MANTUA – Four months after hearing Chris Stefanick’s hopeful message at the Man Up South Jersey Conference, Charlie Lanzalotti was very pleased when he heard that the internationally acclaimed author, speaker and television host was returning to the diocese, as part of his REBOOT experience.
“I was inspired at Man Up [in November], when he told us not to be afraid to share your faith with others, and to be a light and example for others,” Lanzalotti recalled.
On Wednesday, March 18, the husband and father heeded Stefanick’s words, bringing his wife and two daughters to hear the speaker’s impactful message of Jesus Christ here at Church of the Incarnation.
“There’s nothing more important than getting your family to God,” Lanzalotti continued.
Joining other families, young adults, senior citizens and clergy, the Lanzalottis, from Sewell’s Church of the Holy Family, were part of the 350 in the church to hear a message that began with joy – “what you get when you know you’re loved perfectly by God,” Stefanick said.
This divine love, said Stefanick, the founder and president of Real Life Catholic, “is an answer to hope,” even when amidst all the difficulties of life, “we choose not God, and we’re broken.”
In God’s care for us, and sacrificing His only son Jesus Christ for our sins, “He shows us who we are – we’re worth dying for,” Stefanick said.
Standing tall on a church pew, looking out over the audience, he exhorted them to “say yes to the love you could never earn, the best news ever, and the new life He’s offering you.”
In finding this joy, we find our true dignity in a social-media-driven world that demands that we curate our lives acceptable to others, he said.
We become fearless, “not afraid to live the Gospel like the apostles and share the love of Jesus,” he said.
Near the end of the two-and-a-half-hour lively, powerful, and engaging presentation, he challenged all to do three things to change the world: Be Not Afraid; Make Friends; and Be a Saint.
“Why do I do what I do? Why do I preach the Good News? Because I don’t care what other people think,” Stefanick candidly said, garnering a hearty round of applause.
“Share the joy of Jesus with three of your friends, and encourage them to get together with you once a month for a spiritual check-in: How are you doing? How is God working in your life?”
In living our lives as saints, “we can break the veil of darkness,” he said, adding that Pope Benedict XVI called a life of holiness “the greatest apologetic, and the greatest question to the answers of our faith.”
“There is nothing more beautiful than holiness,” Stefanick continued, noting the powerful, world-changing witness of such saints as Teresa of Calcutta and John Paul II.
“We want to be what they are, and have what they have” – the joy and truth of Christ, he said.
He challenged all to wake up every day and ask themselves, “What would saint me look like? How would I move through life? Would I love more? Would I act in charity?”
“Now is not the time for you to be ashamed of your faith. Now is the time to lean into this moment of grace,” he urged.
Finishing his presentation, he sent all home with a mission to spread the joy of the Good News to their communities.
“Remember, two-thirds of God’s name is Go.”
From near and far across the diocese, generations appreciated Stefanick’s appearance.
“He’s always inspired me. I’ve read a lot of his books,” said Marilyn Flynn, 73, the pastoral associate of Saint Vincent de Paul Parish in Mays Landing.
She particularly enjoyed the speaker’s reminder for all to remember their worth.
“When we allow ourselves to be loved by God, our creator, it changes everything. I’ll go home to my parish, my community, and tell people that God loves them,” Flynn continued.
Mariah Klopsic, a young adult in Incarnation’s leadership and discipleship ministry, noted that Stefanick’s visit was part of the parish’s effort to foster community outside of Sunday liturgies.
After she and others heard Stefanick speak a few years back in the Diocese of Trenton, she knew the “amazing and dynamic speaker” would be a perfect fit, she said, and she wasn’t disappointed.
“He reignited the spark in our faith tonight. His talk translated with those of all ages,” she said.
For the Lanzalotti daughters, they’re ready to bring their renewed light to their homes and communities.
Sophia Lanzalotti, 25, was happy to be reminded by Stefanick to have courage in spreading the Gospel.
Acknowledging that not many her age attend Mass, she does recognize, though, that “When I’ve been vocal in my faith, I’ve found young Catholics like me and I haven’t felt so isolated anymore,” she said.
“It takes strength, but good things can come out of it.”
Her 29-year-old sister, Annalisa Mohrfeld, noted that a lot of Stefanick’s messages “hit home … especially being positive about yourself, and knowing everything is in God’s hands.”
Ready to depart for home, she knew the first thing she would do the next morning, thanks to Stefanick.
“I’m going to get out of bed and be grateful to God.”
at the bottom and then tap “Add to Home Screen”
