SCRANTON – For more than four decades, Catholics searching for an encounter with Christ have made the journey to Scranton each summer for a weekend of prayer, worship, and renewal.
That tradition continued July 31 through Aug. 2, 2026, as hundreds of people from across the east coast gathered at The University of Scranton for the 44th annual Catholic Charismatic Renewal Conference.
Through inspiring speakers, praise and worship, the celebration of the Eucharist, and time for fellowship, participants were invited to deepen their relationship with Jesus and return home renewed in faith.
For many, the conference has become a cherished annual pilgrimage.
“My prayer group usually comes every year to Scranton to praise the Lord, to learn about the Holy Spirit, and to be in fellowship with each other,” Thereze Hargraves of Brooklyn, N.Y., said.
She described the weekend as an opportunity to step away from everyday responsibilities and focus entirely on God.
“It’s like an oasis,” Hargraves explained. “It gives you encouragement that despite what is going on in your life, God is good and His presence is amazing.”
Michele Guerrier, who also lives in Brooklyn, has been making the trip to Scranton for approximately 25 years.
“It is a wonderful place to come to renew, to reflect, and to revitalize my own spiritual life,” she said.
Guerrier believes one of the conference’s greatest strengths is the sense of family that has developed over the years.
“The Holy Spirit is alive,” she said. “Most of us have been coming here for so long that you look forward to seeing everyone. I think that brings a whole other dimension to our faith as Catholics.”
While many attendees have made the conference an annual tradition, organizers were especially encouraged by the number of first-time participants who discovered the event this year.
“I came not really knowing what to expect,” Christy Ghigiarelli of Saint John Paul II Parish in Dunmore, said. “I came to just spend the day with God and be around people and be able to praise Jesus.”
Walking into the conference for the first time quickly made an impression.
“The best part was walking in and just everyone singing and literally praising Jesus,” Ghigiarelli added. “It’s just uplifting, it’s incredible … I’ll definitely be back.”
Karen McLain, who helped coordinate this year’s conference, said the annual gathering invites participants to express their faith with joy and openness to the Holy Spirit.
“The Catholic Charismatic Renewal is regular Catholics who love the Mass, who love the tradition and love the liturgy and the ritual, but they also like to be more expressive sometimes in their worship,” McLain explained. “We raise our hands when we praise. We sing more contemporary songs. Sometimes we dance and we clap.”
McLain said that some Catholics are uncertain about what “charismatic” means, but she emphasized that the movement is firmly rooted within the life of the Church.
“Our popes have been wonderfully supportive and have spoken to the Renewal many times over the last 50 years,” she said. “They’ve said this is a grace for the whole Church.”
Throughout the weekend, participants heard presentations from speakers that included Father Anthony Abraham of the Diocese of Saint Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands; Father Joe Freedy of the Diocese of Pittsburgh; Father August Ricciardi, spiritual moderator for the Diocese of Scranton’s Catholic Charismatic Renewal; evangelist Caroline Gambale-Dirkes; Timmy McCaffery of Pentecost Today USA; and Leonor and Genry Batista of Inmaculada Radio and TV.
The conference ended with a Closing Mass on Sunday celebrated by the Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton.
Reflecting on his recent pilgrimage along Spain’s Camino de Santiago, the Bishop connected his own journey with the readings for the Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, reminding the faithful that every Christian is searching for lasting fulfillment.
Drawing from the prophet Isaiah and the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes, Bishop Bambera encouraged participants to seek satisfaction not in temporary things but in the life-giving grace offered through Jesus Christ and the Eucharist.
“Jesus is present,” Bishop Bambera said. “See Him here before us. Feel His love poured forth from the cross for you. Know that there is nothing in your past or in your life at this moment that cannot be forgiven and healed by Jesus.”