Catholic Vancouver April 25, 2024
‘We binge-watched all 9 episodes’ of Rescue Project, and now Rescue Live! is coming to Vancouver
By James Risdon
On Star Wars Day – May the Fourth—a Roman Catholic priest from the U.S. will be at Vancouver’s Hyatt Regency Hotel to talk, appropriately, about the war between good and evil and how Jesus, the bright morning star of Rev 22:16, has battled and overcome Satan.
Close to 1,000 people have registered for the sold-out Rescue Live! conference, which is led by the Archdiocese of Detroit’s Father John Riccardo, founder of the ACTS XXIX ministry.
“He’s very compelling,” says Pauline Lima, a Vancouver volunteer with the conference. “He delivers the Gospel in a fresh and attractive way.”
The cost of the conference, billed as a way to experience the Gospel in a more impactful and meaningful way, includes not only the entire day’s talks and praise and worship music from a live band in the hotel’s ballroom but also breakfast, lunch, and even the parking.
Two years ago, Lima and her husband Sergio discovered the Rescue Project when a friend suggested they watch the nine-talk series online. The couple put their two young children to bed, sat down, and went to the website to watch and listen to the first talk.
They were immediately hooked.
“In three nights, we binge-watched all nine episodes,” recalls Pauline. “It was that good. It hit home.”
Ever since then, she has been on a mission to let others know about the Rescue Project and Jesus’ love and sacrifice.
The conference in Vancouver is intended to bring to Christians all of the information in all those online talks – some of which get deep into the nitty gritty of Satan’s tactics to sideline believers – in a single day.
“It gets pretty dark and deep but it’s so important because, unless you understand how horrific it would be without Jesus, you’ll never be able to appreciate everything he did for us,” says Pauline.
“Father Riccardo sheds light on the enemy and shows the tactics of the enemy and how he works in our lives.”
Ever since watching the Rescue Project talks online, the Limas have been on fire for the Good News and have been doing mission work for it.
“It was as if I was being released (from captivity),” says Pauline. “The scales fell off my eyes. I didn’t even think about it. I felt propelled to go into mission.”
A cradle Catholic, the 40-something recalls growing up without ever reading the Bible and infrequently attending Mass.
That’s changed.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, she turned to her Bible, and the Word ignited in her a desire to minister to those who were most in need, the homeless.
Coming out of a restaurant with her children on Mother’s Day last year, Pauline met a young woman who was about to inject herself with fentanyl in a parking lot, a shopping cart with her meagre belongings beside her. Pauline brought her some food – and let her know that God loves her and prayed with her.
“I went and sat down beside her and she was in tears,” says Pauline. “I ended up speaking with her for about 45 minutes.”
At the Rescue Live! conference, which will run from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Pauline expects many people to see their lives transformed in a similar way. Attendees at previous events have, in some cases, vowed to take part in the sacrament of reconciliation and, in other instances, revealed they will never look at a crucifix in the same way again.
For more information about Rescue Live! visit rescuelivevancouver.ca.