cloud of fear and anxiety … it’s still true today. … The Lord is saying ‘No child of mine is to walk in fear or anxiety,’ because I am the Lord, and I am sovereign over all things, I love my children with an everlasting love, and I work all things for good for those who love me.”
Spirit Interceding
Central to the weekend was the Saturday evening healing service, which served as “the emotional and spiritual highlight of the conference,” Father Kegley said. Led by Dr. Healy and assisted by local prayer teams from the Encounter School of Ministry, conference participants offered prayers for healing and renewal, and many participants said they experienced profound moments of grace.
“The testimonies of healing we’ve heard are a testament to the Holy Spirit at work,” said Jim Tortorici, director of the Encounter School of Ministry, which operates from the campus of St. Mary. “From physical healings to emotional burdens lifted, God is touching lives in extraordinary ways.”
Msgr. Lewis Papera, a retired priest of the Archdiocese of Newark, was among those who experienced healing. “I’ve carried pain in my shoulder for months, but during the healing service, I felt it disappear,” he said.
Another attendee, John Kelly, described a spiritual awakening. “I came here looking for answers, and I’m leaving with a heart full of God’s love,” he said.
“This conference is a powerful reminder that the Holy Spirit is alive and active in our Church today,” Father Kegley said. “We are called to be bold witnesses of God’s love and to bring healing to a hurting world.”
He described the atmosphere as one of joy and empowerment, with many who “left feeling recharged in their faith, ready to bring what they experienced back to their communities. The Anointed conference was a vivid demonstration of the power of the Holy Spirit to transform lives and inspire a deeper connection to God and his Church.”
For more information of the Diocese of Trenton Catholic Charismatic Renewal visit https://dotccr.org/.
Father Jeffrey Kegley, pastor of St. Mary Parish, Middletown, and liaison to the diocesan Catholic Charismatic Renewal, contributed to this story.