By Tim and Krista LaBelle

Krista and Tim LaBelle of Holy Rosary Cathedral Parish in Regina share how taking in just a bit of a past New Evangelization Summit experience re-ignited their love of Jesus Christ and inspired their ministry to married couples:

Attending the New Evangelization Summit held at our parish of Holy Rosary Cathedral a few years ago was a turning point in our faith life. Both of us were raised in a Catholic family with many wonderful examples of faith-filled people who lived their Baptismal call to serve the Church and nurture their relationship with Christ. Throughout our lives, we lived that call by serving our Church in many different ways.

 When we started careers, got married, and had our son, life became a whole new level of hectic. I can’t say our faith, or personal relationship with Christ ever diminished, but somehow our level of service in the Church slipped away.

 A few years ago, we heard about the New Evangelization Summit taking place at our parish. We knew we could not take part in the entire event, but we made the time to check it out in between other commitments.  We see now how the prompting of the Holy Spirit made us carve out a couple of hours that weekend. Our hearts and our faith were rekindled in ways we didn’t even know we needed.

The few speakers we heard that weekend touched our hearts and minds, reminding us that it is our responsibility to serve Christ in His Church, and re-igniting our desire to do precisely that. The love and passion for evangelization we saw in those speakers was almost overwhelming. Their stories of service were inspiring and powerful. We were introduced to groups and parishes with a mission, a plan, and an outpouring of the Holy Spirit that inspired us.

Our other commitments and busyness didn’t fall away, but in prayer, we felt called to action. We’d heard about a program being used at other parishes, and we felt called to offer a marriage renewal study at our church. We approached some couples we often saw at mass, but had never taken the time to get to know, and asked them to help. We consistently had over a dozen couples attend, we developed friendships with beautiful couples we had merely seen at mass previously, and we became more active and involved in the life of our parish.

It’s easy for the hectic pace of life to creep in, causing us to forget the joy that can be experienced in service.  The New Evangelization Summit reminded us that “God doesn’t call the equipped, He equips the called.”  We’re not always sure how equipped we are, but we persevere in serving Christ and His people in His church, alongside many who continue to edify and inspire us in following Christ.

  

This year’s Summit takes place on Saturday, May 4, 2019, and once again features world-class Catholic speakers including Fr. James Mallon, Michael Dopp, Cardinal Gérald Lacroix, Michelle Moran, Fr. Jon Bielawski, and Michele Thompson. The NES has been designed to inspire Catholics and help them live out their call to evangelize. The Archdiocese of Regina is incredibly excited to have two host sites in operation; Holy Rosary Cathedral, Regina and Christ the Redeemer Parish in Swift Current. This year’s Summit is FREE for all attendees!

 Be inspired, receive solid formation, and connect with other Catholics. Register now at www.newevangelization.ca