St. Joseph Summit Planned

A virtual three-day summit dedicated to St. Joseph will feature more than 40 evangelists and aims to connect Catholics with their “spiritual father.” 

St. Joseph is the patron saint for the Diocese of Baton Rouge.

The summit “Our Spiritual Father: Pilgrimage to the Heart of Saint Joseph” will be held online from Sept. 30 through Oct. 3, and will be hosted by Deacon Steve Greco, the president of Spirit Filled Hearts Ministry. The ministry will partner with Cardinal Studios to broadcast the summit online. 

Presenters at the summit include Father Donald Calloway, who compiled the “The Consecration to St. Joseph,” along with Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco, Bishop Kevin Vann of the Diocese of Orange, Dr. Scott Hahn and Chris Stefanick, host of EWTN’s “Real Life Catholic.”

“This is the largest gathering of Catholics for Catholics all related to St. Joseph, our spiritual father, who has so much to offer us in this Year of St. Joseph,” said Greco in a press release announcing the event. 

Deacon Greco explained that after he read and prayed with Father Calloway’s book on consecration to St. Joseph, he was inspired to create the summit. He said he felt an “urgency” to help Catholics “to develop a friendship with the most formidable saint for our times.”

“I was completely struck by Father Calloway’s profound work, and realized I didn’t have a devotion to St. Joseph as I should. I also realized that there were many more people out there like me,” he said.

Spirit Filled Hearts Ministry is based in the Diocese of Orange, California. It holds virtual and in-person conferences and seminars on the faith.

The upcoming summit will include presentations from bishops, priests, religious, evangelists and lay leaders. Those who sign up to virtually attend will be able to interact with Greco and participate in live daily prayer and healing services. 

People can participate in the conference free of charge, with the option of purchasing a $49 “passport” to have permanent access to the presentations, to “bonus content,” and to a free copy of Father Calloway’s book. 

“We have prayed over every presenter and asked the Holy Spirit to show us who, what and how to do this,” said Deacon Greco. He said that the “support and collaboration has been incredible,” and believes that the event will be one that is “historic for the church in this special year under St. Joseph’s cloak dedicated by our Holy Father.” 

“Families are in crisis, people are in need of healing, and the whole Church needs to be better equipped to battle when under spiritual attack,” he said. 

The summit is “for everyone,” said Deacon Greco, including “the faithful, the curious and for those who have gone astray.” He said the virtual nature of the summit, where attendees can “attend” anonymously, will be especially helpful for those who are “struggling” but who want to increase their devotion.

“For those who are struggling, but want to experience the talks, prayer and friendship with St. Joseph – participants can go at their own pace,” he said. “We know people will be touched, healed and set on fire anew.” 

“St. Joseph is going to lead the church like never before because he is the patron of the universal church,” he said. 

The summit will be taking place during the Year of St. Joseph, announced by Pope Francis on Dec. 8, 2020, and which concludes on Dec. 8, 2021.