ATLANTA—Making the salvation story personal and real is the aim of Rescue Live, coming to Atlanta this fall as part of the Eucharistic Revival. 

Father John Riccardo and the ACTS XXIX team, based in Detroit, will present “Rescue Atlanta,” a day of preaching, reflection and small-group discussion on Saturday, Sept. 9 at the Cobb Galleria Centre from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The event is open to all 18 and older. Parish staff members and pastors are especially encouraged to attend. 

Monica Oppermann of the Office of Evangelization and Discipleship is coordinating the Atlanta event and said Father Riccardo’s teachings are responsible for bringing many into the Catholic Church. 

“They call him the best catechist we have,” she said. 

The conviction behind Rescue Live, said Oppermann, is that a person cannot be mobilized for mission if they’ve not been introduced to the Gospel. The event focuses on experiencing the fundamental message of the Gospel, or kerygma, in a new way. 

Monica Oppermann, evangelization strategist, is coordinating the Rescue Atlanta event this fall, and encourages all to attend the unique event that makes the Gospel real. Photo by Johnathon Kelso

Through ACTS XXIX, Father Riccardo and Mary Guilfoyle host the podcast, “You Were Born for This.” The podcast covers topics related to transforming the church.  

Rescue Live as well as the multi-week Rescue Project studies help both ordained and lay leaders reacquire a biblical worldview, to become more than a staff and to prayerfully discern God’s plan. 

It’s not by chance we are here at this moment in time, but is God’s plan, said Oppermann.  

“He knows the stars by name, and he knows you,” she said. 

Damascus Worship will provide music for the event, and attendees will enjoy a meal together. The day begins with a coffee. Oppermann said the music is elevating, and the preaching energetic and amazing. 

“Powerful is an overused word,” she said. “But, that’s what it is.” 

Although the program will be presented in English, translation assistance (with earphones) will be provided in Spanish. 

The last part of the program is how to respond to being rescued by Jesus. 

“It’s kind of a teaching moment,” said Oppermann. “It does not end there.”  

Opportunities for community equipping sessions will follow the September event. 

Rescue Atlanta ties into the three-year National Eucharistic Revival in the United States and the Archdiocese of Atlanta. The revival invites Catholics to increase devotion and understanding of the Real Presence in the Eucharist.  

Oppermann is a member of the team that implemented the three-year plan, which began with the formation of more than 100 revival missionaries. The missionaries are parish representatives who are catalysts for revival in their own communities. The Archbishop’s Annual Appeal supports the revival efforts including support of the Rescue Live event.