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August 24, 2023The inaugural bilingual Discipleship Conference, under the auspices of Archbishop Paul Coakley, brought together nearly 1,300 Catholics from across the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City and adjacent states on Aug. 19.
“Two thousand years ago, Christ gave his followers the transformative mission to ‘go make disciples.’ This mission remains alive in the Church today. Empowered by the Holy Spirit we are called to carry on the good news and gain others for Christ,” said Archbishop Coakley explaining the aim of the conference.
With 13 breakout sessions and talks given by two internationally known keynote speakers and nine national and local speakers, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, confessions, the Holy Eucharist and dozens of exhibitors, the event provided a multitude of opportunities to pray, learn and become equipped to share Christ with others and make disciples.
Eighty priests and deacons offered their time to attend the event and assist the faithful in their formation.
In the opening keynote speech, Father John Riccardo, a missionary and ACTS XXIX executive director, presented two essential components necessary to be mobilized for mission: become overwhelmed anew with the Gospel and surrender everything to Jesus in faith.
He explained Jesus’ great sacrifice of love on the cross through the lens of discipleship.
“Jesus wants us to lift our eyes to him because if we would like to be effective in our mission of discipleship it is possible only through our confidence in his lordship.” He continued, “You were born for this moment. The Lord wants us to cooperate with him and do for others what he did for us on the Cross – rescue people. We only need to surrender and say, ‘Lord, use me.’”
Father Agustino Torres, C.F.R., a priest with the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal in the Bronx, New York, also emphasized the need for surrender to God and readiness for missionary action.
In his closing keynote address, he urged, “Let’s adopt the apostolic mindset. We need to find souls the Lord indicates to us and bring them home.”
Father Torres, C.F.R., depicted four ways of accomplishing this task: Eucharistic amazement, love of the poor, the necessity to be pierced as a missionary of Christ (i.e., to share in sufferings of others and unite sufferings with Christ on the cross) and spreading the missionary joy.
“Bring joy to your parishes … then this fire that burns in you will also burn in others,” said Torres.
The breakout sessions covered a multitude of practical topics related to Christian hospitality, prayer life, encounter with God, conversion, the model of Jesus and the apostles, spiritual healing, the treasure of the Eucharist, the meaning of time as God’s gift and love of neighbor.
Father Jim Goins instructed the attendees to ensure that their discipleship is deeply rooted in the Eucharist.
“To be able to say to people, ‘I have found a treasure in the field [the Eucharist], and I want to share it with you’ – This is discipleship on fire,” said Father Goins. He continued, “… To sit in the presence of the Lord hidden in the Blessed Sacrament is one of the greatest remedies we need to offer to the world.”
Speaking from the pastoral perspective about the relevance and practical application of the conference teachings, Father Joseph Irwin remarked in his breakout, “The biggest word of the day is ‘to equip.’ It is really important. As the faithful receive lots of information and inspiration today, the main task is to go back on mission to parishes and communities, get into the fight for souls against the clear attacks of the enemy and into the work of evangelization.”
Excitement and anticipation were present among participants eager to learn how to become effective disciple makers for Christ.
“I am so impressed with the level of intentionality and care the conference extended. I am positively overwhelmed with God’s message and filled with appreciation for all the speakers … It was so edifying to see many faces I haven’t seen in years … The Catholic Church in Oklahoma is thriving!” shared Angela C. Basse from Saint Damien Catholic Church in Edmond.
Theresa Horinek from Saint Francis of Assisi Church in Newkirk expressed her deep gratitude as well.
“Today I feel like an integral part of the big Church of Christ, related to other Catholics and one with them in the mystical Body of Christ … This conference has been very useful and inspiring for my ministry. I will be here next year, and I strongly encourage others to attend also.”
Larann Wilson, Ph.D., the conference director said, “It is a wonderful day to celebrate our faith together. This conference certainly feels like a summit experience, but we are not meant to remain on the summit. We are called to fulfill our mission as Catholics and share Christ with the world … We hope that all participants will invite others to the next-year conference on Aug. 17, 2024.”
Luis Soto, senior director of the department of evangelization and discipleship of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, the office that planned and organized the conference added, “The Hispanic community, representing 40% of the conference participants, is very strong in apostolic movements of prayer, faith formation, service and spiritual growth. We hope that through these movements we can expand the work of evangelization in the archdiocese.”
The conference ended with the celebration of Mass by Archbishop Coakley, and his blessing sending the participants forth to be zealous disciples and witnesses to the Gospel.
“May God continue to bless you as you go forth as disciples and return to your communities as heralds to cultivate, develop and generously and confidently share with others the gifts you have received,” said Archbishop Coakley.
Jad Ziolkowska is a freelance writer for the Sooner Catholic.
Photo: (Above) Archbishop Coakley spoke at the Discipleship Conference on Aug. 19 in Oklahoma City. Photos Lindsay Tesio/Sooner Catholic.
“We only need to surrender and say, ‘Lord, use me,'” Fr. John Riccardo, missionary and ACTS XXIX executive director. Learn more at actsxxix.org.
"Bring joy to your parishes … then this fire that burns in you will also burn in others,” Fr. Agustino Torres, C.F.R.
RESOURCES
Be a disciple who makes disciples
Do people know where they are on their discipleship path? How are individuals growing as a disciple of Jesus and sharing him with others? The Disciple Maker Index was developed by the Catholic Leadership Institute. This 75-question survey is a tool that invites people to reflect anonymously on where they are on their journey of discipleship and enables parish leadership to make data-driven decisions to help parishioners grow in their faith.
The DMI is open from Aug. 19 to Sept. 18. The DMI will be offered again next year so people can see how they have grown in discipleship over the past 12 months. To complete the DMI, visit catholicleaders.online/okc.
The Rescue Project
People live their lives by the stories they believe. What if there is a different story? That story is the Gospel.
Know the true story.
The Gospel message is simple, according to Fr. John Riccardo: Jesus, out of love, died to rescue man from his sins and calls him to a life of friendship with God.
Fr. John Riccardo said The Rescue Project has three goals: Overwhelm somebody with the message of the Gospel, move them to surrender and mobilize them for the mission.
Visit rescueproject.us to learn how to easily lead this free series at home or in a parish.
Click HERE to see more photos. Photos Lindsay Tesio/Sooner Catholic.
