VALPARAISO - Bishop Robert J. McClory and the Office of Missionary Discipleship and Evangelization invite the faithful of Northwest Indiana to finalize their plans to attend the Emmaus Conference that will be held Aug. 9 at the Porter County Expo Center in Valparaiso.
“The Emmaus Conference will be a wonderful opportunity to reflect on God’s mission for us here in the Diocese of Gary,” said Bishop McClory. “It will be offered in Spanish and English, so it’s widely accessible to all the faithful of the diocese. The speakers are excellent, and it’ll be both an informative day and an enjoyable and inspiring day. I invite everyone to come for this beautiful time to be renewed in our faith.”
One of those speakers providing a keynote address will be Dr. Edward Sri. Sri is a theologian, author and well-known Catholic speaker who presents to tens of thousands of people from around the world each year, including clergy, parish leaders, catechists and laity. He is a founding leader with Curtis Martin of FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students), where he currently serves as Sr. Vice President of Apostolic Outreach.
“Dr. Sri is from the diocese,” shared Sean Martin, coordinator of catechesis and faith formation for the diocese. “We have known each other for quite some time, and I’ve been trying to get him to come back here.”
Martin, who assisted in securing Sri for the date, said it’s exciting to have him join the list of speakers. Sri will address the topic of missionary discipleship and evangelization.
“He’s very practical and always passionate about what he’s delivering,” Martin added. “He’s knowledgeable about the faith and the scriptures, so I enjoy that about him. He’s personable and that’s what makes his message effective.”
Another keynote speaker scheduled to present at the conference is Dr. Mary Healy, a professor of scripture at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit and a bestselling author and international speaker. Her talk will focus on the subject of healing.
When Healy thinks about the Diocese of Gary, she admits she first thinks of “your wonderful bishop, Bishop Robert McClory, who was ‘stolen’ from us in Detroit to shepherd the church in Gary. But I’m very glad that you have him.”
Healy also thinks of the “fervent, prayerful and dedicated young men whom she has been blessed to teach in the seminary and who are now serving as priests in the Gary diocese.”
“I’m thrilled to be a part of this conference, because I think it will be a transformative event for those who come,” she said. “It will be a chance to encounter Jesus and to be built up, encouraged, healed, strengthened, and more fully equipped to carry out the unique mission that the Lord has for each of us.”
Healy believes an event like the Emmaus Conference is what can change a person from indifferent to fervent, from “hanging in there” to joyful, from lukewarm to on fire.
“The Lord pays a dollar on the nickel. Whenever we give him a small investment of our time, he gives back superabundantly,” she said.
Healy hopes those who listen to her talk will gain a deeper conviction of just how good God is, a new excitement at the amazing gift of our Catholic faith, and a renewed zeal to live it out.
“Many people assume that if they are sick or hurting in some way, then God probably wants them to suffer, and maybe they are not worthy to be healed by the Lord,” she said. “But in fact, the Lord loves to heal and does heal far more often than we think, and he loves to use the faith and prayer of ordinary people to be his instruments of healing.”
Other speakers for the event include Dr. Dora E. Tobar, Dr. Alejandro Aguilera Titus, Meg Hunter-Kilmer and Adam Antone.
Antone, counselor, MA, LMHC, said he was grateful for the invitation to be a part of the Emmaus Conference. Though no longer a resident of Northwest Indiana, there remains a very special place in his heart for the Diocese of Gary.
“It always feels like a little slice of home when I’m back visiting with friends and family. Contributing, even in a small way, to a local church that has done so much in forming me to be the man and disciple I am today is a real gift.”
Jesus’ words in the Sermon on the Mount immediately come to mind when he thinks about the faithful in the diocese. “You are the salt of the earth…you are the light of the world…” (Matt 5:13, 14).
“There’s an ‘evangelical grittiness’ when I think of the faithful here; no pretense or haughtiness, but instead a broad range of lived experiences centered around the same Gospel message that’s able to speak into the lives of others in the community,” he said.
Antone added that it’s important to recall Jesus’ observation about the risk of “losing saltiness” and the light “being put under a bushel basket.”
“The grind of a work week, tension within families, and other difficulties instill stress and anxiety over time, which cause our ‘saltiness’ and ‘brightness’ to be diminished,” he said. “It’s prayerful and formational opportunities like the Emmaus Conference that serve as a point of rejuvenation for us.”
Antone will address the issue of mental health during one of the breakout sessions. The most important thing about mental health, he said, is to understand that it’s not a question of whether a person has it or not, but how familiar people are with it. Too often, he believes, sanctity is sanitized.
“St. Ignatius of Loyola and St. Alphonsus Liguori both recounted struggles reminiscent of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder,” Antone explained. “St. Louis Martin spent three years in a psychiatric hospital. His saintly daughter, the renowned Thérèse of Lisieux, described anxious and depressive episodes in her autobiography, ‘The Story of a Soul.’ The Lord desires, not only our heart and soul, but our mind as well – struggles and all.”
Antone said he hopes that those in attendance walk away knowing that emotional and psychological struggles do not disqualify them from sharing the Gospel.
“These experiences can make their witness more authentic and relatable rather than less,” he said. “By becoming familiar with our own wounds and needs, we lay the foundation for drawing near to the wounds and needs of others. It’s this attunement that serves as a springboard into the work of effective evangelization.”
The Diocese of Gary is offering a Pentecost Sale to those who register for the Emmaus Conference during a specific time in June. A $20 discount per registration will be offered from June 7-15 using the code PENTECOST. To learn more and register for the conference, visit dcgary.org/emmaus.
