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September 2004You
won’t anymore, after you read this story by one of the newest teachers we are
proud to present on THE WAY HOME —the superb and dynamic Dr. Marcellino
D’Ambrosio. In
his series on the graces and gifts of the Sacrament of Confirmation that
recently aired on our program, Dr. D’Ambrosio speaks about a remarkable
experience he had as a young Christian who had the opportunity – and
the grace – to act as an intercessor. A
member of his family was suffering from a terrible sickness, in fact, a terminal
disease. He and his brother,
distressed and otherwise powerless to help the situation, agreed to pray.
They prayed together every day for about 10 to 15 minutes a day for the
person and the situation that sorely needed the touch of God. And then, at the end of the second year, when all had seemed hopeless, a sudden change occurred. The person turned a corner, healing was evident, and today, more than 30 years later, the person is alive and well. That, says Dr. D’Ambrosio, is what our prayers can do! (And just think of the grace from God for two young people to persevere in prayer for so long; that in itself is a miracle!) In case you haven’t had the privilege of meeting Dr. D’Ambrosio or seeing him on our program, let me introduce him to you. The first thing you learn about Marcellino (pronounced “March-e-LEE-no”) – is that he is Italian-American and proud of it! Second, you quickly pick up that he is an exciting and entertaining teacher, who knows and loves the Scriptures and the truths of our Catholic faith. If your enthusiasm for your life in Christ is just a glowing ember, he can fan you into a roaring flame! Married and the father of five children, Dr. D’Ambrosio received his doctorate at the American University in Washington and is a former professor of theology at the renowned University of Dallas. Today, as the founder of “The Crossroads Initiative,” he is a lay evangelist, a frequent speaker and the author of numerous books and articles on the faith. He doesn’t teach like an academic, but like a friend – a friend who deals with everyday problems like you do, but who has the knowledge to put it in a faith perspective. Dr. D’Ambrosio wasn’t always interested in the Catholic Church or education. In fact, he used to spend all his free time with his guitar, as a teen rock musician. But through a series of personal and spiritual encounters, he became alive in his faith, and he hasn’t stopped. “The Christian life is an adventure,” he says. “Sometimes it is difficult, but it’s never boring.” So, too, THE WAY HOME is an adventure in presenting the exciting news of salvation, of the love of God, of ordinary people touched by extraordinary grace to change the world. Along with Dr. D’Ambrosio (www.dritaly.com), we feature each week such gifted teachers as: ·
Fr. Tom Forrest, a Redemptorist priest,
director of Evangelization 2000, and director of two retreats for priests at the
Paul VI Audience Hall at the ·
Bishop Valerian D’Souza,
the bishop of the Diocese of ·
Fr. Daniel Ange,
founder of the Jeunesse
Lumière
school in ·
Fr. Ed Dougherty, Jesuit priest, president of an expansive television ministry in
Brazil, an advisor to Cardinal Nicolas de Jesus Lopez Rodriguez and the Televida
television project in Santo Domingo, and the director of the One America
Foundation in the United States. (www.asj.org.br) But
to produce and air these programs, we need your help. We depend on your gift to
offer the life-saving message of Christ to a sin-sick world.
Please, send in your most generous gift today
so that we can fulfill our mission of preaching the gospel to all nations.
(We literally reach every continent of the world!) |