RECongress 2009 - Period 4: Saturday, February 28, 2009

CONGRESS 2009 WORKSHOPS & LINKS
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4-01 Gifted: A Process for Discovering Gifts in Parishioners and Ministry in General

This session will explore a process for helping disciples discern both needs around them and gifts within them, and then marry the two in ministry. Practical insights will be shared on how to engage in various levels of training and formation for ministry after discernment of gifts and needs.

Here is an opportunity to unfold the love of praying to God through song! Come experience the joy of igniting the fire shut up deep down in your bones! Good Ground will lead this journey, and is comprised of Richard Cheri, Kenneth Louis, Jalonda Robertson, W. Clifford Petty, Jennifer Broyard-Bonam and Timothy Jones Jr.

Richard Cheri is adjunct Professor of Mathematics at Loyola University in New Orleans, adjunct Professor of Theology at Notre Dame Seminary, and on the faculty at the Institute for Black Catholic Studies at Xavier University of Louisiana. He presently teaches mathematics at Destrehan High School in Destrehan, La. Cheri also serves as the Director of Liturgy and Music at Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, and as Coordinating Director of the New Orleans Archdiocese Gospel Choir.

Richard Cheri has been the principal director of the New Orleans Archdiocese Mass Gospel Choir, which sang in 1992 for the National Black Catholic Congress in New Orleans. In the ensuing years, Cheri has worked alongside Jalonda Robertson, Timothy Jones Jr. and Jennifer Broyard-Bonam. With the musical contributions of Kenneth W. Louis, W. Clifford Petty, and Cheri’s young son, Richie, this team of liturgical music ministers has given workshops and provided music at conferences throughout the United States.

One of the central themes of the Bible is justice. This workshop explores this concept in both the Old and New Testaments, and shows how the biblical text can offer a rich and deep vision for justice, particularly social justice, in our world today. Connections will be made to Catholic social teaching and recent pastoral letters. The topic of violence and justice in the Bible will be addressed, as well as the role that justice plays in compassion and the search for peace both personally and globally.

4-04 “Help! Our Young Adults Are Missing!” Effective Strategies for Young Adult Ministry (Workshop Closed)

It’s no secret that many young adults – people in their 20s and 30s, married and single – are “missing in action” when it comes to attending Mass or participating in Catholic organizations and events. Yet that same group also possesses a deep spiritual hunger and wants to learn more about their Catholic faith. Kate DeVries will present effective strategies for finding and inviting young adults, supporting their spiritual journeys, offering adult faith formation, and ushering them into greater participation in the life of Catholic parishes and organizations.

Kate DeVries began her role as Associate Director of the Young Adult Ministry Office for the Chicago Archdiocese in 1988. Prior to that, she was a special education teacher of high school and junior high students with behavior disorders and learning disabilities. DeVries with Fr. John Cusick are co-authors of “The Basic Guide to Young Adult Ministry,” and co-host a monthly radio program, “The Light Show,” highlighting the work of Young Adult Ministry in the Chicago Archdiocese.

In the parable of the talents, the Good Servant invested his talents and was prosperous. Jesus rewarded him generously. In this workshop, Dave Durand will help you identify your talents and show you how to invest in them as you live out your faith in everyday life. This presentation will help you see that God has a plan for you and that He has uniquely qualified you to carry it out. You will find peace and gratification in striving to turn your God-given talents into skills and strengths.

Dave Durand is a personal success coach and corporate consultant and trainer. The author and speaker has presented internationally to audiences ranging from Fortune 500 clients to professional associations and local parishes. His books and CDs have been translated in four languages. Durand is currently President of ProBalance, Inc. He is heard on the radio in 40 markets across the country and has published dozens of articles on business issues for several newspapers and magazines.

4-06 Catechesis: Learning to Say “Yes” and Live It (Workshop Closed)

Blessed Teresa of Calcutta said, “My prayer for you is that you come to understand and have the courage to answer Jesus’ call to you with the simple word ‘yes.’ ” We will explore the “yeses” of Scripture, tradition and contemporary Catholic life and the ways in which catechesis invites a “yes” and the many “yeses” that are a part of being a disciple of Jesus Christ today.

Dr. Carole Eipers is Vice President and Executive Director of Catechetics for William H. Sadlier, Inc. She served in parish ministries for over 20 years as a teacher, Director of Religious Education, youth minister and pastoral associate. Dr. Eipers was Director of the Chicago Archdiocese Office for Catechesis for nine years and also served as President of the National Conference of Catechetical Leadership. She has written and presented for national and international groups in the area of catechetics.

In this session Fr. Virgil Elizondo will lead us in an exploration of Jesus of Galilee – the one who shares in our sufferings, heals our wounds, and offers us hope for a new life.

Fr. Virgil Elizondo is one of the leading Latino theologians in the United States today. He is founder of the Mexican-American Cultural Center in San Antonio, where he was also former Rector of the San Fernando Cathedral. Fr. Elizondo is currently on the faculty of theology at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, and a visiting professor of theology at various major universities and pastoral institutes throughout the United States and abroad. His 12 books include “Galilean Journey,” “Guadalupe: Mother of the New Creation” and “The Way of the Cross.”

4-08 Musical Mysticism: Seven Great Ways to Use Music to Enrich Your Life of Prayer

In this session, Fr. Richard Fragomeni will lead us on an exploration of seven ways that music leads us into a relationship with God and the world. Come share a time of prayer and music, celebrate the harmony of the universe and a musical entry into the heart of God.

4-09 Getting Off on the ‘Rite’ Foot: Planning and Preparing for the First Sacraments

Mark Friedman takes an in-depth look at two of the first sacraments young people receive: reconciliation and Eucharist. Learn how to make these sacramental celebrations come alive for your students with prayerful rituals, new music and scriptural storytelling.

Mark Friedman is a religious educator, teacher, author and composer of religious music. A regular speaker at many national conferences including the Los Angeles Congress, he has given keynotes for many diocesan gatherings around the country and is a frequent contributor to Today’s Liturgy for Children. Friedman’s music is sung throughout the world and appears in many hymnals of various denominations and languages. In 2005, he was named National Catholic Music Educator of the Year.

“As I have done, so you must do”; “I sent you out to bear lasting fruit”; “you will do even greater things [than I],” said Jesus. But he was mostly addressing Palestinian Jews who could hear his words and watch his behavior as he called them to be disciples. True discipleship was about living fully. Yet not only has it often become privatized and spiritualized if not overlooked by many, but the world is vastly different today. We will consider two things: How we are all called to discipleship in our varied circumstances; and how this requires us to become truly involved with our world, as Jesus was with his.

Anthony Gittins began his missionary work (for eight years) in Sierra Leone, where he also did anthropological research. His subsequent work was in Kiribati and in Tanzania, as well as with homeless women in Chicago. Fr. Gittins, a member of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit, is Professor of Mission Theology at the Theological Union in Chicago, where he has taught since 1984. Author of nearly a dozen books, he has lectured and given workshops in more than 30 countries.

4-11 Prophetic Witness: Catholic Women’s Strategies for the Church (Workshop Closed)

Speaking from the forthcoming volume of the same name, Dr. Colleen Griffith, contributing editor of this anthology, raises the question, “ What does creative fidelity look like in challenging ecclesial time?” She offers responses in the shape of practical, concrete strategies of hope.

Dr. Colleen Griffith is Faculty Director of Spirituality Studies at Boston College’s Institute of Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry, where she is also an adjunct Associate Professor of Theology. In addition to her full-time teaching, Dr. Griffith directs and oversees the post-Master’s Certificate Program in the Practice of Spirituality. Dr. Griffith’s focus is on the intersection of theology and spirituality and her publications, public lectures and addresses reflect this intersection.

God built us with a need for rest. All work and no play makes us dull, listless and restless. We become time-driven and obsessed with productivity. With our internal governors set on “rush,” we have no time for reflection or for allowing the day to sink into our hearts. We need Sabbath. Sabbath is sanctuary. An invitation to stop. To pause. To re-fuel. In a world bombarded by time constraints and information overload, Terry Hershey teaches us how to live Sabbath moments. Living Sabbath moments is not about creating a life absent of stress. It’s about being present, in this life, even in the hectic and the crazy. We have the permission to see God incognito, in all things.

The Book of Revelation generates enormous interest in the Church and wider society. People wonder whether the book offers coded predictions about the future and whether it relates to current events in the Middle East and other parts of the world. These questions create an opportunity to explore it for ourselves. We will look at some of the current popular ideas about Revelation and the future of the world, and then take a look at the Book of Revelation itself. What we find in this last book of the Bible is an engaging encounter with God, the Lamb, and ourselves. It is a book that can be meaningful to Christians everywhere.

Craig Koester is Professor of New Testament at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minn., where he has taught since 1986. His many writings have focused on John’s Gospel, Revelation and Hebrews, and he has lectured widely to students, clergy and lay audiences. Koester is also a Pastor in the Lutheran Church as well as an Associate Editor of the Catholic Biblical Quarterly.

4-14 Off to College: The Journey from Inheritance to Ownership (Workshop Closed)

Each year a study of all incoming, beginning students in four-year institutions is published annually by the University of California, Los Angeles. It develops a national profile of these students that is revealing in every sense – to institutions, to families, and to the students themselves. What happens to young people when they leave home for school or move from undergraduate to graduate programs? In this session we will discuss what may be the most interesting and most important of all of these transitions: moral values. What have they inherited and what will the inheritance look like when ownership emerges?

After 13 years as Director of the Catholic Chaplaincy at Stanford University, Fr. Patrick LaBelle now directs the nearby Vallombrosa Retreat and Conference Center and is responsible for the Ongoing Formation of the Clergy for the San Francisco Archdiocese. A priest of the Western Dominican Province, Fr. LaBelle has been a religious superior for many years, has held several local, national and international church positions, and has taught at a number of West Coast universities.

Justice and service are integral to living a life of faith. Rooted in the theology of the sacrament of confirmation, this workshop will help participants infuse the concepts of justice and peace into their the confirmation preparation process and prepare confirmands for lives of justice.

Sean Lansing is Project Coordinator for Youth Ministry Services at the Center for Ministry Development, based in Milwaukee. Previously, he was Director of Youth Ministry for the Central City Catholic Parishes in Milwaukee. He has authored and contributed to “Ministry Resources for Justice and Service” and “Call to Faith – A Thematic Approach to Young Adolescent Catechesis.”

4-16 The World in Their Face: Where Does Faith Fit into MySpace, YouTube and Facebook? (Workshop Closed)

Our young people spend more time looking at small screens than they spend looking at trees, books and teachers combined. Many of them have friends they have never even met; their big stories are often online. What are the issues of which we need to be mindful in regard to this emerging technology and what can we do about it?

Praying in Color is an active and meditative prayer practice for the word-weary and fidgety pray-er. It is both a process and a product. The process uses pen, paper and markers to create a time of stillness and listening. The product is a prayer drawing or icon – a visual reminder to continue to pray throughout the day. Praying in Color is a prayer practice for adults and children aged 5 and older. Absolutely no artistic ability is necessary! This workshop is based on Sybil MacBeth’s book of the same title. (This is a repeat of Session 3-15.)

4-18 History and Development of Catholic Social Teaching on Racism (Workshop Closed)

Catholic social teaching has been called our “best kept secret,” and its teaching on racial justice is even less well known. This session looks at the major stages in the evolution of American bishops’ teaching on racial justice, and looks forward to future challenges and developments in this ever-present struggle.

Our God is one of rainbows, covenants, waters that refresh and bear life, arks to build so we can escape catastrophes, and a world filled with creatures and clouds galore that abide with us. It’s an unbelievable story yet one that promises a surprise ending to beat all endings: the Reign of God, the transformation of all that is and resurrection seeded in every living being. What sets us on fire? What stirs our hearts to courage and fear of the Lord? What turns us toward the telling of this story in the world that waits for hope? Come, let the Spirit drive you into the desert where people are made and promises come true. Come let the story burn and ignite your soul again!

4-20 Unfolding Your Love: Living the Eucharist in Daily Life (Workshop Closed)

In each and every celebration of the Eucharist, we are sent forth to unfold that wondrous love of Christ Jesus that is the Paschal Mystery – the salfivic dying and rising of the Lord. How does this love unfold? This workshop will explore how it unfolds in justice, in works of mercy, in evangelization, and in stewardship – all to God’s greater glory and the transformation of the world.

Participants in this workshop will explore approaches to culture from a theological perspective and reflect about how culture may be considered a window into the mystery of God in history. We will draw on the insights of various Latino Catholic theologians and other contemporary thinkers.

Dr. Hosffman Ospino teaches Pastoral Theology and Religious Education at Boston College, where he is also Director of the Hispanic Ministry graduate programs. Previously a director of Hispanic ministry at the parish level and a consultant for religious education at the diocesan level, he now presents lectures before audiences in Europe, North America and Latin America. Dr. Ospino’s research focuses on faith and culture and their impact on the processes of Christian education in the Church.

4-22 Mary of Nazareth: Birthing Hope for a New World Order (Workshop Closed)

This session is an exploration of the figure of Mary, the mother of Jesus (in Luke 1-2; John 2:1-11, 19:25-37; and Acts 1:14) as one who sings of revolutionary hope and helps birth a just and peaceful world, providing a model for contemporary disciples, both women and men.

Barbara Reid, a Dominican Sister of Grand Rapids, Mich., is Professor of New Testament Studies at the Catholic Theological Union (CTU) in Chicago, where she has taught for the past 20 years. She has led CTU’s Israel Study Programs and Retreats, and has even presented in Bolivia, Mexico, New Zealand, Australia and Ireland. Sr. Reid is author of many journal articles; her most recent book is “Taking Up the Cross: New Testament Interpretations Through Latina and Feminist Eyes.”

Sr. Kieran Sawyer will discuss the inter-relationship of character development and faith development in the lives of middle-school children and teens. She will show how to create classroom, school and youth group environments that promote both moral behavior and a deepening faith commitment. This session will include practical techniques for guiding the minds and hearts of young people and for teaching them to be responsible for their own moral growth and for the moral climate of their school, family and friendship groups.

In this session, together we will explore ways to ensure that our parish Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults process helps to fashion disciples of Jesus Christ. Presentation and dialogue will be used.

Jim Schellman is Executive Director of The North American Forum on the Catechumenate, an international network of pastoral ministers and theologians involved in the renewal of the catechumenate. He has worked for over 20 years in liturgical and ministerial formation as a writer, editor and presenter at the local, regional, national and international levels. Schellman formerly served as Associate Director for the International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL).

4-25 The Unintended Victims of the New Initiatives for Physician-Assisted Suicide: A Social Justice Response (Workshop Closed)

Several groups in California, Washington and other states are engaged in a series of campaigns to promote physician-assisted suicide. These state measures have huge numbers of unintended victims: Those who are socially marginalized, those without economic resources, persons with low self-esteem, persons who are reversibly and clinically depressed, and persons without caring families. We as Catholics need to be aware of who the victims are and how they can be protected before these initiatives create a condition of irreversible social injustice. Fr. Robert Spitzer will address these topics and present strategies that can be used to respond to them.

Do you recognize families as apprentices of Jesus learning to build the Kingdom of God here on earth? Are you willing to look with “new eyes” at God, families in Scripture and families today? You will leave this workshop with a “family perspective” to further Jesus’ work.

In this session, Jim Wallis will demonstrate how labels are less and less important as a new community and a new consensus is emerging. How increasingly more Christians from the old constituencies of Catholic, evangelical, mainline Protestant, black, Hispanic and Asian churches are finding each other. This new vision they are creating is pro-poor, pro-life, pro-family and pro-peace. Come see how their vision could change both churches and politics.

2009 RECongress Period 4

Religious Education Congress
Saturday, February 28, 2009
10:00 - 11:30 am

2009 RECongress Period 4

Religious Education Congress Saturday, February 28, 2009 10:00 - 11:30 am

Religious Education Congress
Saturday, February 28, 2009
10:00 - 11:30 am