Jesse Romero will be the featured speaker for Youth and Family Weekend activities in Austin.

Thursday, January 06, 2000

Jesse Romero will be the featured speaker for Youth and Family Weekend activities in Austin.

Romero, a 16-year veteran of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, will make appearances beginning Friday night and continuing Saturday and Sunday in Austin.

According to Shawn McMahon, while Romero’s appearances are targeted for Catholic youths in the Austin area, they are open to the public.

Romero is a former national champion kick-boxer and a former Police Olympics champion boxer. He is now a full-time Catholic evangelist. That happened after a fellow officer challenged Romero to pick up a Bible and use "faith instead of force" in 1986.

Since 1992, Romero has been a much-sought-after speaker across the nation and developed a national youth outreach in 1997.

Romero will give a boxing and kick-boxing demonstration with a message "Finding Your Purpose In Life" from 5 to 9:30 p.m. Friday at the Terp/Vineyard, 210 Fourth St. NE. Admission is $1 per person and activities are scheduled for all ages with high-energy group and carnival games.

Supper will be served 5 to 7 p.m. Friday with sundaes, pizza and pop sold throughout the evening.

On Saturday, he will be the featured speaker at a 2 p.m. assembly in the Pacelli High School gymnasium. The theme is "Jesus Christ: The Best of the Best" and there also will be a youth prayer service and martial arts demonstration.

Mass follows at St. Augustine Catholic Church at 4 p.m. with a fund-raising chili supper from 5 to 7 p.m. in Cunningham Hall.

Following dinner, Romero will offer another program entitled "The Lordship of Christ," beginning at 7 p.m. Saturday, also at St. Augustine Catholic Church. A benediction will follow the one-hour program.

On Sunday, Romero will speak on "Christ My King and Proud of It" at a 10 a.m. Mass at St. Edward Catholic Church. There will be coffee and doughnuts with the motivational speaker in the Corcoran Center after Mass.

Sponsors include Austin Catholic Religious Education, Parenting Resources Center, Knights of Columbus and Austin Eagles, Austin Lions and Austin American Legion organizations.

All Christian churches in Mower County and most Winona Diocese Catholic parishes have been invited to attend.

The sponsors stress all of Romero’s performances are open to the public and specifically targeted for families – adults as well as teen-agers and children, to share together.

For more information, call Shawn McMahon at 437-3250.