Hispanic ministers-in-training and others wishing to learn more about their Catholic faith reflected on the National Eucharistic Revival during the annual Spanish Lay Ministry Formation Program retreat held June 10 in Saint Jude Church, Our Lady of Hope Parish, Blackwood.
More than 100 students from all three levels of the program joined together in prayer and song during the all-day event. Father Carlos Lopez, part-time parochial vicar in Saint Clare of Assisi Parish, Swedesboro, and Saint Gabriel the Archangel Parish, Carneys Point, served as retreat leader and delivered two keynote addresses: “Eucharist, the Real Presence of Christ,” and “The Eucharist and Evangelization.”
IMEC – Instituto de Ministerio Eclesial de Camden – is a three-year certified program taught in the Spanish language that “is intended for catechists and anyone to deepen their faith, knowledge and relationship with God,” explained Andres Arango, Bishop’s Delegate for Hispanic Ministry and diocesan Director of Evangelization. Each year, or level, includes five courses presented over six weeks and instructs catechists in diverse subject areas, including Scripture, Christology, the history of the Church, ecclesiology, spirituality, Mariology, prayer and Catholic social teaching.
“It helps you fall more in love with God,” Arango continued. “You learn how to grow in your personal relationship with Jesus. You deepen your knowledge of the Catholic faith. You develop pastoral skills to serve better in the Church.”
This year, the courses were offered in five locations in the Diocese: Bridgeton, Camden, Vineland, Atlantic City and Blackwood.
Retreat attendees spoke of the spiritual event and how the IMEC program has aided in their faith journeys.
“I am studying in the IMEC program because it’s helping to strengthen my faith and also to be able to help more people in my ministry by being an example so they can also take this IMEC program,” said Alexa Padilla, a member of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish Shrine, Lindenwold. She added that the retreat’s focus on Eucharistic Adoration “made me feel so deep with Christ because of the music, place and people.”
Padilla continued, “I also enjoy the explanation of the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. Father Carlos led the retreat under the motto ‘My flesh for the life of the world’ in the context of the Eucharist Revival. It was a perfect explanation for us to learn and to teach the rest of the people.”
Darvin Diaz of Divine Mercy Parish in Vineland said, “It was interesting to learn more about how Jesus is present in the Sacred Eucharist. … As we have love for Jesus, we can serve and be evangelizers of God.”
He added, “We enjoyed the retreat because we were able to feel the presence of God there. I am involved in the IMEC program because it is a way to learn more about Jesus and our Catholic faith. While I have more knowledge about Jesus and my faith, I will be loving my Jesus and my Church more.”
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