RECongress 2005 - Period 2: Friday, February 18, 2005

CONGRESS 2005 WORKSHOPS & LINKS
THURSDAY	• Youth Day Schedule • Youth Day Workshops
FRIDAY: SATURDAY: SUNDAY:	• Period 1 • Period 2 • Period 3 WORKSHOPS • Period 4 • Period 5 • Period 6 • Period 7 • Period 8
EN ESPAÑOL VIERNES: SÁBADO: DOMINGO:	• Sesión 1 • Sesión 2 • Sesión 3 TALLERES • Sesión 4 • Sesión 5 • Sesión 6 • Sesión 7 • Sesión 8
2005 FEATURES	• Schedule • Speakers • Statistics • Youth Day • Registration Guidebook • Hotels • Theme Reflections • Comments • Exhibitor Listing • Exhibitor Categories
SEE PHOTOS FROM CONGRESS 2005

Making the shift from child-centered religious education to whole community catechesis can be an exciting and life-giving process. Explore elements that work together to draw everyone into a deeper relationship with Christ and growth in faith that transforms individuals and the entire community.

Leisa Anslinger is the Pastoral Associate for Faith Formation at Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Cincinnati. A speaker at catechetical and liturgical conferences and diocesan gatherings, Anslinger regularly shares her experiences through articles in catechetical ministerial publications. She is also co-author of an implementation guide for whole community catechesis entitled, “Here Comes Everybody!”

2-02 Gangs, Jesus and Kinship: Standing with the Demonized Until the Demonizing Stops (workshop closed)

This workshop will deal with Jesus as a model of ministry in accompanying gang members, those detained, and those returning to the streets from detention facilities. This workshop tries to imagine, with Jesus, God’s own circle of compassion and the building of a community of kinship, such that God might recognize it.

Jesuit Fr. Greg Boyle is founder and Executive Director of Jobs For a Future/Homeboy Industries, an employment referral center and economic development program. Former Pastor of Dolores Mission from 1986-92 and a nationally renowned speaker at conferences for teachers, social workers and criminal justice workers, Fr. Boyle focuses on the importance of adult attention, guidance and unconditional love in preventing youth from joining gangs.

Jim Collins’ best‑seller “Good to Great” warns against the complacency that sets in when any organization thinks of itself as good. The challenge for any organization that wants to be viable and grow is to stretch for greatness. This workshop will apply some of Collins’ wisdom to parish settings and issues. The qualities needed in both professional and volunteer leaders will be analyzed. The importance of a pastoral discipline and long‑term resolve and commitment in moving toward being a great organization will likewise be analyzed. Participants will be given specific suggestions on how to break out of complacency into a greater passion for greatness.

How might the community and the catechist engage in effective missionary outreach to those who have not heard the message of Christ, who live in indifference to it, or who are drifting away from the life of the Gospel? How might we deepen the relationship through initiatory catechesis, and sustain it through pastoral activity? This workshop will offer practical approaches, models and projects for accompanying faith at different stages of evangelization, taken from the “General Directory for Catechesis.”

Dr. Joanne Chafe is both Director of the National Office of Religious Education and Chairperson for the National Advisory Committee on Adult Catechesis for the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops. She also serves as President of the International Forum on Adult Religious Education. Chafe holds a doctorate in adult and continuing education and master’s degrees in theology and religious education.

This workshop will deal with the outcomes of clergy sexual abuse in the United States since publication of the reports from the National Review Board for the Protection of Children & Young People and the studies conducted by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Emphasis will be placed on where we are now in this crisis and what have we learned.

Fr. Gerald Coleman served for 16 years as President/Rector of St. Patrick’s Seminary and University in Menlo Park, Calif., and is currently on sabbatical at the Carmelite Monastery in Carmel, Calif. He is a member of the Catholic Theological Society of America. Fr. Coleman is author of a number of books in the areas of moral and pastoral theology as well as medical ethics.

We live in a nation that is increasingly challenged about losing its “moral compass.” We also live in a Church with many leaders whose pronouncements are increasingly disparaged and/or discounted. In the past, such a climate has given rise to prophetic voices. Are we ready for them today?

Fr. Michael Crosby gives retreats and parish missions across the United States and Canada and lectures throughout North America and the English-speaking world. He also advises Catholic investors on how they can bring their moral principles into the marketplace. Fr. Crosby is author of “Rethinking Celibacy, Reclaiming the Church” and “Can Religious Life Be Prophetic?”

2-07 Forty Years After Vatican II: A Report Card on the Church (workshop closed)

In 2005 we celebrate the 40th anniversary of the close of the Second Vatican Council. This workshop will assess how well the Church has implemented the teachings of the Council, highlighting both areas of success and areas that remain important challenges for the Church today.

Dr. Richard Gaillardetz is the Margaret and Thomas Murray/James J. Bacik Professor of Catholic Studies at the University of Toledo in Ohio. He has published numerous articles and authored or edited six books. Dr. Gaillardetz is an official delegate on the U.S. Catholic‑Methodist Ecumenical Dialogue and a theological consultant for several committees of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

2-08 Increase Our Faith: Music, Liturgy and Prayer in Whole Community Catechesis

This session will truly be a celebration of how liturgy, prayer and music play a vital role in formation and catechesis – in the parish and school, with children and adults. How does music and prayer blend into the content of catechesis and help release powerful faith‑sharing? Models and practical resources of music and rituals will be presented for both those with musical talent and those less musically inclined. Come ready to get lots of practical help and resources, but also to take some time to pray, celebrate, sing, be nourished and increase our faith.

David Haas is from Eagan, Minn., where he is Director of The Emmaus Center for Music, Prayer and Ministry. He also serves as Campus Minister/Artist In Residence at Benilde‑St. Margaret’s High School in nearby St. Louis Park. A composer of over 40 collections of music, Haas is active as a musician, keynote speaker, author, consultant and recording artist. He has traveled around the world presenting workshops, concerts and retreats.

This workshop will explore the building blocks for a spirituality of the laity as found in the major documents of the Second Vatican Council. Insights into the identity and role of the laity in the Church and in the world will be offered. Key themes will include laity as equal members, active participants and heralds of mission.

Aurelie Hagstrom is Associate Professor of Theology and Chair of the Department of Theology/Philosophy at the University of St. Francis in Joliet, Ill., where she has taught since 1992. She also teaches in the Permanent Deaconate Formation Program for the Joliet Diocese and serves as a theological consultant to the National Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on the Laity. She is author of “The Concepts of Vocation and Mission of the Laity.”

A major challenge for all Catholics today is the growing diversity of the Church itself. How do we respond to people and cultures unlike our own with whom we now share not just a building but also a faith. Dr. Diana Hayes will address the challenges facing black Catholics especially and how we can be welcoming without losing our own unique identity.

Diana Hayes is a Professor of Systematic Theology at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. In 2003 she received a Womanist Sabbatical Year Grant from the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, where she did research in womanist theology. Author of five books and numerous articles, Dr. Hayes has lectured throughout the United States, Africa and Europe.

2-11 “The Last Shall Be First”: The Major Importance of Minor Biblical Characters for Our World (workshop closed)

Studying biblical characters also builds character in us. When we turn our attention to minor characters, we encounter the nameless, the silent, and the background characters who often play crucial roles in advancing the revelatory power of the text. Grappling with the broadest range of characters grants us urgently needed insights into the many and different “others”’ who make up both the biblical world and our own. If we ignore or read past such characters, we do so at our own peril!

Have you ever said, “We only have a month. What are we going to do for our program?” Around every corner there’s another event to prepare for. Why not have a musical program that not only reinforces the importance of Christian education but also enhances your students’ exposure to the world of music and movement? Whether it’s Mother’s Day, graduation, Christmas or Easter, we’ll help you prepare with simple songs, motions and ideas that are sure to leave “fingerprints” on the heart. We will provide you with hands-on tools and ideas to help eliminate your stress!

Celebrating 25 years of family music ministry, Mary Rice Hopkins is a family/children’s recording artist, author and resource provider. She was keynote for the Association of Christian Schools International, has lead seminars and worship, and has performed in concert at Christian ministry conventions and churches both in the States and overseas. She has produced 20 albums of music and several videos, as well as spawning her own record label.

Icons are one of the ways in which the Church has traditionally proclaimed the Word of God, using images as well as text to do so. As such they provide a powerful focal point both for prayer and catechesis. We will bring the resources of lectio divina (prayerful reading or study), Scripture and music to the sacred “text” of the icon, especially the icon of the Transfiguration, which we celebrate on the Second Sunday of Lent.

Bob Hurd is a composer, liturgist and teacher. He is currently teaching at St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park, Calif., and assists with liturgy and music at the San Jose Cathedral. Over a 10 year period, Hurd and Anawim recorded some of this country’s most popular and widely used worship music. He is joined by his friends and collaborators of many years, Anawim (Barbara Bridge, John Gilb, Marie Hodgson and Dominic MacAller).

Charles Rohrbacher has been an icon painter for over 20 years. He initially studied with the Orthodox iconographer Dmitri Shkolnik and since 1992 has been a student of the Byzantine Catholic inconographer Jesuit Fr. Egon Sendler of the Centre d’Etudes Russes in Paris. Rohrbacher is presently Director of Religious Education for the Cathedral of the Nativity of Mary in Juneau, Ala.

Scripture comes alive when proclaimed with imagination. Religious educators can bring energy, joy and life‑giving fun to their work with Scripture and liturgical celebration. We’ll focus on how drama, movement and storytelling can be used at any educational level (in worship or the classroom) to proclaim and study Scripture. And we’ll learn to script Bible stories. Watch and participate, you’ll learn to make work with Scripture more fun and fulfilling for you and your students.

Nancy Seitz Marcheschi and Graziano Marcheschi, directors of the Anawim Players, have used performing arts for over 20 years at workshops, eucharistic liturgies, prayer services and conferences, both in their local Chicago area and across the country. Currently, Nancy is a liturgist and performing arts teacher at Pope John XXIII School in Illinois. Graz is Director of Lay Ministry Formation for the Chicago Archdiocese and hosts a local TV show. Together, they teach at the Institute of Pastoral Studies of Loyola University, Chicago.

Are Catholic devotions staging a comeback and speaking in surprising new ways to younger Catholics? Or are they simply a superstitious remnant of an outdated Church? Fr. James Martin will lead a candid discussion about the possibilities and pitfalls of devotional practices that often divide modern American Catholics – among them, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, the Rosary, the Sacred Heart, veneration of Mary and the saints, novenas and even relics. Practical applications for parish groups and individual Catholics will be offered.

Jesuit priest James Martin is an Associate Editor of America magazine. He is author of a number of books, including “In Good Company: The Fast Track from the Corporate World to Poverty, Chastity and Obedience.” His most recent book is an edited collection entitled “Awake My Soul: Contemporary Catholics on Traditional Devotions.” He travels to parishes, and Catholic colleges and universities giving lectures and retreats.

2-16 Showers of Blessings: The Genius of Black African‑American Worship for the Church in the United States (workshop closed)

As we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the U.S. Conference of Catholic bishops’ document, “Brothers and Sisters to Us,” it may do us well to consider once again the genius of the Black African‑American religious experience. Here is a people steeped in mercy and reconciliation, community and joy, preaching and prayer, and music that is certainly a balm for more than the sin‑sick soul. This workshop hopes to clear the clouds so that the blessings of the Black African‑American spirituality and worship style may shower upon the Church in the United States and bear rich fruit to God’s greater glory and the mutual building up of all.

Fr. J‑Glenn Murray, a member of the Maryland Province of Jesuits, was the principal drafter of the U.S. bishops’ document, “Plenty Good Room.” He taught and was Vice Principal at St. Frances Academy, the oldest black Catholic high school in the Western Hemisphere, and currently teaches at two seminaries and lectures widely in the areas of liturgy and culture. Fr. Murray is Director for the Office of Pastoral Liturgy in the Cleveland Diocese.

Our notion of God has become predictable and dull. We live in a time of great confusion, anxiety and deep spiritual hunger. Now more than ever, we need a concept of God that is equal to our questions and hauntings. In this session we will explore the danger, wildness and wonder of God. We will draw on the mystical and poetic traditions to sketch the contours of the Divine. According to Hegel: God is dead. We will attempt to clear off some of the institutional and spiritual debris that have choked our notion of God and attempt to retrieve the invitation to faith as a true adventure of senses, mind and heart.

John O’Donohue is a poet, priest, philosopher and scholar from Conamara, Ireland. The storyteller, teacher and acclaimed prolific author is a popular seminar lecturer and speaker at major conferences throughout the United States and Europe. “Echoes of Memory” was his first collection of poetry published in 1994; his most recent book is “Beauty: The Invisible Embrace.”

This workshop will focus on the need of junior-high students to be actively engaged in reflection upon a life of discipleship. Through exploring the world of religious imagination we will discover creative methodologies that help to form the minds and hearts of Catholic youth.

JoAnn Paradise is Director of Parish Ministerial Life and Spiritual Formation at St. John Capistran Church, and a Master Catechist for the Pittsburgh Diocese. She is also a textbook collaborator and national consultant for William H. Sadlier. With 30 years as a religious educator, Paradise presents keynotes and workshops on Catholic values of human sexuality, classroom management skills, spirituality and moral issues.

Effective youth ministry programs are not an exact science but neither are they Holy Grail hidden in the Bermuda Triangle. This workshop will highlight factors that need to be included along the way for strong youth ministry.

Mike Patin uses energy, humor and stories in his speaking engagements in 45 dioceses to groups of 10 to 10,000. Since 1984 he has worked with teenagers and adults in a variety of settings as a high school religion teacher, campus minister and assistant coach. He served in the CYO/Youth & Young Adult Ministry Office of the New Orleans Archdiocese for 12 years. He currently travels across the country as a ministry consultant and speaker.

This session will seek to recapture the beauty of the Eucharist. We do few things more often than celebrate the Eucharist, but it must not become a trite, commonplace or dull routine. Here are some riveting lessons about Communion, beauty, sacrifice and feasting.

Theologian and author Fr. Erik Riechers, a member of the Society of the Catholic Apostolate (Pallottine Fathers), is Director of the Pallottine Faith Enrichment Centre in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada. He is also a member of the Pallottine General Secretariat on Apostolate in Rome. He has presented lectures, workshops, seminars, retreats and parish missions internationally.

This session will offer a summary of the major themes in Richard Rohr’s new “groundbreaking” book on the essential messages of worldwide religion – before religion became organized and clearly verbalized. This talk is for both men and women, but might be especially important for young men and for those who are educating them. There are some perennial patterns whereby we get “Adam” back to the garden, to his origins, his soul, and himself. It might well be a recipe for a rediscovery of Jesus and the Gospels.

Richard Rohr is a Franciscan priest of the New Mexico Province. He founded both the New Jerusalem Community in Cincinnati and the Center for Action and Contemplation in Albuquerque, N.M., where he currently lives. He divides his time between local work and preaching and teaching around the world. He is a regular contributing editor/writer for Sojourners magazine and has produced numerous books, audio and videotapes.

2-22 A Community of Learners: Biblical Images of the Church in Matthew’s Gospel (workshop closed)

Throughout all the Sundays of this liturgical year, the church listens to the Gospel of Matthew. Traditionally known as the “church” Gospel, Matthew captures the reality of the church in both its inspired and very human dimensions. This workshop will describe the rich and challenging images of church in Matthew’s Gospel and make connections to our contemporary experience as Christians in community.

Donald Senior, a member of the Passionist Congregation, is President of the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, where he is also Professor of New Testament. A frequent speaker throughout the United States and abroad, Fr. Senior has published extensively on biblical topics, with numerous books and articles for both scholarly and general audiences. In 2001, Pope John Paul II appointed him a member of the Pontifical Biblical Commission.

The Bible is filled with stories of people who, in the daily routine of life, quite unexpectedly realize they are “standing on holy ground.” God’s Grace does indeed show up in the most unlikely places! In this workshop we will look anew at some biblical stories and look anew at some stories of our own. We will weave our stories through theirs and we will begin to cultivate the ability to recognize Grace in unlikely places to heighten our awareness of the interior movements of God’s Spirit.

Dr. Judy Yates Siker is Assistant Professor of New Testament at the American Baptist Seminary of the West in Berkeley, Calif. She is also on staff at the Graduate Theological Union, where she teaches graduate courses in New Testament and Greek. An ordained Presbyterian minister, she teaches and preaches widely in churches in the Presbytery of the Pacific and parishes in the Los Angeles Archdiocese, as well as regional and national gatherings.

Laughter: Lightens the load; Avoids negativity; Unites; Glues people together; Heals; Tickles the soul; Energizes and exercises; Restores health to the mind, body and soul. We will look at ways to keep the laughter in our daily life and will then opt to live more fully each moment. These “Grace” moments help us be with holy people.

Anne Smollin, a Sister of St. Joseph, is a therapist and group facilitator, lecturer and consultant. She is currently Executive Director of Counseling for Laity, based in Albany, N.Y. The former elementary school teacher lectures extensively throughout the United States, Hawaii, Ireland and Canada speaking to religious communities, conventions and businesses. She is also author of two books.

In this session Pam Stenzel will demonstrate how to effectively communicate the message of chastity. She will reveal statistics and practical information regarding sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) that should be shared with teens.

Pam Stenzel’s career as a speaker stems from years of counseling young girls with crisis pregnancies. She is founder of Enlighten Communications, Inc., which empowers parents, youth leaders and educators to lead informed discussions on sexual abstinence and the benefits it produces. Stenzel travels both domestically and internationally, and has been a guest on numerous national TV and radio programs.

How is “Grace” embodied? The expression of God’s Spirit moving through the body in the Grace of the dance can enable us to “see” Grace working. Whether you feel “graceful” or “graceless” this workshop offers simple movements to help you “awake to grace.”

Fr. Bob VerEecke has served for 15 years as Pastor of St. Ignatius Church in Chestnut Hill, Mass. He is also Jesuit Artist-in-Residence at Boston College and Director of the Boston Liturgical Dance Ensemble. He has worked in the field of sacred and liturgical dance for 30 years and has lectured and presented workshops in the United States, Canada, Australia and England.

Jamie Huggins received his formal dance training from the Joffrey Ballet School in New York. He has danced with the Louisville Ballet, the Berkshire Ballet, the New England Ballet, Ballet Theater of Boston, Boston Dance Collective, Impulse Dance Company, and the Roxy Dancers. He is currently the Associate Artistic Director of the Boston Liturgical Dance Ensemble, where he has danced since 1984.

We will explore ways to wake up a sleepy assembly by invigorating the music they already know and by careful introduction of new music. Come and sing new music “hot off the press” and find out how to sing old music in new ways!

Internationally known lecturer, composer and liturgical musician, Chris Walker is Director of Music at St. Paul the Apostle Church in Westwood, Calif. He has composed for all types of liturgical celebrations, especially children’s music for Liturgy. His latest works include “The Passion of St. John,” “The Children’s Way of the Cross,” and “Christ We Proclaim,” a music resource for RCIA.

This workshop will break new ground on the impact of mass media on children, families and communities. Dr. David Walsh will combine the latest discoveries in the field of brain research with empirical data to show how and why mass media are so powerful in shaping attitudes, values and behavior. Particular attention will be paid to the impact of media on the “culture of disrespect.” The influence of media is one of the greatest challenges facing religious leaders today. Dr. Walsh will offer a concrete plan for change and explain why it is imperative to address the role of media in the lives of believers.

Dr. David Walsh is founder and President of the National Institute on Media and the Family, based in Minneapolis. As one of the leading authorities in North America on the psychology of adolescence, Dr. Walsh is a frequent guest on television and on national media. The award-winning psychologist is author of eight books; his most recent book is entitled, “Why Do They Act That Way? A Survival Guide to the Adolescent Brain.”

Inspired by Scripture and tradition, let us return to five key principles of catechesis. Being aware of the central, simple and basic principles gives us courage to act more confidently and plan more imaginatively. We will explore what gives life to the message and what it means to awaken hearts and minds. This back-to-basics session will be crammed with fresh ideas that will encourage you to enjoy communicating what you believe to children, young people and adults!

David Wells is Director of Formation for the Diocese of Plymouth, England. Previously, he served as Director of Adult Religious Education for the Diocese of Nottingham, England. His speaking engagements have taken him throughout the United Kingdom, Europe, Canada and the United States. Wells, who is also an author, has appeared at conferences on themes of catechesis and evangelization and has appeared on several Canadian TV broadcasts.

Singers/songwriters Mike Stanley and Joanne Boyce – together known as CJM Music – work in the United Kingdom as music and workshop leaders with youth in school and parish settings. Mike worked as a teacher and youth leader for many years. Jo became Music Director of Soli House in Stratford-upon-Avon, where Mike eventually worked as a music coordinator; they partnered professionally in 1996.

Char Wenc will take away some of the mystery regarding why our children behave the way they do, why all children in a family are so different, and what to do about it. This fast‑moving session will delight you with practical information that you can use immediately.

Char Wenc is a nationally recognized speaker and educational consultant to school districts, the medical and business communities, and other educational associations in the United States. She has served as a classroom teacher, clinical counselor and graduate school professor. Wenc is author of two books: “Parenting – Are We Having Fun Yet?” and “Cooperation – Learning Through Laughter.”

2005 PERIOD 2

Religious Education Congress
Friday, February 18, 2005
1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.

2005 PERIOD 2

Religious Education Congress Friday, February 18, 2005 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Religious Education Congress
Friday, February 18, 2005
1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.