Emmaus Conference

When you think of Jesus’ walk to Emmaus with the two disciples, can you actually put yourself in that scene? Can you imagine a setting sun casting long shadows across a dusty road? The cool air, and your sandals kicking up small clouds of dust with each step? You walk slowly, your heart heavy, lost in conversation with your companion. 

Then, gently, another joins you. A stranger at first — quiet, but keenly attentive. He listens to your worries without interrupting, his gaze kind and steady. When He finally speaks, it is with warmth and wisdom. As He explains the Scriptures, you feel something inside yourself — not anger, not fear, but something alive, something you thought you had lost.

You continue walking, almost forgetting your sadness in the light of His words. As evening falls, you feel an urgent longing to remain with Him: “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening, and the day is almost over.” At the table, in the simple breaking of the bread, your eyes are opened. Suddenly, you see clearly — it is the Lord! Joy, wonder, awe flood your whole being. In an instant, you realize: He had been walking with you the entire time.

Even to this day, Christ walks alongside us often unseen. Even when our eyes are clouded and our hearts are heavy, His presence is constant, speaking through the Scriptures and stirring something deep within us. Every step toward Emmaus is, in truth, a step toward recognizing the risen Christ, especially in the breaking of the bread in which He reveals Himself most intimately.

So now it is time to take the steps and sign up for your own special experience – The Diocese of Gary is offering its first-ever Emmaus Conference scheduled for Aug. 9, 2025, at the Porter County Expo Center at the Porter County Fairgrounds, 215 E Division Rd, Valparaiso.

Father Declan McNicholas, director of missionary discipleship and evangelization for the diocese, sees the conference as a way to reset.

He personally loves the lessons behind the story in the Gospel of Luke, “Road to Emmaus.” In the story, two disciples encountered Jesus and didn't recognize him, “just like so often we don't recognize Him,” says the associate pastor at St. John the Evangelist. “They didn't recognize Him at first, and there was this very kind and patient Jesus, but ultimately, the story ends with them running back to Jerusalem – realizing that their life is forever changed.” 

Guest speakers will help us transform our lives. They include: Dr. Edward Sri, a theologian, author and well-known Catholic speaker who is a Munster native; Dr. Mary Healy, a professor of scripture at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit; Alejandro Aguilera Titus, associate director of the Secretariat for Hispanic Affairs for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in Washington, D.C.; and Dr. Dora Tobar, an expert in family ministry and hispanic ministry.

The conference will be offered in both English and Spanish. Keynote speakers and breakout sessions will be available in both languages.

On the road to Emmaus, Christ draws near to every heart. As we journey through doubt and fear, often burdened by questions, our walk to Emmaus is the daily pilgrimage of the heart. It is in the quiet unfolding of prayer, the whispered truths of Scripture, and the shared Eucharist that we realize our hearts were burning within us all along. 

Emmaus is not merely a place in history, but a path we are invited to walk each day – a sacred journey in which, if we are attentive, we encounter the living Lord who never stops seeking us.

To register for the Emmaus Conference, click here. 

And this is a family affair – adults and youth are all invited! Adults are anyone over the age of 18 and out of high school, including college students, Youth participants are those from 6-12th grade. Child care will be provided for children ages 3-10 years old.