“Cooking Priest,” Vigil Project ensemble to lead Nov. 1-2 Women’s Ministry events, Nov. 3 Diocesan Youth Rally

It is our family reunion, and it won’t be complete without you.”

Barb Prasad, diocesan coordinator of women’s ministry

We want them to walk away and know that they’re surrounded by a diocese that is fully supporting them and by a Church that is filled with saints cheering them on, and that they’re not alone in this life, which can feel very lonely at times.”

Maureen Quinn, diocesan director of religious education and youth/young adult ministry

Women’s Fall Retreat, Diocesan Youth Rally

A cooking priest and a sacred-music ensemble will heat up the Cathedral during Nov. 1-3 events.

The sights, sounds and aromas of a Church ever-present and ever-eternal will inundate the Cathedral of St. Joseph the weekend of Nov. 1-3, 2024. 

Nationally-acclaimed Catholic evangelizer Father Leo Patalinghug, known as the Cooking Priest; and an innovative Catholic music ensemble known as the Vigil Project will headline the diocesan Women’s Night Out and Women’s Fall Retreat on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 1-2, and the Diocesan Youth Rally on Sunday, Nov. 3.

Fr. Patalinghug, who goes by “Fr. Leo” (platinggrace.com), is the founder of Plating Grace and The Table Foundation.

The purpose of these ministries is to strengthen families and communities around the dinner table.

Fr. Leo has written books and can be seen and heard on the EWTN Global Catholic Television Network and other Catholic media outlets.

His unique background as a martial artist and break-dancer helps him connect with people of all ages.

Many women in the diocese have heard Fr. Leo on TV or in person, including at the National Eucharistic Congress this past July in Indianapolis, and suggested bringing him here for an event.

“He has a great message for women and families and for the youth,” said Barb Prasad, coordinator of women’s ministry for the diocese.

“It’s very down-to-earth and relevant to our everyday life and our families — whether you’re a mother, grandmother, daughter or sister, or a wannabe saint,” she said.

Fr. Leo recommended bringing the Vigil Project to perform and evangelize with him at these events.

The Vigil Project (thevigilproject.com) is a Catholic music ensemble committed to helping restore devotional prayer that deepens participation in the Sacraments and the liturgical seasons.

The group offers a vibrant mix of traditional and contemporary music, sung as prayer through a sacramental lens.

“Music always elevates an event,” Mrs. Prasad noted.

Women’s Night Out

The Friday Ladies’ Night Out will begin with one of Fr. Leo’s famous cooking demonstration events.

“We’re calling it ‘A Meal With My Sisters: Feed Our Bodies, Feed Our Souls,’” said Mrs. Prasad.

Fr. Leo will speak and prepare a dish in front of his audience in Cana Hall at the Cathedral, followed by dinner, during which the women will get to sample one of his recipes.

Afterward, everyone will head upstairs into the Cathedral for an hour of Eucharistic Adoration, with music by the Vigil Project and reflections by Father Leo.

The cost is $25 per person.

Seating is limited for the Friday evening event.

Women’s Retreat

The Women’s Fall Retreat on Saturday, Nov. 2, will feature two presentations by Fr. Leo.

The theme will be, “We Are Family: I’ve Got All My Sisters With Me!” — a bow to a popular 1979 song by Sister Sledge.

“It will be an inspiring day, a great day to spend with other women, sisters in Christ,” said Mrs. Prasad.

The doors will open at 9 a.m., with registration and a continental breakfast until 10 a.m.

The cost is $15 per person.

Fr. Leo will present on “Getting Our Families to Heaven” in the Cathedral, followed by lunch and fellowship in Cana Hall.

The priest’s second presentation will be on “Taking Up Our Mission with the Communion of Saints.”

Afterward, an All Souls Day Blessing Table Service will be held in memory of everyone’s deceased loved ones.

Participants will be able to join the Cathedral Parish for First Saturday Mass at 8 a.m. or for the Sunday Vigil Mass at 4 p.m.

Fr. Leo will concelebrate the 4 p.m. Mass, with the Vigil Project leading and accompanying the music.

“I invite you to grab your Sisters in Christ and join us at one or both of our events,” Mrs. Prasad wrote to women of the diocese. “It is our family reunion, and it won’t be complete without you.”

The Father Jim Offutt Foundation is offering scholarships to the event for women in any of the parishes at which Fr. Offutt, now deceased, ministered, as well as their sister parishes.

These parishes include Immaculate Conception in Loose Creek, St. Louis of France in Bonnots Mill, St. Thomas the Apostle in St. Thomas, St. Cecilia in Meta, St. Joseph in Salisbury, St. Mary of the Angels in Wien, St. Boniface in Brunswick, Our Lady of the Lake in Lake Ozark, Holy Spirit in Centralia and St. Brendan in Mexico.

Catholic school teachers in the diocese will be able to count the Saturday presentation toward their required professional development hours.

Register online at: diojeffcity.org/wm-fall-events-2024/

Diocesan Youth Rally

This year’s Diocesan Youth Rally will start with pizza at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 3, while the young people are arriving.

The Vigil Project will open the rally at 1 p.m. with upbeat music.

Fr. Leo’s first keynote will focus on the Christian witness of the saints.

From there, the young people segue into Eucharistic Adoration, with the Sacrament of Confession being available.

“And then, after they’ve prayed their hearts out, we’re gonna’ party for a little bit,” said Maureen Quinn, diocesan director of religious education and youth/young adult ministry. “We’ll have games and treats, depending on the weather, and prizes of all sorts.”

The young people will then hear a rollicking presentation by Father Joseph Luzindana, diocesan moderator for youth and young adult ministry, while Fr. Leo speaks to their parents and other adults.

“If you’ve met Fr. Joseph, you know he’s energy!” said Mrs. Quinn. “He doesn’t just bring it, he IS it.”

The theme for both presentations will be “Can I Get A Witness?”

“The focus will be on ‘how do these young people go home and be witnesses to their classmates?’ and ‘how do these parents go home and be witnesses to these kids?’” said Mrs. Quinn.

The Youth Rally will close with the 5 p.m. Sunday Mass in the Cathedral, with Bishop W. Shawn McKnight presiding and the Vigil Project leading the music.

“Cloud of witnesses”

“Anytime we get together as one community, it’s very good for our souls,” said Mrs. Quinn.

The theme for this year’s Youth Rally, tying back the Solemnity of All Saints and the Feast of All Souls, is “Witness.”

It’s taken from Hebrews 12:1-2 — “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith. For the sake of the joy that lay before him he endured the cross, despising its shame, and has taken his seat at the right of the throne of God.”

“Being that it’s the first week of November, it seems only fitting that we’d draw on those who went in faith before us,” said Mrs. Quinn.

She’s confident that young people from all over the diocese will be lifted up and inspired at the rally.

“We want them to walk away and know that they’re surrounded by a diocese that is fully supporting them and by a Church that is filled with saints cheering them on, and that they’re not alone in this life, which can feel very lonely at times,” she said.

She noted that young Catholics tend to find the lives of the saints intriguing and attractive.

“Because the saints are real people who struggled in ways we understand,” she said.

Their appeal is akin to celebrities and sports figures, but on the same level as ordinary young people.

“These witnesses, these saints who came before us, journeyed through life. like each of us,” said Mrs. Quinn. “And now, they’re cheering us on to the finish line.”

She cited as examples Blessed Carlo Acutis, a teenager who enjoyed playing soccer and video games but also brought his family back to church and used the internet to promote Eucharistic devotion before he died in 2006; and Servant of God Michelle Duppong, who was a Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS) missionary and later exuded unwavering joy throughout treatment for the cancer that eventually took her life.

“The Holy Spirit stirred up in Carlo something to see what’s beyond,” said Mrs. Quinn. “And Michelle Duppong loved in an extraordinary way, much like St. Therese (of Lisieux) and St. Teresa (of Kolkata).”

Being there

The target audience for the Youth Rally is seventh through 12th grade, but entire families are welcome to attend if they wish.

“The message will be geared toward teens, but any age is going to get something out of this, and we’re not going to turn anyone away,” said Mrs. Quinn.

The suggested admission fee is $10 per child or teen, with adults getting in free.

All are welcome, regardless of their ability to pay.

Mrs. Quinn noted that the Kansas City Chiefs will not be playing a Sunday game that week.

She acknowledged that this is a busy time of year and that teens could always pull up some inspiring talks and sacred music on YouTube.

She likened doing so to listening to a CD instead of taking them to a live concert.

“There’s something really powerful about experiencing live music, right there, in front of you,” she said. “There’s a tremendous amount of energy that comes with singing to the songs that you already know, with the musicians.

“Similarly,” she stated, “there’s something truly beautiful about seeing with your own eyes an entire room full of young people praying to our one God that cannot be replicated on YouTube.”

Register online for the Youth Rally at: diojeffcity.org/youth-rally-2024