Lay faithful, clergy and religious ready to go “All In” for the Lord are invited to the annual Fall Conference hosted by Stewardship: A Mission of Faith.
The two-day event will be Sept. 15 and 16 at The Historic Star Barn Village in Elizabethtown, and will feature internationally-known Catholic speakers, Holy Mass, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and outdoor Stations of the Cross.
The conference theme is “All In,” taken from Mark 12:30, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.”
“The Lord is waiting for our response to his invitation,” said Rob Longo, co-founder and Mission Ambassador for Stewardship: A Mission of Faith.
“Now more than ever, we realize we can’t do anything with our own strength; we need to be ‘all in’ and rely on the Lord. In the midst of suffering, darkness, division and polarization, we give our yes to the Lord and give him permission to enter into all aspects of our life: work, family, school, sports, everything. Then when we encounter the current culture, we bring the Lord, who is in us, into that culture. Conversion of the heart is the answer to making change happen.”
Stewardship: A Mission of Faith was co-founded nearly a decade ago by Longo and David Abel. It started with no-cost stewardship and evangelization materials for parishes, growing out of the understanding that stewardship is a way of life.
Since its establishment, the organization has expanded into a family of ministries that address fatherhood, marriage and family, music and combating pornography. Stewardship: A Mission of Faith hosted its inaugural conference in 2018, bringing nationally-known ministry leaders together for the two-day event.
“It’s a gathering of being welcomed and surrounded by people who have made a decision to live for the Lord and give Him our most precious gift, which is time,” Longo said. “If we truly want to show God how much we love Him, we give Him the gift of our time.
Conference presenters include Father Michael Gaitley, Marty Rotella, David Abel, Sister Cor Immaculatum, Msgr. John Esseff and Emily Jaminet. Bishop Ronald Gainer will celebrate the opening Mass, and Irish tenor Mark Forrest will lead a Holy Hour on Wednesday evening.
“Now more than ever, hungry hearts are in need of being fed with truth, beauty and goodness of our Lord,” Longo said. “Having a conference is a way to bring the leaders of the different ministries together with members of the public, to hear our ministry leaders speak live. It’s like being at the grandparents’ house and the family is getting together to be fed.”
Extending an invitation to all lay faithful, clergy and religious, Longo said “The Lord wants you to take the time to come and be with Him, and with others, to be encouraged and equipped to be the men and women He is calling you to be, and who the people in your lives need you to be.”
For more information and registration, visit www.stewardshipmission.org.
By Jen Reed, The Catholic Witness
