ChristLife partnered with the Archdiocese of New York to present a Discovering Christ conference February 26-27, 2016 at St. Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers, NY. This was the third conference we’ve presented in the Archdiocese! Participants received training on the first part of the ChristLife evangelization process, Discovering Christ, and engaged in the many opportunities for spiritual refreshment. Approximately 100 people attended the conference, representing 20+ parishes. Most attendees were from the New York area, but some traveled a long distance to attend—one from Georgia!

Most Reverend Peter Byrne, bishop in the Archdiocese of New York, and Daniel Frascella, director of Adult Faith Formation, opened the conference. They encouraged all participants to continue the important work of evangelization.

On Friday evening, Dave Nodar inspired conference attendees by speaking about the Church’s call to the New Evangelization. Dianne Davis followed by sharing how Discovering Christ works and the ways she has seen it successfully implemented in parishes throughout the Archdiocese of New York. Fr. Daniel Tuite concluded the first night by sharing how he, as a priest, has seen the ChristLife series transform his parish, St. Martin de Porres. He shared, “I’ve seen Discovering Christ work in people’s lives and I’ve seen it work in our parish life on a grander scale.”

A few parishes attending the conference are already running Discovering Christ. One participant said, “We are currently running Discovering Christ in our parish and I can tell you it has brought us all so much closer to God and each other!”

Saturday began with Mass celebrated by Most Reverend Peter Byrne and several priests attending the conference. The day continued with engaging presentations, a sample Discovering Christ session, and prayer with one another. 

The conference provided more than simple evangelization training. It provided an opportunity to encounter the Lord’s love. One participant shared, “There has always been this longing for something more in my life. Now I know what that something is: a personal relationship with Jesus.” Another said, “If this is what happens at the training, imagine how much more the whole course does!”

Dianne Davis, ChristLife’s New York Regional Director, knows the Holy Spirit is doing something amazing in New York. The ChristLife Series is now being run from parishes from the most northern part of the Archdiocese to Staten Island. Hearts are turning to Jesus and people are encountering Him in a powerful way.  The Holy Spirit is igniting a fire!

Our hope at ChristLife is that everyone who attended the conference would be re-inspired to share the Good News with others. As one participant stated, “This conference has reassured me that it is not enough to live with Him. We must bring Him to others.”

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All quotes are from conference evaluations.