Hundreds gather for Hispanic Catholic Charismatic Renewal event

CLIFTON  Nearly 600 people attended a gathering organized by the General Assembly for Region 2 of the Hispanic Catholic Charismatic Renewal on Sept. 17 at the St. John Paul II Pastoral Center in Clifton. It was the first time the diocese hosted the event, and it was attended by members of the faith community from New Jersey and New York. Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney celebrated Mass during the whole day event featuring prayer, reflections, singing, dancing, and eating. The Holy Sacrament was exposed, and special anointings were offered. Two representatives from the United States Catholic Charismatic Movement gave reflections. Fr. Yasid Salas, the pastor of St. Therese in Paterson and the director of the Catholic Charismatic renewal for the Diocese, also participated.

“Our bishop gave such a beautiful homily,” said Teresa Amparo, regional and diocesan secretary for the Catholic Charismatic Renewal. “The theme was ‘get up, look, the harvest is ready.’ Our bishop said the call the Lord has given us is to be servants, but that’s not enough. The main goal here is to become servant leaders, so we can believe that our service is the manifestation of God’s call.”