Diocesan Eucharistic conference is back

Since our souls never cease to Thirst for Our Lord, the diocesan Eucharistic conference will return on Oct. 25-27.
 
Plans are still being finalized, but the list of speakers includes most notably, Archbishop Allen Vigneron. He is the current Archbishop of Detroit and Ecclesiastical Superior of the Cayman Islands, having previously served as Bishop of Oakland, Calif.
 
Also on the schedule is Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers, known as the “Dynamic Deacon.” He is a powerful and passionate evangelist, whose no-nonsense approach to living and proclaiming the Catholic faith will challenge and inspire all willing to listen and take his message to heart. He’s the author of the book, “Behold the Man: A Catholic Vision of Male Spirituality.” Deacon Harold and his wife and children reside in Portland where he is assigned to Immaculate Heart parish.
 
Fr. Leo Patalinghug will also be a featured speaker on the schedule. Raised and currently based in the Baltimore area, but born in the Philippines, Fr. Leo is a priest member of a community of consecrated life, Voluntas Dei (Latin phrase meaning “the will of God”). He is the founder, host, and director of Plating Grace, an international apostolate to help strengthen families and relationship through God’s gift of a family meal. He’s also well known as the author of the popular book “Grace Before Meals: Recipes & Inspiration for Family Meals & Family Life.”
 
Yet another acclaimed speaker on the schedule is Curtis Martin, founder and CEO of the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS), one of the fastest-growing college outreach apostolates in the Church. The FOCUS apostolate has strong ties to the University of Mary tapping many students to further its mission.
 
Additional speakers will be added to the lineup, as well as entertainment and other features. More details will follow in the coming months.
 
The event will, once again, be held at the Bismarck Event Center and offer a schedule of inspirational speakers and evangelists. The theme chosen for this year is “Called to Mission.”
 
In the Church, the month of October is dedicated to missions and Pope Francis has said that October 2019 is a special dedication to world missions to commemorate the 100 ^th anniversary of Pope Benedict XV’s encyclical “Maxium Illud,” which is the charter of modern missions. In the wake of global unrest in 1919 after WWI, the pope recognized the need for a more evangelical approach to missionary work in the world that we can still carry through to today.
 
Registration will be open online soon.