Welcome to the
Doylestown Campus!
ABOUT THE DOYLESTOWN CAMPUS
The Doylestown Campus is located on the grounds of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa in Doylestown, PA. Here reside the Pauline Fathers and Brothers of the Order of Saint Paul the First Hermit.
CLASS SCHEDULE
Mondays from 6-9PM
Encounter School of Ministry Applications
Open January 15th


National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa
654 Ferry Rd, Doylestown, PA 18901
Lodging is available at the Retreat House for students who travel. Please call 215-345-0600 ext. 4005. For more information about the Ave Maria Retreat House, click here.
Changing the Atmosphere
God is in love with everyone of us and has a great plan to change our lives and the lives of others through us. The Holy Spirit is on the move, and He is already changing the atmosphere in Doylestown by empowering new disciples with His supernatural love. He is changing the atmosphere through the echoing praise and worship that flows from the Beacon Hill, where Blessed Virgin Mary reigns in the image of Our Lady of Czestochowa. It is time to change the atmosphere anew and share His love around our neighborhoods and throughout the greater Philadelphia area! We invite you to join us on this mission. Bride of the Holy Spirit, pray for us! Register for the Encounter School of Ministry!
MEET OUR TEAM

Meet your director
Fr. Rafał Walczyk
Fr. Rafał Walczyk, OSPPE (Pauline Fathers) was born on May 28, 1975 in Kety, near Krakow, southern Poland. Fr. Rafał is the fourth of five children of Weronika and Edward. On August 28, 1998 joined the Order of Saint Paul the First Hermit. Before he joined the Order, he worked for the National Train Company and grew up in the town of Brzeszcze which is located 5 miles away from the Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp Museum. He made his final vows in the Order of Saint Paul the First Hermit on February 2, 2004 and was ordained to priesthood at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa “Jasna Gora” in Czestochowa, Poland on May 28, 2005. He likes music, sports, fishing and hiking. In his priestly ministry he is involved in Rachel’s Vineyard and the Charismatic Renewal. Fr. Rafał is a Delegate of the Archbishop of Philadelphia for Charismatic Renewal. He lives at The National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa in Doylestown, PA.

THERESA MCDERMOTT
TEACHER
Theresa served as parish youth leader for almost 10 years and served on various committees and ministries at St. Joseph Parish in Pa. Her utmost priority has been the ministry to her family, raising four adult children Melissa, Stephen, Brian and Michael with the help and support of her groom, Stephen of 32 years. Theresa is a licensed cosmetologist and owner of Shear Purpose. Serving as an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion to the homebound, she was led by the Holy Spirit to bring beauty with a purpose to her community by creating a mobile business to serve the elderly, disabled or those that cant get to the salon due to illness or lack of transportation. Theresa’s desire to Discover, Create and Inspire beauty within everyone that she meets has led her to pursue an encounter with the Holy Spirit which has spurred a passion in her to bring the healing love of the Holy Spirit to family, friends, and clients alike.

LAUREN CAPILI
TEACHER & WORSHIP LEADER
Lauren desires to lead people to a deeper relationship with Jesus, the Father, and the Holy Spirit through worship. Together with her father, Laurel, they began their music ministry at The Upper Room Praise & Worship Community located at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa. Lauren desires to empower people to praise freely and encounter the love of Christ through worship. She invites you to come praise with us!

ROB RUSSELL
TEACHER
Rob has been on a journey with God to know and love Him deeper. Rob has led several groups to consecration to Jesus through Mary using the 33 Days to Morning Glory book. Rob has led small groups to understand Divine Mercy. Rob has spent 10+ years studying the Bible and other religious writings, pilgrimages, retreats and Adoration. Encountering God’s love in his life and others is humbling but with Encounter Ministries Rob helps to unlock God’s love and healing presence by teaching how the Holy Spirit and the Word of God works in all our lives.

SHARON RUDDA
TEACHER
Sharon is from Wilkes-Barre, PA and has a B.A. in Performing Arts-Dance from La Roche College located in Pittsburgh, PA. She has been a performer/dancer for over twenty years and left that life to come back to the Church to full-fill the emptiness inside. Since coming back almost two years ago, she has been given the Worship Dance and Flag Ministry from the Upper Room Praise and Worship Community at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa in Doylestown, PA. With the ministry, it allows the physical demonstration of total intimate, spiritual abandonment, and showing one’s sacrificial love to God the Father through joyful, reverent movement.

CECELIA LAPLACA
TEACHER
Cecelia comes from a loving, faithful Catholic family. She is the 6th of 7 children. She married her wonderful husband Marcial in 1996 and they have 3 wonderful sons. Cecelia, along with her husband, have served as team members of Rachel’s Vineyard Ministry since 2009. She taught CCD in her local parish for several years while her 3 sons were going through CCD. She has been a member of the Upper Room Praise & Worship Community at Our Lady of Czestochowa since it began in the Fall of 2019. Being a member of the Upper Room and the Encounter School of Ministry, she has found many blessings, healings, more joy, courage and excitement to share her faith, and a deeper, closer relationship with the Lord. Her daily desire is to say “yes” to Jesus’ callings, follow Him and continue to share the love of Jesus with others.

This diocese has reviewed and welcomed the Encounter School of Ministry.
“Thank you for your desire to help Catholics become stronger disciples of the Lord Jesus… I readily give my approval to your request to work toward establishing a satellite campus of the Encounter School of Ministry in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.”
– Archbishop Nelson J. Perez, DD
The Encounter School of Ministry is open to Christians of all backgrounds—disciples who believe God calls them to demonstrate His supernatural love in their daily lives. Our curriculum and content is rooted in Catholic Tradition and faithful to Catholic teaching.
Recent Testimonies:
I did not want to be pushy, or labelled, or make people feel awkward
My greatest transformation was in the courage, boldness and Holy Spirit power I now feel within...
In God’s Perfect Time
I have learned so much through this whole year of the Encounter School of Ministry! It did take...
The Construction of My Kingdom Dream
This quarter was full of practical ways to grow spiritually. I learned that God gave me a dream...