Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Santa Cruz (Agenzia Fides) - Santa Cruz, La Mansion, hosted the 30th International Encounter of the New Pentecost with the theme "The Eucharist, Strength of Evangelization.” This meeting saw the participation of people from all over the country and from abroad: Peru, Chile, Paraguay, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and even the United States of America. The meeting, organized by the Catholic Charismatic Renewal Movement, presented a schedule rich in conferences, celebrations, panel discussions, moments of prayer, and a time for sharing life testimonies.
The meeting featured speeches by various representatives of the Church in several countries, such as Fr. Jose Leonardo Arboleda, the main speaker, who came from Ecuador. Arboleda is a religious of the Eudist Congregation and has studied the subject of the Eucharist as a force of evangelization. It was also attended by other priests such as Cesar Etrem from Colombia, Jose Luis Aguilar from Argentina, and Víctor Hugo Andrade, who is also Colombian.
Throughout the time of the encounter, which lasted a week, seminars were held that seem to have met the expectations of participants. Every day there were between 3,000 and 4,000 people who attended the seminars. At the Masses in the evening, there were between 5,000 to 6,000 faithful. The day of the opening and closing events, 6,000 to 7,000 people crowded the “Pahuichi,” the spacious location that hosted this event. The closing Mass was celebrated by Bishop Braulio Sáez, Auxiliary Bishop of Santa Cruz. (CE) (Agenzia Fides 01/12/2009)
