​International Conference on the Centrality of Jesus Christ

The "centrality of Jesus Christ" is a recurring message of the popes of the new millennium. The December 5-8, 2020 conference will be accessible online to everyone.

Parents for Education Foundation (Philippines) in partnership with Smart Catholics (New York) and Parousia Media (Australia) will host an international conference on December 5 to 8, 2020, titled: Jesus-Centered Life: An International Family Conference.

As inspiration, the organizers point to the popes of the new millennium. The "centrality of Jesus Christ" is a recurring theme in the popes' messages.

St. John Paul II asked the Catholic Church to “start afresh from Christ.” The program for all ages “has at its center Christ himself, who is to be known, loved and imitated," he said. Pope Benedict XVI wrote three books about Jesus of Nazareth and taught that “everything depends on intimate friendship with Jesus.”

The first words of Pope Francis after his election were: “All together, pastors and faithful, we will make an effort to respond faithfully to the eternal mission: to lead humanity to an encounter with Jesus Christ.” During this pandemic, he stressed: “Embracing the Lord frees us from fear and gives us hope.”

The Conference features more than 70 speakers. Among them are: Jason Evert, Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers and Sonja Corbitt from the United States; Jack Valero and Georgia Clarke from the UK; Theresa Okafor from Nigeria; Fr. Jacques Philippe from France; and Andrew Mullins and Madeleine Carrington from Australia.

The Prelate of Opus Dei, Msgr. Fernando Ocariz, will address the participants on the last day of the Conference, December 8. He himself has been seconding the popes' priority thrust. "Putting Jesus Christ at the center of our life" is what he set as priority for the faithful of the prelature.

The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines' Episcopal Commission for Catechesis and Catholic Education called on the faithful to participate in this international conference: "Join this rare opportunity provided by Divine Providence, as a way of thanking the Lord for the 500th anniversary of Christianity" in the country.

Parents for Education Foundation (PAREF), the conference organizer, is a community of 14 schools in the Philippines. PAREF has published a book on whose title the conference title is based: Jesus-Centered: Guide to the Happiest Life, a handbook of Christian prayer and life. PAREF aims to disseminate the thrust of the popes and the prelate to as wide an audience as possible.

The conference, accessible online to anyone in the world, offers sessions for all age groups and sectors: parents, teachers, young people, students, and preschool children.

To access the talks, panel discussions, prayers, activities, and workbook, one can register for free on the internet: https://smartcatholics.com/jesus-centered-life/?vi...