Wow what a year 2018 has been! As I reflect on the year gone by I can’t help but feel so in awe of what God is doing with this work.

Here is a summary of the statistics of our work and some highlights beginning with the very first tour of Christina King.

With 8 international speakers coming out this year, we coordinated 8 tours in over 8 cities across Australia.

In addition to the international speakers, we also had local speakers including Simon and Madeleine Carrington, James Parker, Robert Haddad, myself and many others give talks in parishes, schools and universities across the country.

Adding local and international events together we estimate that over 30,000 people were reached in over 150 individual events.

Praise be to God! As well as events, we distributed over 60,000 units made up of CDs, DVDs, study programs and books.

Tour #1: Christina King

Christina King kick-started our international speakers tours this year in February. She launched our first ever women’s retreat and had such an impact which lead to us organizing twelve women’s retreats during 2018 in both Sydney and Melbourne.

To learn more about Christina King visit https://www.parousiamedia.com/christina-king/. All the tour photos can also be found on our facebook page at www.facebook.com/parousiamedia. Please like our page and follow our daily activity!

Tour #2: Raymond De Souza

We welcomed Raymond De Souza the following month in March and he covered a lot of ground!

From multiple parishes and schools in Sydney as well as traveling to and giving talks in Wagga Wagga, Albury and Melbourne. Raymond specializes in Apologetics and you can visit his page on our website at https://www.parousiamedia.com/raymond-de-souza-km/.

Tour #3: Jason Evert

As Raymond departed Jason Evert arrived in Perth with our friends Evangelisation Australia for three days. Jason then returned in May for an East Coast tour and reached over 5,000 people in three days. He covered so much ground in such a short amount of time.

Jason started in Melbourne then traveled to Hobart and, finally, Sydney. He was the keynote speaker at the inaugural Fire Up Ministries dinner which, as you know, is doing great work in the area of chastity and purity.

Jason, as always, managed to convert hearts and enlighten so many young people with the message of chastity and purity. Please visit Jason’s page on our site at https://www.parousiamedia.com/jason-evert/.

Jason returned home and the following month we welcomed Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers who, of course, was dynamic and engaging. He was our keynote speaker at the Parousia Media Fundraising dinner at which we had a full room at the Epping club. Thanks to all of you who came that night to support this mission.

Deacon Harold has been to Australia five times and has also been to the Philippines now for four tours. I accompanied Deacon in Manila this year in August and he was very well received over there. Deacon Harold has promoted Parousia Media in the US for some time now and we thank him for his partnership. Please visit his page at https://www.parousiamedia.com/deacon-harold-burke-sivers/

Once Deacon Harold returned home in early July we attended Proclaim in Brisbane and the ACCC conference in Richmond before welcoming Dr Ed Sri.

Ed returned for his second visit and this time presented over two full days for the teachers and catechists of the Parramatta Diocese. The theme this year was the Gospel of Mark and Dr Sri had such a positive impact on all who attended.

Ed Sri has a gift of being able to connect with so many groups including teachers, priests, youth, high school and the general audience. Please visit https://www.parousiamedia.com/dr-edward-sri/.

Tours #6-7: Fr. Larry Richards and Tim Staples

Once Dr Ed Sri returned to the US we worked with a few local speakers before welcoming both Fr Larry Richards and Tim Staples for the Fullness of Truth Tour.

Fr Larry started off his tour in Melbourne while Tim started off his in Sydney. Between the two speakers over 7,000 people were reached across five cities in 10 days.

All those who turned up were inspired and moved in a powerful way by these two speakers. Tim Staples is one of the world’s best apologists and has a gift of memorizing chapter and verse not only of the bible but also the catechism and encyclicals as well.

I highly encourage you get to know more about Tim Staples at https://www.parousiamedia.com/tim-staples/.  

Fr. Larry also covered so much ground, speaking to both a men’s group and women’s retreats. Every parish church was packed and he really spoke strongly.

Fr. Larry is able to give you both a reality check as well as a challenge… while at the same time is gentle and understanding. He is a real pastor who understands the needs of his children.

Fr. Larry left a massive impact on Australia and I pray we can get him back here one day. Father is the founder of the Reasons for our Hope Foundation, so please do visit his page on https://thereasonforourhope.org/.

Tour #8: Fr. Leo Patalinghug

After Tim Staples and Fr Larry Richards returned home to the USA we did not have much time to prepare for Fr Leo Patalinghug’s arrival.

Fr Leo was very strong and engaging and entertaining. He has a gift of reaching out to the unchurched and non practicing persons. Fr Leo is a world class chef who is also a gifted theologian and martial artist. We traveled to Toowoomba and across Sydney together.

Fr Leo left a huge impact on the people who attended his talks and cooking presentations. I highly recommend you visit his page at https://www.parousiamedia.com/fr-leo-patalinghug/.

Fr Leo traveled to Manila once he was finished in Australia to speak to 12,000 young people. I would like to highlight the great effort that the Family Educators put in on Fr Leo’s tour and I look very much forward to working more closely with them in 2019!

New Media Efforts

As well as all the tours and resources, we have been busy with our new website and YouTube videos for both our channel and EWTN. Over 200 videos have been produced this year and uploaded to our YouTube channel!

We currently have over 900 subscribers and have had 300,000 views just in this year alone.

The popular videos include our “My Encounter” and “Something to Think About”  reflection series. We also have been getting lots of video endorsements and testimonials. More coming in 2019, so stay tuned!

Staff Changes & New Hires!

We have appointed Ian Smith as National Director of Evangelisation for Parousia Media and he comes with a wealth of experience in both the education field as well as in outreach to parishes. Ian will be based in Albury and will assist in expanding our mission across the country.

Ian will be replacing John Smyth who has completed his Masters of Theology degree with the John Paul II institute and is returning to full time teaching. Also leaving is Karen Manche, who is a mother of six, although you will still see her helping at our Sydney events. I want to thank them both and wish them the very best.

We welcome Stephanie, Kathy and Phil who will assist in admin and content creation online.

Thanks again to all of you for your prayers and support this year. From all of us at Parousia may God Bless you and your family this Christmas and in 2019!

Charbel Raish, Director

 

Stephanie

Kathy

Phillip

Pier Giorgio Frassati – Catholic Truth Society (Booklet)

A young man who spent his short life caring for the sick and infirm. A handsome and active young man from an influential family in Turin who dedicated his short life to the care of the poor and the sick and working for social and political reforms. A young man who spent his short life caring for the sick and infirm.

CD of the Month: The Battle Within

Jeff Cavins, an internationally-recognized authority on Scripture, provides an ultra-practical guide on how to battle sin in the areas of our lives where we tend to fall, and he helps us examine the root causes of our sin in order to understand the “why” behind our actions.

In this presentation, Jeff explains four major wounds that exist as part of our human nature, and he equips his listeners with three “secret weapons” we can use to help us effectively overcome sin and serve the Lord from a place of freedom and love.

Fatima For Today: The Urgent Marian Message of Hope – Fr. Andrew Apostoli, C.F.R. – Augustine Institute (Paperback)

Though the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima took place almost a hundred years ago, Our Lady’s call to prayer and penance for the salvation of souls and peace in the world is as relevant now as when first delivered to three Portuguese peasant children in 1917.

At the peak of World War I, Our Lady warned us of another possible worldwide conflict, the rise and spread of Communism, and a terrible persecution of the Church, unless people repented of their sins and returned to God. She also requested devotion to her Immaculate Heart and a special consecration of Russia.

Catholic Answers Live Television – Season One (2 DVD Set)

This fast-paced, informative program features penetrating questions from people across the nation and around the world. Watch experts Jimmy Akin, Tim Staples, Trent Horn, Karlo Broussard and others engage in stimulating exchanges on subjects such as

Why Satan is still around? How does Christ’s death restore our relationship with God? How do I stay married despite challenging circumstances? Does God create physical illness? Are the members of any certain religion excluded from Salvation? How can we believe God sends his own people to hell? How can we evangelize without seeming pushy? Why is Mary so effective in battling evil? If there is a God who is merciful, why does he let us keep killing each other?

My Sisters the Saints – Colleen Carroll Campbell – Augustine Institute (Paperback)

A poignant and powerful spiritual memoir about how the lives of the saints changed the life of a modern woman.

In “My Sisters the Saints”, author Colleen Carroll Campbell blends her personal narrative of spiritual seeking, trials, stumbles, and breakthroughs with the stories of six women saints who profoundly changed her life: Teresa of Avila, Therese of Lisieux, Faustina of Poland, Edith Stein of Germany, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, and Mary of Nazareth.

Drawing upon the rich writings and examples of these extraordinary women, Colleen reveals Christianity’s liberating power and the relevance of the saints to the lives of contemporary Christians.

Our Lady of Guadelupe – Louis Suto (CD)

Many people have heard of Our Lady of Guadalupe, but few people know her story. In this talk, speaker and catechist Luis Soto (who himself was born and raised in Mexico) shares the little-known history and life-changing importance of Mary’s appearance to a peasant man named Juan Diego, and the miraculous image she left behind. Loved by millions (including St. John Paul II), Our Lady of Guadalupe is a patron and example of how to share the Gospel with the whole world. 

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