Written by Peter Sanchez
The fire of the Catholic community of South Jersey was bright and blazing in Atlantic City this week at Harrah’s Conference Center, with the hope that it will continue to burn and glow for years to come through its churches, schools and homes.
The Diocese of Camden’s Convocation of Catholic Leaders: Joy of the Gospel in South Jersey took place March 25-28, gathering an estimated 650 lay leaders and their pastors for four days of engaging speakers, inspiring witness, prayer, worship and dialogue on creating a culture of missionary discipleship.
The diversity of the Catholic community of South Jersey — from Black Catholics to Hispanic Catholics to Filipino Catholics, to young and seasoned lay leaders — was on display on the conference center floor.
“You will lay the path for the diocese, creating a ripple effect” through its lands, said Donna Ottaviano-Britt during her welcome to attendees Monday afternoon.
Ottaviano-Britt, diocesan director of Missionary Discipleship, was one of the emcees for the occasion, along with Deacon Anthony Cioe of Saints Peter and Paul Parish in Turnersville, director of ManUp South Jersey.
In the opening liturgy following the welcoming, held, not coincidentally, on the feast of the Annunciation, Bishop Dennis Sullivan expressed the hope that all gathered would, like Mary, in affirming “yes” to being the Mother of God, “accept our role in God’s plan of evangelization.”
“May what happens here this week strengthen, build up, direct, encourage, refresh and renew our church,” he said.
Monday’s and Tuesday’s events included plenary presentations from such speakers as Cardinal Joseph Tobin of Newark; Julianne Stanz, director of Discipleship and Leadership Development in the Diocese of Green Bay, Wisconsin; and Hosffman Ospino of Boston College, School of Theology and Ministry, along with workshops, a Eucharistic celebration, and praise and worship.
Stanz stressed that life’s top priorities should be JOY (Jesus, Others, Yourself), and finding and knowing our own journey, our own story of faith.
“We have to bring our story, our heart and our love of the church to others with joy,” she said.
Ospino said the foundation for “building Catholicism with joyful hearts,” starts with “a return to Jesus, a focus on the Gospels, investment in Catholic youth, welcoming the immigrant church, and evangelizing with joy.”
Witness talks were scattered throughout the conference, from wife and husband Kathy and Michael O’Callaghan; Millet LoCosale, director of Youth Ministry at Egg Harbor Township’s Saint Katharine Drexel Parish; and Sister Joseph, CFR, who described the joy members of her community find in encountering the Lord, and the daily grace they receive from a life lived for him.
“In Jesus, I feel so known, so safe, and so loved unconditionally,” Sister Joseph said.
“Being a disciple is a journey of ongoing conversion. I want to fall more in love with the Lord. Loving him, makes we want to love his people more,” the Franciscan Sister of the Renewal said during an evening of adoration that included her Sisters from Atlantic City, and Father Glenn Sudano, a Franciscan Friar of the Renewal from New York.
Convocation reflects both joy and challenge
On Tuesday afternoon, especially noticeable after a rousing Eucharistic celebration led by the Diocesan Gospel Choir, was the joy on young and old faces. It was present and palpable in the hallways and the conference rooms and around the dinner tables.
“Right from the start, I felt a great spirit,” said Sister Dorothy “Dot” Urban, part of the parish delegation from Egg Harbor Township’s Saint Katharine Drexel Parish, where she is a pastoral associate. “There have been inspirational and practical speakers, and wonderful music.”
Gazing around at the many energetic young adult faces at her own parish dinner table, and at others’, she called out a need for more youthful faces and voices in the church.
“We have to get young people involved if we want a church to survive,” she said.
Lainey Whitney, from Saint Mary of Mount Carmel in Hammonton, in attendance with her husband, Kevin, agreed with Cardinal Tobin in his assertion that the Catholic Church needed to close the gap between faith and life.
“We need to inspire others, especially families, going beyond the church’s walls to bring joy back into the church space,” Whitney urged.
“The time has been enlightening,” said Deacon Russell Davis, who, along with his wife, Susan, was part of the delegation from the Parish of All Saints, Millville.
“There is great potential going forward with ideas that will strengthen the church,” he said.
A full recap of the convocation, which continued until March 28, will be included in the April 5 issue of the Catholic Star Herald.