John L. Allen Jr.

In both the sex abuse crisis and the war in Iraq the Vatican and the United States often found themselves struggling to understand one another. This session will explore these misunderstandings and seek to provide a common language for conversation.

Relationships are one of our best insights into God. Using the Greatest Commandment as a foundation, this workshop will touch on the moral, as well as the practical, dimensions necessary for healthy, enduring, supportive relationships with the people in our lives.

The remarkable power of the Passover and Exodus experience of Israel became the dominating pattern of all Old Testament religious insight, in the Psalms and prophets, the historical narratives and wisdom. It also became both the instrument of Jesus’ new community and the basic pattern by which the early church made sense of the death and resurrection of Jesus and His life with us still. The links between them all are monumental.

How can music assist in the faith development, knowledge and spiritual formation of children? Using songs, this session will demonstrate practical ways of weaving music, Scripture and movement into teachable moments with children. These songs are suitable for children at the elementary level. Come ready to sing, move and celebrate!

There are several moments where music can become integral to the Communion Rite. How do we make the ritual action flow in the most effective and natural way? What does the new "General Instruction of the Roman Missal" (GIRM) say? What are the most common musical and pastoral challenges? (Musical examples throughout.)

"The desire for union with God is already its beginning," says St. John of the Cross. Go to that place in your deepest self to find your true spirituality ... go to your passions to find out who you really are! In the "Mystical Journey of the Mind to God," St. Bonaventure urges us to find our answers "in the longing of will, not in the understanding; in the sighs of prayer, not in research ... seek the bridegroom, not the teacher." As St. Francis said: "This is what I want, this is what I want with all my heart!" What do you really want?

For more than two decades, the AIDS pandemic has burdened humankind and challenged people to find effective and creative resources. The Gospel provides food for this long journey and Gospel stories are continuing to be written by people infected and affected by HIV/AIDS to enrich the Church with examples of faith, hope and healing love. This session will both present and invite the sharing of stories for companions on the journey.

Individuals and families who live with mental illness are painfully familiar with the social stigma that they must continually face in our culture. Unfortunately, their sense of isolation is often intensified by a similar "spiritual stereotyping" in their religious traditions. This workshop reflects on a spirituality of healing, and explores the practical steps that parish communities can take to respond more compassionately to those who struggle with emotional anguish.

Lectio Divina is a Christian way of praying through Scripture, experience or nature. It is a form that we can learn to pray always.

The vision for Christian formation that the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) puts forward is rooted in an apprenticeship model. In this session you will discover ways to align your initiation ministry more closely to the vision of the rite.

The "General Directory for Catechesis" has inspired us with a whole new way of approaching sacramental catechesis in the Church: "Catechumenal formation should inspire the other forms of catechesis in both their objectives and dynamism" [#59]. This workshop will provide a new context for doing sacramental preparation for Confirmation that renews the entire parish community, is liturgically based, promotes harmony vs. fragmentation, and promotes a "conversion" catechesis for Confirmation that leads to transformation of the person.

Lessons from the garden will become insights for the catechetical leader as we explore our role in today’s church.

What do we really know about the lives and roles of women in Scripture – since most of their stories have been told by men? This workshop will look at women in the New Testament and how their lives continue to impact women and men in the Church today.

We are bombarded endlessly by advertisements about the life we should have. But the good life is not about stuff. The good life is about practicing the sacrament of the blessed present, about cherishing and wanting what we already hold. In this workshop Terry Hershey talks about the sacred necessities to embrace this good life: finding and cherishing sacred space for restoration and replenishment; paying attention to the little gifts; the freedom to sit still and revel in the "unproductive"; and the freedom to live wrapped in the exuberance of grace.

How can peacemaking concepts teach kids forgiveness instead of revenge? How can we help move them beyond the pain, anger and grief toward forgiveness and healing?

What makes service a vital element to any successful youth ministry program? What service projects are available for Catholic youth? How do I do my own? What do the Church documents say about service? Come and see!

An examination of the common roots of the three major monotheistic religions of the world, this presentation will explore ways in which Christians can better understand Islam as a faith which is not as totally "other" as one might initially think.

This session will examine the very practical implications of "communion ecclesiology." That is, how do we create and maintain authentic communities that offer direction, meaning, purpose and hope to average people in their everyday lives?

This workshop will explore the Gospel call to social reconciliation and relate it to contemporary social, cultural and ethical issues.

A theology of the Liturgy of the Hours reveals the riches of the tradition of prayer in the Church. At the same time, it provides the faithful with a spirituality at once deeply personal and intensely ecclesial. The Eucharist emerges as the sacramental, mysterious and contemplative link between the Church at prayer and the Church at worship.

When the new "third typical edition" of the Roman Missal was published in Latin in 2002, its GIRM ("General Instruction on the Roman Missal") included new guidelines governing the reception and ministries involved in the Rite of Holy Communion at Mass. In this workshop we will first take a look at the history and meaning of Communion as the "ultimate act of participation" in the Eucharist; we will then look at the new guidelines and the way these shape our pastoral practice.

We find ourselves becoming more afraid, allowing outside images to enter and disturb us. We become evicted from our hearts and the ground around us becomes thin and shaky. In this session we will explore our inner ground, what Meister Eckhart describes as "that place in the soul where neither time nor flesh nor any created thing can touch." This is our inner sanctuary where tranquility and love dwell. Each of us has that special sanctuary within. Love is the force that transfigures fear and unearths the concealed treasure at the heart of anxiety.

Our liturgy demands us to sing, and so do our religious education sessions. Come learn music that sings the themes of religious education. Learn how music is more than just words and notes but are experiences of faith and belief, challenge yourself to find your voice and sing the songs of liturgy in every religious education gathering, help form our assemblies to become better at what they do.

Spiritual traditions contain crafted stories meant to evoke spirit and introduce people into the subtle dynamics of the spiritual life. Although the stories are historically conditioned, rife with the assumptions and conflicts of the times in which they were written, they are still able to illumine our minds and inspire our wills. We will tell some of these stories and explore how they can be integrated into preaching and teaching.

This is a simple story integrated with compelling visuals – the story of an average parish in South Pasadena, Calif., reaching beyond its boundaries and entering into partnership with the poor of Haiti. No one expected what happened. No one dreamed how many lives would be changed. No one foresaw a revitalized parish. Is it for you?

Come experience the Vietnamese world of sacred dance, devotional chants, songs and stories. Bro. Rufino Zaragoza will narrate the festivals and celebrations of the Vietnamese community as presented by the San Jose La Sallian Youth. Learn how Holy Week celebrations, Marian devotions, stories of the saints, and cultural events have been incultured in ways that engage both youth and the larger faith community.