A Pentecost Festival sponsored by the Jesus in Zion Ministry is scheduled for Pentecost Sunday, May 24 at the National Shrine of Mary Help of Christians (the Marian Shrine) in Stony Point, Rockland County. The event will be presented in English and Spanish. 

The gathering is set for 3 to 8 p.m., featuring Joan Sanchez, a prominent singer-songwriter and producer based in the Dominican Republic. He and other Catholic musical artists will provide inspirational sounds and lyrics of faith. There will also be inspirational talks from priests led by Father Vincent Druding, parochial vicar of Holy Cross Church in the Soundview area of the Bronx. Father Druding is lead coordinator of Jesus in Zion. 

Fire of the Holy Spirit 

“Join us for a day filled with the Holy Spirit’s fire as we celebrate Pentecost at the National Shrine of Mary Help of Christians,” organizers noted in promotional material. 

Other musical artists will include singer-songwriter Marisel Rodriguez, singer-songwriter Brianne, and singer-guitarist Fernando Torres. Speakers from the laity will include Chinwe Esimai and Suhel Aybar. Among the other clergy speakers will be Father Pierre Toussaint, CFR, director of the St. Francis Youth Center in the South Bronx, and Father Manny Gallo, SDB, director of the shrine. 

“It’s beautiful to come together as a people and as a Church to celebrate the impactful moment of Pentecost,” Father Toussaint told The Good Newsroom by phone April 28. “And to invite the Holy Spirit to renew our hearts and renew the Church in this day and age. It’s an awesome opportunity to be present to the mystery of God, to open ourselves to the Holy Spirit.” 

Father Toussaint said his hope for the attendees is that when they leave, “they will have a renewed sense of God’s accompaniment — that they’re set on fire with God’s love for them, to spread the Gospel as missionaries.” 

Birth of the Church 

Pentecost is celebrated 50 days after Easter Sunday (April 5 this year), commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles. It commemorates the birth of the Church and falls within the Season of Easter, ending the 50-day Easter period. Red is the liturgical color, representing the fire, energy, passion, and power of the Holy Spirit. 

Festival organizers said event tickets are $15 per person, free for children 14 and under. Tickets can be purchased via jesusinzion.com or cash at the door. The shrine is located at 174 Filors Lane, Stony Point. 

The Marian Shrine, a ministry of the Salesians of Don Bosco, offers people of all ages, especially young people, opportunities to deepen their relationship with God. Coordinators at the shrine emphasize devotion to Mary Help of Christians, the pastoral style of St. John Bosco, and his oratory in the Salesians’ apostolic endeavors. 

For more than 75 years, the shrine has provided an “oasis for prayer, worship, reflection and refreshment. Thousands of pilgrims and faithful have walked on this holy ground dedicated to Mary, Help of Christians,” according to the shrine’s website: https://www.marianshrine.org