Charismatic Congress scheduled for July 27-28

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DRAPER — All families are invited to participate in the Diocesan Catholic Charismatic Renovation, which will be July 27-28 at the Skaggs Catholic Center.

The congress, which will be offered primarily in Spanish, has the theme “Jesus in the Eucharist in the heart of families.”

“The unity and healing in the families through the Eucharist is what the whole congress is mainly focusing on,” said Martha Chadaz, one of the organizers. “We are living the Eucharistic Revival, so the themes of the congress will be based on that.”

To help participants realize the importance and meaning of the Eucharist, most of the presentations will be based on who Jesus is through the Eucharist, Chadaz said.

“The importance of that relies on the fact that the families need to live with Jesus as the base, as their center ... so we can unite and so we, each one, can live in harmony with all the members of the families,” she said.

Among the presenters of the family Congress are Father Jorge Roldan, spiritual advisor of the diocesan Charismatic Renovation and pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Salt Lake City; Fr. Diego Buritica from the Diocese of Worcester, Mass.; Janeth Carreno from the Diocese of Orange, Calif.; Jose Fuentes, a youth preacher from Washington D.C.; and Principe de Paz, a music ministry from Las Vegas, Nev.

“Fr. Roldan will be focusing on the Sacrament of Marriage,” Chadaz said adding that she hopes Fr. Roldan will also offer a renewal of promises for all the married couples, “so this will help those couples that haven’t received the marriage sacrament feel the desire to do so. … Marriage is the base of a healthy family.”

Almost all the speakers have been presenters at previous charismatic congresses and retreats in the diocese.

Themes such as family unity and how Jesus in the Eucharist helps all to live in this world “will help people face all the different challenges they are living with,” Chadaz said.

The same themes will be presented to both adults and the youth, but will be adapted for the younger people.

“We want to offer them a seminary of life specifically from them,” said Gilberto Guevara, a congress organizer.

For every youth who participates, organizers plan to follow up with their parishes so “the youth will keep being taken care of,” he said. “We want to work more intensively with our youth.”

The purpose of this family congress is to evangelize all the families “from their little ones to the oldest one,” Guevara said, adding that they want every participant “to have this encounter with Jesus. We don’t want anyone to feel that they are alone.”

WHAT: 2024 Diocesan Charismatic Renovation Families Congress

WHEN: July 27- 28, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day

WHERE: Skaggs Catholic Center, 300 East 11800 South, Draper

A donation of $20 is suggested for people 18 and up. This will cover the lunch.

For information, contact the Diocese of Salt Lake City Office of Hispanic Ministry, 801-328-8641 ext. 361.