A beautiful event took place in New York from 28-30 April: the National Congress of Koinonia John the Baptist. The joy and expectation of encountering the Lord and the brothers and sisters prevailed over the demanding distances the members had to face. There were just under 600 participants, with some travelling 30 hours by bus to get there. I don’t wish to exaggerate, but the atmosphere created was marked by joy, faith and the desire to experience the event as one body in Christ, listening to the Pastors’ teachings on growing and journeying together. Our Founder shared with us, introducing each theme on the foundational elements of being rooted in community and as such bearing fruit in evangelisation. After Fr. Ricardo’s introductions, Fr. Claudio, Fr. Artur and Fr Adriano developed these further. Shared in a spirit of communion, the encouraging inputs from Cardinal Coccopalmerio were appreciated. He was present at every stage of the Congress, the culmination of a trip with Fr. Ricardo, during which they had had friendly meetings of communion with Archbishop Hebda of the Archdiocese of St Paul and Minneapolis, with Bishop Brennan of the Diocese of Brooklyn, as well as with the bishop emeritus of Brooklyn, Bishop DiMarzio. The Congress was an opportunity to reflect and become more aware of how important it is to be rooted like a palm tree in the house of the Lord if we want to bear fruit.
