“Jesus in Zion,” a special bilingual praise and worship service with a Charismatic Renewal approach, is scheduled for the evening of Friday, January 31, at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. The event theme will be “Dare to Hope.”

The featured speakers will include Auxiliary Bishop Joseph A. Espaillat, Father Malachy J. Napier, CFR, and Mari Pablo (emcee), a nationally prominent presenter at Catholic conferences. The promotional writings for the event say in part: “Let’s come together as one Church, united in the  Eucharistic presence of Jesus – a night to refocus, recharge, and worship with purpose. All are welcome! Bring your family and friends.” The nearly three-hour event will start at 6:15 p.m. 

Father Vincent Druding, parochial vicar and Jesus in Zion ministry leader at Holy Cross Church in the Bronx, will also be among the main speakers and prayer leaders. 

In an email to The Good Newsroom, Father Druding said he and Bishop Espaillat are looking to “work together to unite the English and Spanish-speaking charismatic communities in the Archdiocese of New York, as well as the other language groups who often worship separately. We believe the upcoming Jesus in Zion at St. Patrick’s Cathedral is an ideal time and place to do so.”

“We are collaborating with a few groups in an effort to ‘unite the might’ of the Spirit-filled Church. El Centro, The Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, Noche Blanca Ministries, and Jesus in Zion Ministries are some of the collaborators, and we are blessed to have Mari Pablo with us, who is a bilingual, nationally acclaimed evangelist, to emcee the night,” the priest noted.

As the Church begins the Jubilee Year of Hope, he added, “We chose ‘Dare to Hope’ as the theme, which is from St. Paul’s letter to Timothy. While St. Paul finishes the line, ‘that all might be saved,’ we are hoping, on this special night, that the Church can come together as one and praise the Lord together in His Eucharistic presence. As Jesus prayed in John 17 to His Father, ‘may they be one.’ That is our hope for this night, that Jesus will be worshiped with one heart and one spirit, and hearts will leave on fire.”

Ordained as auxiliary bishop for the Archdioceses of New York in March 2022, Bishop Espaillat serves as Episcopal Vicar of the Bronx, where he is pastor of St. Anthony of Padua Church; he is a longtime, prominent presence in the Charismatic Renewal movement within the archdiocese. 

Father Napier is a priest of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, based at St. Crispin Friary in the Bronx. Like Mari Pablo and Bishop Espaillat, Father Napier is well known for his highly engaging presentations.    

Mari Pablo serves parishes and universities throughout the United States as a ministry consultant through The Evangelical Catholic, a Wisconsin-based discipleship organization.

The Jesus in Zion event is sponsored by several area Catholic groups and led by the Jesus in Zion Ministry at Holy Cross. Since Lent of 2023, several Jesus in Zion praise and worship services have been held at Holy Cross and St. Patrick’s Cathedral. They have included choir-led, lively praise and worship music, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, intercessory prayer teams, and Confessions.  

In the Old Testament, Zion is the chosen place where God desired to dwell and where He would invite all the tribes and nations to go up to praise the God of Israel, coordinators have noted, adding that Christ is “the fullness of the revelation of the God of Israel and to Him belongs all praise and honor and glory forever and ever.”