«How I long to find words to encourage a season of evangelization with greater fervor, joyful, generous, with boldness, full of endless love and contagious to our lives!
Yet I realize that no words of encouragement will be enough unless the fire of the Holy Spirit burns in our hearts.
I once more invoke the Holy Spirit. I pray that he comes to renew, to stir up to give a new impulse to the Church, going out of itself boldly to evangelize all peoples».
Pope Francis
Apostolic Exhortation "Evangelii Gaudium", n. 261.
Dearest sisters and brothers in the Lord,
Great joy permeates my soul,
accompanied by profound gratitude to the Lord from the National Service
Committee and the National Council: POPE FRANCIS will be with us at the
next XXXVII National Convocation – Rome, Olympic Stadium, June, 1-2, 2014.
The news is now official, communicated
to me yesterday by the Vatican Secretariat of State. News, following the
publication of the precious post Synod Exhortation “Evangelii Gaudium” – from
which I have quoted at the beginning of this letter – which marks unequivocally
the “pastoral conversion” of our Movement in “missionary” spirit, that is, a
new charismatic lead role for a “new evangelization”.
The presence of Pope Francis in our midst, at a Convocation
of our Movement, will be a historic fact, unprecedented in our worldwide
history. It happens in the year in which, transferring our ecclesial event from
the fair grounds of Rimini to the Stadium of Rome, we want to underline the
will to support the Holy Father in his work of “ecclesial renewal”, by placing
our spiritual experience all the more at the heart of the Church and at the service
of the world, as a “living and lived sign” from the most intimate expectations
manifested by the Holy Father for this time of ours, starting from the
indications that the Holy Father has eloquently expressed in the “Evangelii
Gaudium” itself.
Will we be worthy of such grace, of so much trust, of
such boldness? Surely the Spirit will sustain us if we are able to remain
humble. The work which awaits us, to the glory of God, will be great, complex
and challenging, in as much as this extraordinary Convocation will be
completely different from the others and will need the capability of welcoming
many novelties which will inevitably come up and a collaborative attitude in
facing the challenges. No one can exclude himself. Everyone will have to play
her or his part.
Right away the
organizational machine has been put in motion with the competent Authorities (CONI – the sporting body,
the Vicariate of Rome, the Municipality of Rome), after having studied in these
last few months the feasibility of such an event, which we would like to be
well attended, with the participation of thousands of persons!
It’s
time to “bring onto the battle field” the intercessors, the adorers, the
children and the sick with their prayers specially pleasing to the Father! And
its time for Leaders of the Movement, at all levels, to give their best efforts
and with perseverance to make of the next Convocation an unforgettable
pentecostal Event (we will be in Rome during the days of the Pentecost Novena), inviting
and accompanying to the Olympic Stadium a great number of persons!
Please take note of some
precious information with regard to the XXXVII
National Convocation:
- PLACE: Rome, Olympic Stadium,
June, 1 – 2, 2014 (we are working on a plan so as to begin at 11.00 a.m.
on Sunday, June 1st and to conclude at 6.30 p.m. on Monday, June 2; final
timings will be defined in our next communication).
- THemE: «Repent!
Believe! Receive the
Holy Spirit!» (cf Acts 2, 38-40).
- program: (confirmed, other speakers will follow): Pope Francis, Card.
Angelo Comastri, Vicar of the Holy
Father for Vatican City; Card. Agostino Vallini, Vicar of the Pope for the Diocese of Roma; Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa, Preacher
to the Papal Household; Sr. Briege McKenna, Ministry of healing;
Ralph
Martin, Ministry of preaching; Patty Gallagher Mansfield, Ministry of
Intercession; Michelle Moran, President ICCRS, Salvatore Martinez, President RnS. We are working hard to
organize the Meeting for children,
in an area within the Stadium.
- HOSPITALITY: We are working so that
the various housing amenities can welcome us; we have made contact with
places with 7.000 rooms, for a
total of over 14.000 beds; we are hoping to receive confirmation for other
beds. For most of the Hotels, currently available, the last date for confirming the booking
is January 31, 2014. Please feel free to do your own bookings, without
going through our call center, but please pay attention to the
conditions proposed.
- InformaTION AND booking: From Tuesday, January 7, 2014,
from Monday to Friday, from 09.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. and from 2.00 to 5.30
p.m. our call center will be
operative for Hotel and Pass bookings. By
then we should be able to give definite information on hotel prices and
the different categories. We are working to obtain some kind of
reduction for families.
The call center can be reached
at the following numbers:
A special “Organizing committee” will be meeting in Rome over the next few
days to work with the National Service Committee in preparation for the Event.
You can follow updates on our website (www.rns-italia.it).
Salvatore Martinez
President
rns@rns-italia.it