Volume 86 No. 8 http://observer.rockforddiocese.org FRIDAY JANUARY 22, 2021
12 diocesan priests answer the call to new online retreat program
BY AMANDA HUDSON News Editor
CRYSTAL LAKE-What do Msgr. Daniel Hermes and Fathers Jeremy Trowbridge, Keith Romke, Sean Gris- mer, Robert Blood, John McNamara, John Kladar, Kyle Manno, Ervin Pio Caliente, Ryan Browning, Jared Twen- ty, and Jonathan Bakkelund have in common? These 12 Rockford diocesan priests present the talks that comprise the new, video-based parish evangelization sys- tem called Awaken, created by the Light of the World staffin response to pandemic restrictions. The 12 were the first priests to come to mind as LOTWs executive director, JoEllen Gregus, and Dan Wolff, director of ministry growth, worked to adapt the basics of LOTW into a much more flex- ible form that parishes could use even during the pandemic. And all 12 priests said yes as soon as they were asked, Gregus says happily. She adds that with all the questions that came up in the design process, the Lord had answers for us every single time.
Retreat preaches Gospel
The Awaken retreat content is similar to LOTW in that both are kerygmatic , she says. Kerygma is a Greek word used in the New Testament for proclama- tion, and is a straightforward preaching
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(Observer screengrab/Amanda Hudson)
Father Keith Romke, pastor of St. Patrick Parish in Dixon, makes a point in an Awaken video.
Awaken Retreat Faces are Familar
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Bishop Malloy ....................... 2 Headliners ............................... 3 Diocesan .............................. 4-5 Catholic Schools Week ... 6-15 Our Catholic View ....... 16-17 For the Record .................... 18 Media/Arts ............................ 19 Nation/World ...................... 20
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March for Life will be virtual
WASHINGTON (CNS)-For the first time since 1974, when it began, the message of the national March for Life to participants is: Stay home. The march and related events will be online on Jan. 28 and 29. March organizers had already hired a production company to make a livestreamed event possible in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. The assault on the U.S. Capitol Jan. 6 and threats of subsequent violence by domestic terrorist groups, as reported by the FBI, made event security impossible. Jeanne Mancini, president of the March for Life Defense and Education Fund, announced the change on Jan. 15.
Celebrate Catholic Schools Week 2021
Jan. 31-Feb. 6
See our annual salute, pages 6-15
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