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RECongress 2014
March
13 (Youth Day) & March 14-16, 2014
2014 Theme
"Hope: A World Afire" / "Esperanza que Enciende
al Mundo"
Youth Day
Theme
"Never Alone, Forever Accepted"
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What is Congress?
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Dates
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ORE Announcement
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YD Deadlines
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YD T-Shirts
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YD Speaker Feature
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Congress Speakers
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Registration
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Speaker Update
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Hotel Specials
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Disney Ticket Offer
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For So. Cal Only
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RECongress.org
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Emailing
Online at
archive.recongress.org
Email us at
congress
@la-archdiocese.org
Office of Religious Education - Archdiocese of Los Angeles
Friend
us, find us, watch us, share us...
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Register for RECongress 2014
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WHAT IS
CONGRESS?
The Religious Education Congress, sponsored by the
Archdiocese of Los Angeles Office of Religious
Education, is the nation's largest annual gathering
of Roman Catholics! Our last RECongress, held in
March, brought together nearly 40,000 people during
the four-day weekend! We had registrants from across
the country and as far away as Ireland and
Australia.
See 2013 Congress Statistics
DATES
The 2014 Los Angeles Religious Education Congress
dates are:
•
March 13, 2014
(Youth Day)
•
March 14-16,
2014
Location
Congress is held annually at the Anaheim Convention
Center, located at 800 West Katella Ave. in Anaheim,
Calif. (just south of Disneyland and Disney
California Adventure).
See a Yahoo Map
Fees
The registration fee for Youth Day 2014, March 13 is
$30
per person. The
adult days have a separate registration and fee,
which is $70 per person. Fees increase after the
late registration date (postmarked after January 22,
2014). There is a $30 processing fee for refunds.
There are NO REFUNDS AFTER JANUARY 22, 2014.
Registration
You can register for Congress by check (mailing in
your registration) or online by credit card. And
with
(both
online and mailed) registrations, be
sure to provide your
email address.
EVERYONE with an email will receive confirmation of registration
along with your ticket assignments. Want to switch a
session? Want to change a workshop to
attend with a friend? No problem. Go online and make
your changes. Changes can be made up until the time
tickets are printed.
Register for Congress
ORE ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS ANNOUNCED
 Sr.
Edith Prendergast, Director of the Office of
Religious Education (ORE), has announced two new
Associate Directors for the department. Paulette
Smith (on left), Congress Event Coordinator, and
Christina Lamas (on right) have both been named an
Associate Director for the Office of Religious
Education. In addition, Christina will be taking
over Mike Norman's position of leading the Youth
Ministry Team, working closely with Katie Zeigler
and Heather MacDonald to direct the Youth Ministry
efforts of our archdiocese. These two have served
ORE for many years and bring much expertise and
wisdom to their positions. Congratulations to both
Christina and Paulette!
See the 2014 Youth Day page
YOUTH DAY DEADLINES
 JANUARY
3 - Youth Day Emcees
Friday, Jan. 3 is the deadline to apply to be a
Youth Day MC to introduce the speakers and
MC other parts of the day. Youth must be registered
for Youth Day to attend the training, which will be
held on January 11, 2014. For more information,
download the form.
JANUARY 8 -
Youth Day Choir & Instrumentalists
Wednesday, Jan. 8 is the deadline for all high school youth (grades 9-12) who
would like to be part of the Youth Day liturgy by joining the
Youth Day Choir or Band. Participants must also
register for Youth Day through their parish or
school. For information, please
download the form.
FEBRUARY 14 - Youth Day Ault Volunteers
Friday, February 14 is the deadline for any adults who are NOT chaperone young
people and would like to volunteer
to help with Youth Day crowd control, room directing, bus
unloading, and so much more. For further
information,
download the form.
ASAP - Youth Day Group Volunteers
We are looking for a parish or school ministry group to entertain
those waiting in line for the Arena, for both the
morning and afternoon sessions. There would be
some meetings required for the coordinator prior to
Youth Day. For more details, please contact
Christina Lamas at clamas@la-archdiocese.org.
See the 2014 Youth Day page
YOUTH DAY T-SHIRTS
 Official
Youth Day T-shirts are available for custom and
group pre-orders. Customize your Youth Day shirt
with your youth group or parish name on the back for
only $2.50 additional. Custom orders with payment
must be received by February 17, 2014 for direct
shipping.
The special pre-order discount pricing (valid thru
February 24, 2014) is :
T-shirts: $12.50 ($15 at Youth Day)
Sweatshirts: $25 ($30, limited quantity at Youth Day)
Adult sizes: S, M, L, XL, 2XL, 3XL
On Youth Day, merchandise will be available at the
Seraph7 booth in the main lobby of the Convention
Center Arena. Pre-order to ensure you get yours at
www.seraph7.com or email
store@seraph7.com
See the Youth Day Schedule
YOUTH DAY SPEAKER FEATURE: AWIAPO & JANSEN
Everyone gets to hear this workshop presented in the
Arena for both Track 1 and Track 2 attendees.
 Thomas
Awiapo
Orphaned before the age of 10, Thomas Awiapo
survived bleak poverty and hunger in his small
village in Ghana, Africa. The loss of two younger
siblings to malnutrition and his search for food at
age 12 led him to school, where he eventually won
scholarships to attend college. Today, he works for
Catholic Relief Services as an international speaker
and trainer for community leaders throughout Ghana,
where he lives with his wife and four children.
 ValLimar
Jansen
ValLimar serves the Church as a composer, singer,
storyteller, inspirational speaker and evangelizer.
She received critical acclaim for her solo albums
“You Gotta Move” and “Anointing,” winning UNITY
Awards recognition in 2008 and 2010. She was Emcee
for the 2011 National Catholic Youth Conference held
in Indianapolis, and she performed with her husband,
Frank, at the Loreto/Angora International Papal
Event in Italy, which was broadcast on EWTN and
across the world.
YOUTH DAY
Thursday, March 13, 2014
Arena
Session: "Disciples in Our Own Families"
Meet and listen to Thomas Awiapo, as he is joined by
the dynamic presenter and singer ValLimar Jansen.
Together, these two powerful speakers share their
stories of survival and success: Thomas in Ghana,
West Africa, and ValLimar in the United States.
Through their presence and their personal stories of
hunger and hope, Thomas and ValLimar bring to life
God’s invitation to live as one human family.
Through storytelling, reflection, prayer, music and
movement, Thomas and ValLimar inspire us to embrace
the knowledge that we are truly “Never Alone and
Forever Accepted!”
See the Youth Day Workshops
SPEAKER FEATURE: REV. BRYAN
MASSINGALE, STD
 Fr.
Bryan Massingale, a priest of the Archdiocese of
Milwaukee, is Professor of Moral Theology at
Marquette University. A former President of the
Catholic Theological Society of America and the
Black Catholic Theological Symposium, he is a noted
expert on Catholic social thought and a speaker on
social justice issues. A former Congress keynote, he
has addressed most major Catholic social justice
conferences in the country and is a consultant to
many faith-based leadership groups nationally and
internationally.
Friday,
March 14, 2014
10:00 - 11:30 am — Session 3-14
"The
Social Teaching of Pope Francis"
(*)
Pope Francis has
captivated those both within and outside of the
Catholic Church with his sense of open engagement.
For many, he represents a new beginning and thus has
created a renewed interest in Catholicism. This
session will explore Pope Francis’ teachings on
social justice issues. We will discover how he is
deeply rooted in the long history of prior Catholic
social teaching, and consider the new emphases and
challenges he offers to people of faith living in an
unjust world.
Saturday,
March 15, 2014
10:00 - 11:30 am — Session 4-18
"How Religion Both Makes and Unmakes
Racial Prejudice and Fear" (*)
It is a disturbing
paradox that religious people of all faiths are
among the most intolerant persons, and yet people of
faith are also at the forefront of justice
movements. This session explores how religion has
been — and still is — used to justify injustice and
exclusion, and how religious faith can also lead to
a deeper commitment to human equality and justice
for all.
See the Congress 2014 Speakers
Page
ONLINE REGISTRATION TIPS
 With
our new online registration system,
did you know that:
— You should
choose all your workshops BEFORE you begin the
online process, especially to avoid any timeout
problems with your browser.
— You can
register online using a Visa, Mastercard, American
Express or Discover credit card.
— If you
register online, you will immediately see if your
workshop is available and know if you get your
"first choice." If you mail in your registration,
you will have to make first and second choices.
— You can
register first and pay later (OR you can even pay
first and choose your workshops later).
— Your email
address is your key to registration. Sign on and
review (or change) your workshops. All info how to
do this comes to your email inbox.
— Even people
who register by mail will receive an email
confirmation of their registration, showing all
their workshops. BE SURE to include your email
address with your registration.
— You can
make changes in your workshop selections at any time
(UNTIL tickets are printed).
See Register online
SPEAKER UPDATE
 As
reported by the National Center for Evangelization
Newsletter on Saturday, November 30: "It is with
profound sadness, but also immense gratitude that we
share with you that Fr. Pat Brennan has gone home to
heaven to be with God. We will be forever grateful
for the many gifts that he has shared with people
around the country and other places in the world.
Our deepest prayer is that as Fr. Pat rests gently
in the loving embrace of God, he hears the words of
his Master today: "Well done good and faithful
servant. You were faithful in small matters, I will
now give you great responsibilities. Come and share
your Master's joy."
Fr. Brennan was to present two workshops at
Congress. His scheduled sessions:
Session 1-02: The New Evangelization (*) will be
presented by Fr. David Loftus
Session 5-06: Communio (*) will be presented by Bill
Huebsch
Go to the Congress Speakers page
HOTELS
 Don't
forget to make your travel arrangements now for the
2014 Los Angeles Religious Education Congress. We
have secured special rates for Congress attendees at
a number of hotels with pricing to meet everyone's
needs. Make sure when making your reservations you
mention the
Religious Education Congress so that you receive
our special rate.
See the RECongress Hotels Page
SPECIAL DISNEY OFFER
 Congress
attendees are able to pre-order specially
priced Disneyland Resort Tickets. Find specials on
tickets to Disneyland and Disney California
Adventure, with special pricing on evening passes
and on single- and multi-day passes for both
Disneyland Resort parks. This offer is only
available online, beginning Tuesday, January 7,
2014, at www.disneyconventionear.com/ZMRC14A. Tickets are valid
March 7-18, 2014. See information and notes on our Updates page.
Go to our RECongress Channel
on Youtube
JUST FOR SOUTHERN CALIFORNIANS
 Ralphs
Grocery Company, a major supermarket chain in the
Southern California area, supports schools, churches
and other non-profit organizations with annual
contributions. The Los Angeles Religious Education
Congress is a member of Ralphs Community
Contributions Program. Simply by using your Ralphs
rewards Card a portion of eligible purchases are
contributed to the RECongress. This is an annual
program that must be renewed each year. The current
term runs from September 1, 2013 through August 31,
2014!
If you were part of the program last year, we thank
you, but everyone needs to re-enroll each year. We
encourage all Ralphs shoppers to sign up for the
free Ralphs rewards Card and register their card
with the Community Contributions Program. It’s easy!
Every time you shop for groceries and scan your card
at Ralphs, RECongress will automatically earn up to
5% of all eligible purchases per enrolled card. Sign
up now! It’s never been easier to contribute to the
RECongress.
Organization Name:
Archdiocese of Los Angeles - Religious Education
Organization Number:
90658
Find step-by-step instructions and information
online.
See the RECongress Ralphs page
RECONGRESS.ORG
You can find all Congress information and updates
online. We have posted all the speakers and
workshops, along with ways to find workshops by
topic.
Check our site for updates and announcements.
archive.recongress.org
EMAILING
Be sure to sign-up for this twice-a-month Emailing
about Congress updates and events. You may opt out
from the Congress Emailing at any time from the link
below. Our Emailings for Congress 2014 are scheduled
only through April 2014.
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