More than 350 people got a “tuneup on the Holy Spirit” at the Diocese of Peoria’s 23rd annual Catholic Charismatic Renewal Conference last weekend in Peoria.

The image of traveling through life accompanied by Jesus and fueled by the Holy Spirit was driven home by Bishop Daniel R. Jenky, CSC, and other speakers exploring the theme “I Am With You Always.”

In his homily at the conference’s opening night Mass at the Holiday Inn City Centre, Bishop Jenky told of a time when he neglected to check his car’s gas gauge before a trip and ran out of fuel just north of Chillicothe.

Just as we can’t reach our destination in a car without gas, “none of us can get to heaven without the Holy Spirit in our hearts,” said the bishop.

And those who love Jesus Christ have a lot to do in their lives here on earth, he added. Christians are called to visit the sick, feed the hungry, and be energetic in bringing people back to the faith — all in a culture that glorifies immorality and often attacks priesthood and marriage.

“Without the Holy Spirit we will run out of steam,” said Bishop Jenky. “With the Holy Spirit there is nothing we can’t achieve.”

It was a message conference participants embraced during the weekend, as they refueled with prayer, praise, and the challenging messages of keynote speakers, including Father Francis Dominic Valerio and Linda Schubert.

The goal of the Catholic charismatic renewal is to serve the mission of the church by enabling people to live a renewed and Christian life in the power of the Holy Spirit. In the Diocese of Peoria, several prayer groups meet regularly, guided by the Office of Charismatic Renewala diocesan advisory board that plans events.

Bishop Jenky thanked attendees for their prayerful witness, and noted the diocese is about to open a Year of the Rosary. The church’s “greatest treasure of prayer,” he reminded them, “is the Mass.”

“We need all kinds of prayer groups,” said the bishop. “One size doesn’t fit all.”