Christian De La Cruz, 21, was among an estimated 1,200 Latino youth and young adults who gathered at Cardinal Hayes High School in the Bronx for Renewal IX (Renovación), an evening of praise, worship, and adoration organized by the Hispanic Charismatic Renewal Center, Archdiocese of New York. The event took place on Friday, November 22, and was conducted in English and Spanish.  

The evening featured guest speaker Oscar Rivera, a prominent Catholic speaker and rapper based in the Diocese of Fall River in southern Massachusetts, and a local music group called Mensajeros de Cristo (Messengers of Christ). New York Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Espaillat led a Holy Hour that concluded the retreat.                            

“This event is to learn about God, to praise God, to worship God – and to really encounter God in a manner of community,” De La Cruz, a parishioner of St. Anthony of Padua in the Bronx, told The Good Newsroom at the event. He said he attended the annual event several times as a teenager and now volunteers in his young adulthood.             

Jayris Hernandez, 25, a parishioner of Holy Cross in the Bronx, was also a volunteer at Renewal IX last Friday. She told The Good Newsroom that the event “is like the full experience of Catholicism in one night – this is our faith.” She said attendees new to the annual event could see “how it is done by teens, by young adults who live the faith.” 

During his talk, Rivera, born in Springfield, Massachusetts, and raised in Waterbury, Connecticut, spoke of the importance of seeking to truly grow more in the faith, noting, “We do so many Catholic things (such as having rosaries and other faith items that decorate our homes). But what don’t we do? Act Catholic.” He urged the young faithful to live their daily lives with the same sense of reverence they have when attending Mass.  

“It’s as real as it comes – my faith. I practice Catholicism because it’s who I am,” Rivera said, noting the faith helped him overcome personal childhood challenges. He also noted the significance of the words, ‘Only say the word and I shall be healed,’ adding, “Jesus is the only solution…I’m telling you right now that God sees you personally – personally.”

Bishop Espaillat began the Holy Hour by leading the faithful in Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, praying, “Jesus, we praise you; we worship you. And tonight, we declare you King. You are the King of our hearts; you are the King of our lives. And tonight, we come to adore you and worship you as true God…You are the King of our families, King of our schools, King of the entire universe…Jesus, glory to you; holy are you, Lord.”    

The Friday gathering for the young faithful was followed by Renewal IX for adults on Saturday and Sunday, November 23-24. The event, which was also in Spanish and English, also packed the Cardinal Hayes High School auditorium and included presentations by guest speakers and two Masses celebrated by Bishop Espaillat.