JANESVILLE — St. William Parish in Janesville welcomed Fr. Patrick Gonyeau from Encounter Ministries (EM), and also a priest in the Archdiocese of Detroit, on February 7 to 8 to provide knowledge and information on the power of prayer and the healing ministry.
Ninety-three people attended the training portion of the weekend. Following the Saturday 4 p.m. Mass, a healing service was held with an additional 180 people in attendance.
Participants were from Janesville parishes, other Wisconsin parishes, and parishes in Rockford and other parts of Illinois.
The weekend was a great success with many healings of backs, hips, and knees achieved through the power of the Holy Spirit. A gentleman even had the hearing restored in one of his ears.
EM is providing a ministry that carries on the tradition that Jesus talked about in the four Gospels. Jesus’ healings are 25 percent of the Gospel passages.
The annual Encounter Ministries conference has grown in attendance from 1,200 in 2018 to over 4,000 people this past January in Toledo, Ohio. Diocese of Green Bay Bishop David Ricken had his knee healed and is now able to genuflect for the first time in several years.
The Diocese of Madison has been fortunate to have Fr. Patrick Gonyeau of Encounter Ministries present the healing program twice in the last six months. He presented first at St. Thomas Aquinas in Madison in August 2019 and recently at St William in February 2020. Maybe your parish could host the Encounter Ministry Healing Program next. To learn more, go to https://encounterministries.us
The Bible is, of course, a great resource in Jesus’ healings. Other great resources are Healing: Bringing the Gift of God’s Mercy to the World by Dr. Mary Healy, Nothing Short of a Miracle: God’s Healing Power in Modern Saints by Patricia Treece, and Biblical Foundations for the Role of Healing in Evangelization by Fr. Mathias D. Thelen.
Fr. Jim Leeser is pastor of St. William Parish in Janesville and parochial administrator of St. Patrick Parish in Janesville.