Hundreds attend Charismatic Congress at Skaggs Catholic Center
DRAPER — More than 700 Catholics from all over the Diocese of Salt Lake City gathered at the Skaggs Catholic Center Aug. 10-11 for a two-day familial Charismatic Congress.
“Family: a Big Treasure for the Church” offered a wide array of themes for adults, youth and children. The presenters were Fr. Jose Mauricio Henriquez, from the Diocese of San Vicente, El Salvador; and Carlos and Monica Salazar and Javier Ornelas, members of the Charismatic Youth from San Diego, Calif.
On Aug. 10, Bishop Oscar A. Solis presided at a Mass for the congress. Concelebrating were Fr. Henriquez and Fr. Jose Barrera, the spiritual director for the diocesan charismatic group.
“Christ teaches and reminds us what it means to be his disciple: to offer our life and death to Christ,” Bishop Solis said during his homily. “This sounds more easily said than done because we do not have the strong faith and conviction to be a martyr like St. Lawrence.”
St. Lawrence was among the seven deacons of Rome who were martyred in 258. Legend has it that when the prefect of Rome demanded the Church’s treasures, St. Lawrence brought him a crowd of people who were disabled, lepers, the widowed and orphaned. Enraged, the prefect had St. Lawrence burned to death.
Continuing with his homily, Bishop Solis asked, “Do you love God with all your life? Are you ready to offer everything you have and give it to the poor? Do not lie! The truth is we are not sure because we cannot even give up television or our cellphone. Some do not even contribute to the Sunday collection, much less give money to the poor. We cannot even sacrifice our shopping in order to go to Mass on Sunday.”
Reminding people of Jesus’ demand for discipleship, the bishop asked those present to always pray.
“As you gather this weekend, let us pray and ask the power of the Holy Spirit to strengthen our faith and to open our hearts to Christ to have the courage to know him, love him and serve him with all our life, like the martyrs, so we can continue the mission of Christ and make the Church grow,” he said. “You love Christ? Listen and follow him: ‘Anyone who loves his life loses it; anyone who hates his life in this world will preserve it for the eternal life.’ Are you ready to give yourself to Christ? I hope so!”
Bishop Solis also thanked all those attending the Charismatic Congress, telling them that he is grateful for their leadership and discipleship.
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