Contact: Marisa Glatzer, Media Relations, Catholic Answers, 619-387-7200, mglatzer@catholic.com
SAN DIEGO, Calif., Sept. 6, 2012 /Christian Newswire/ -- Incoming Catholic bishop Cirilo Flores will deliver the keynote address at a charity gala on Saturday, September 22, at the Sheraton Carlsbad Resort and Spa. The event is a banquet and auction hosted by Catholic Answers, a local nonprofit organization. The purpose of the gala is to increase local awareness of the call-in radio program Catholic Answers Live, which airs locally weekdays from 3 to 5 p.m. on Immaculate Heart Radio, KCEO AM 1000.
Bishop Flores is a California native and coadjutor bishop of San Diego. He will succeed Bishop Robert Brom after he reaches retirement age in 2013. Bishop Flores will speak on defending the faith as an essential element of the "new evangelization" called for by Pope John Paul II.
Bishop Flores was familiar with the work of Catholic Answers long before arriving in San Diego. "I have been aware of Catholic Answers since my days as a seminarian, when I was first training to be a priest and began reading their magazine," he said. "I hope people will take advantage of this opportunity to come and learn more about Catholic Answers' work and how it can make a difference here in San Diego."
Catholic Answers Live is the most popular Catholic radio program in America. The two-hour show features a wide variety of guests who address topics related to the Catholic faith and answer callers' questions about it. Catholic Answers Live is broadcast on more than 200 AM and FM radio stations in the United States, as well as on Sirius Satellite Radio channel 160, on global shortwave, and on the Internet. The program began broadcasting in 1998 but was not available on radio in San Diego until this year.
San Diego attorney Karl Keating began Catholic Answers in 1979. It has grown to be the largest lay-run Catholic apologetics and evangelization organization in North America. It has nearly 50 employees and has developed an international reputation for its expertise. Its website, Catholic.com, is one of the most popular Catholic sites in the world, with over one million visits a month. The ministry publishes books, booklets, audio sets, and DVDs on a broad range of faith topics. Its speakers deliver talks throughout the United States and abroad, and its team of apologists answer questions daily about the Catholic faith.
Joining Bishop Flores at the gala will be five-time Major League Baseball all-star Michael Sweeney, as well as popular Catholic Answers Live personalities Karl Keating, Tim Staples, Jimmy Akin, Matt Fradd, Fr. Vincent Serpa, and radio host Patrick Coffin.
Individual seats cost $100, and tables for 10 are $850. More information and registration are available at www.CatholicAnswersGala.com.
