RECongress 2010 - Period 3: Friday, March 19, 2010

CONGRESS 2010 WORKSHOPS & LINKS
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Belonging makes a difference, in our lives as individuals, and in the life of the parish community. Come, explore the value of belonging, and hear examples of the difference belonging is making in people’s lives and in parish communities; learn how "belonging leads to believing."

Leisa Anslinger brings extensive experience in parishes and schools to her ministry as an author and frequent presenter at conferences and in-service days on catechesis, pastoral leadership and stewardship. Based in Indianapolis, she is presently Director of Growing Up Catholic, a sacramental preparation source. Anslinger is a regular contributor to monthly publications and is also co-author of "Forming Generous Hearts: Stewardship Planning for Lifelong Faith Formation," with Vikki Shepp.

An effective and life-changing youth ministry program is much more than lemonade and lock-ins. It is time to dig deep beyond the surface in taking a good, hard look at our efforts. Is our ministry focused, intentional and fruitful? Do our programs and activities fit into an overall vision or are they just randomly thrown together? As a former city planner turned youth director, Bruce Baumann will help you analyze your ministry and how you can help build the City of God.

Bruce Baumann is currently the Director of Children’s and Youth Ministry at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in the Dallas suburb of Plano, Texas. He has been involved in professional faith formation ministry for 13 years. Baumann puts on presentations and workshops on a wide variety of topics with a special focus on training ministry leaders and retreats for youth, catechists, parents and youth commissions.

The story of Lazarus is a powerful proclamation of Christ’s invitation to abundant life. Come release the wrappings that hold us in death, and break open this transformative scriptural story through the arts of drama and dance. Come forth!

Betsey Beckman is a liturgical dancer, storyteller, spiritual director and retreat leader based in Seattle. With her extensive background in performance, movement therapy, ministry and InterPlay, she regularly appears as artist/presenter at national conventions and also directs the dance ministry at her home parish, St. Patrick. Beckman’s 2010 releases include the book, "Awakening the Creative Spirit" and the DVD, "The Dancing Word: Mary Magdalene."

When a pastor or any significant leader leaves a parish, there is pain and disorientation. This workshop will explore what to do – and not to do – in the process of parish transition. Turning a painful process into a kairos process of new life will be explored.

Fr. Patrick Brennan is a practicing psychotherapist and author of numerous books on spirituality, psychology and church renewal. He is currently Director of Mission Integration and Pastoral Care for The Clare at Water Tower Place in Chicago. Fr. Brennan also serves as President of the National Center for Evangelization and Parish Renewal, and a consultant and Sacramental Minister at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Naperville, Ill. He travels extensively as a consultant to parishes and church organizations.

It is not enough to teach our children about God. Today, more than ever, we need to provide them with opportunities that draw them into the experience of God with them in their daily reality. In this workshop Monica Brown and Hilary Musgrave will demonstrate – through Scripture storytelling, ritual, meditation, music and sacred clowning – how to nurture in our children a meaningful and intimate relationship with God.

Monica Brown, Director of Emmaus Ministries International, is based in Sydney, Australia. The internationally acclaimed Christian composer and workshop facilitator makes frequent visits to the United States, the United Kingdom and Ireland. Brown has composed and recorded 16 collections of songs for children, youth and adults, and has written and produced videos and other resources in the areas of liturgy and ritual.

Hilary Musgrave, a Religious Sister of Charity from Dublin, Ireland, is Director of the Croí-Ruah, Creative Spirituality Centre in Dublin. She formerly worked as a teacher, principal and Religious Education Advisor in the Dublin Diocese. Sr. Musgrave works throughout Ireland and many other parts of the world in the area of spirituality through facilitation, storytelling and sacred clowning.

People who teach youngsters are called and chosen. This presentation will explore that call and why it is important for catechists and youth ministers to understand and grow in their special vocation.

Sr. Carol Cimino, a Sister of St. Joseph of Rochester, is a National Consultant with William Sadlier Co. She has been a teacher, catechist and school administrator for over 40 years. Also an author, Sr. Cimino has 22 years on the national circuit, speaking at events including the National Catholic Educational Association and the Religious Education Congress.

Can men in the Bible speak wisdom to the men and women of today? Come and discover what men like Elijah, John the Baptist and Peter have to teach through their joys and hardships, through their human gifts and limitations. This workshop desires to help raise up spiritually mature men – elders for the present and future generations!

Fr. Jim Clarke is presently Director of Spiritual Formation and Chairman of the Spiritual Theology Department at St. John’s Seminary in Camarillo, Calif. He is also Associate Spiritual Director at the Cardinal Manning House of Prayer for Priests in Los Angeles. Fr. Clarke is a popular retreat director and conference speaker throughout the Southern California area and beyond.

Stephen Picha has served as Executive Director of the Center for Action and Contemplation in Albuquerque, N.M., for the past nine years. Building upon the work of the Center’s founder, Fr. Richard Rohr, Picha "birthed" and is Coordinator of a program for men called M.A.L.Es (Men as Learners and Elders). He serves as ritual elder and teacher in the Center’s Rites of Passage programs, as MC/ritual leader at their major conferences and as instructor for their internship classes.

3-08 The Common Priesthood: Why We Need the Ordained and Why the Ordained Need Us

Pope Benedict has declared June 19, 2009-2010 as the "Year for Priests." Dr. Paul Ford will discuss how every baptized person is a priest (and prophet and royalty), how we exercise this priesthood in our everyday lives, and how our everyday lives get connected to what Jesus our Priest does for us at Mass.

Dr. Paul Ford is Professor of Systematic Theology and Liturgy at St. John’s Seminary in Camarillo, Calif., where he has taught since 1988. His areas of focus are ecclesiology, spirituality, and music and liturgy, and he is an internationally recognized authority on the life and writings of C.S. Lewis. In 1995 Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony honored Dr. Ford with the Laudatus Award "for excellence in the promotion of the liturgical life of the parishes and the people of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles."

3-09 Celebrating the Second Baptism: Reclaiming the Power of the Sacrament of Reconciliation

Fr. Richard Fragomeni will examine the history, theology and practice of the sacrament of penance. Does this sacrament still have a place of power in our lives? Or are the short lines to our confessionals an indication that it has become obsolete?

In this session, Sr. Toni Lynn Gallagher will offer education and ways to integrate HIV information that will benefit teachers, students and parents to understand health perspectives as well as opportunities and ways to share this information with others. We all need to be aware of the global challenges that call for family involvement as a Gospel response to this pandemic.

Sr. Toni Lynn Gallagher has worked in the HIV/AIDS field as author, program director, curriculum reviewer and workshop facilitator since 1985. She presently is a member of the Fordham Group Educational Consultants and Coordinator of BRIDGES, a grief care program for children. Sr. Gallagher’s ministry for the past 25 years has included curriculums for elementary and secondary schools and parishes in many dioceses, articles, retreats and workshops for teacher/parent understanding of HIV.

Once upon a time being Christian meant that one was deeply committed to a theology of the cross. In a society that lives with a seeming fear of sobriety, the thought of embracing the cross is unfathomable. This session will address the believer’s interior conflict in living the Christian mandate to take up the cross, and the societal mandate to avoid pain at all cost. A contemporary exploration of the meaning of discipleship, suffering and witness will be offered. This session is recommended for those involved in evangelization, catechesis and spirituality.

Dr. Greer Gordon is the recently appointed Director for the Office of Evangelization for the Diocese of Baton Rouge, La. A Roman Catholic theologian, author and lecturer, she has been involved in university administration and has been on the faculty at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and at Regis College, both in Massachusetts. In 1995, Dr. Greer was the keynote speaker at the L.A. Religious Education Congress, and the first woman baccalaureate speaker at Boston University and Regis College.

3-12 High School-age Catechesis: Working with the Bishops’ Curriculum Framework

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops recently issued "a curriculum framework for the development of catechetical materials for young people of high school age." What is this framework, and how might it be implemented in Catholic schools and parish programs with good religious education and effective catechesis?

Dr. Tom Groome is Director for the Institute of Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry at Boston College. The award-winning author has written more than half a dozen books and over articles and essays. Dr. Groome has made over 500 public presentations over 25 years, including all the major North American conferences of religious educators, both Catholic and Protestant.

3-13 So What About the Young Adults? 10 Things Every Church Worker Should Know (workshop closed)

Young adults have a unique and diverse way of looking at the world. They are also incredibly absent from our pews that it is imperative to understand their lives and culture so we can minister and reach out to them effectively. This workshop will describe what makes the Millennials and Generation X-ers unique – and share 10 things every Catholic church worker today should know about them.

Paul Jarzembowski is Executive Director of the National Catholic Young Adult Ministry Association. He also serves as the Director of Young Adult Ministry for the Diocese of Joliet, Ill. Jarzembowski is an author, blogger and national speaker on issues related to the intersection of faith, film and popular culture today. He has presented at parish, diocesan, regional and national campus ministry/young adult conferences across the country, and has written articles for local and national ministry publications.

Do you realize how many different women appear in the Gospels, especially in Luke and John, and how many different roles they play? There are not only some notable "sinners," but also a wide variety of female relatives, friends and disciples of Jesus! Biblical women frequently function as exemplary role-models, especially Mary Magdalene ("the apostle to the Apostles"). This session will break down some common stereotypes, and help you to discover and appreciate the prominence and significance of the women characters in the Gospels.

Fr. Felix Just is Director of Biblical Education at the Loyola Institute for Spirituality in Orange, Calif., and the Academic Coordinator of the Lay Ecclesial Ministry Program and of the Deacon Formation Program for the Diocese of Las Vegas. Fr. Just has taught at Loyola Marymount University, the University of San Francisco, and Santa Clara University. He gives many biblically based lectures, workshops and retreats throughout the country, and maintains a Web site of Catholic resources.

Most people enjoy sports, at least watching it. It is one of the biggest industries in the country. It unites and divides. It provides role models for our young, and can set the youth agenda. For some, it is a religion. It is a mixed bag of the good, the bad and the ugly, but we ignore it – and its power – at the Gospel’s peril. What is sports in the media putting on our agenda and what is our Catholic response to it?

Jesuit priest Fr. Richard Leonard is Director of the Catholic Office for Film & Broadcasting, based in Melbourne, Australia. As a Visiting Professor, he has taught at the Gregorian University, at the University of California-Los Angeles, and at both the University of Melbourne and the Jesuit Theological College in Australia.

It is amazing what one dynamic Catholic can make happen. Twenty percent of the members of most parishes contribute 80 percent of the time, talent and treasure required to keep the parish alive. If we could engage just 10 percent more of our people in the same way it would be a game changer for our parishes. What do these dynamic Catholics have that others do not? How do they nurture their faith and community commitment? Can these things be taught to others? In this session Matthew Kelly will explore the five universal traits of dynamic Catholics and explain how we can nurture these traits in our own lives … and encourage others to adopt them.

Matthew Kelly was born in Sydney, Australia, where he began his lay ministry in 1993. Since that time his speaking engagements have taken him to more than 50 countries. He has written 12 books which have appeared best-seller lists and have been published in 25 languages. The majority of Kelly’s work today is speaking in the United States to students from primary schools through college, lay adults, priests and seminarians. He also leads numerous retreats each year, both in the United States and abroad.

What does the 500-year-old tradition of the spirituality of St. Ignatius Loyola and the Jesuits have to say to you today? Plenty! Discover how the time-honored wisdom, practices and insights of Ignatian spirituality can help you answer your questions about your relationship with God, your connection to family and friends, your work and ministry, decision-making, not to mention love, dealing with hardships, and how to be happy. And how to keep a sense of humor about it all!

Fr. James Martin is the Culture Editor for America magazine and award-winning author of "Mi Vida con los Santos" and a new book, "The Jesuit Guide to Almost Everything." Fr. Martin, a Jesuit priest, is a frequent commentator on religious affairs in national and international media, has written for The New York Times and Wall Street Journal and has appeared on all major networks and CNN, BBC and Radio Vatican.

As a teacher or catechist, how are you teaching like Jesus and being a lifelong learner? The heart of this workshop will be "The Art of Teaching the Faith" – no. 137 from the "General Directory for Catechesis."

Mariette Martineau is both student and freelance writer/trainer. She formerly was Project Coordinator for Family and Intergenerational Ministry at the Center for Ministry Development. She has presented workshops and institutes on lifelong faith formation and intergenerational ministry across the United States and Canada. Currently completing an intensive Bachelor of Education program, Martineau would like to continue her service through the ministry of Catholic schools.

3-19 Care and Treatment Decisions for Compromised Patients or Patients at the End of Life

In this workshop we will take a frank look at end-of-life care that calls for ethical decision-making and the distinction between proportionate and disproportionate interventions. This will include the basic understanding and context for discussing pain and suffering. An analysis of Pope John Paul II’s provision for artificial hydration and nutrition to persistent vegetative state patients will be provided as well as an explanation of the principle of "double effect," as it is found in the Catholic moral tradition and the American Medical Association Code of Ethics.

Sr. Helen Prejean, a Southern storyteller, will bring you along on a journey of working with the poor, which led her to prison ministry. She will share her many experiences over these 20 years, and tell of some of the people she has met along the way. Her travels have brought her all over the world, and her book, "Dead Man Walking," has been made into a movie, an opera and a play.

Sr. Helen Prejean has lived and worked in Louisiana all her life. In 1991, while working with inner-city residents, she began counseling death-row inmates, and later wrote a book about the experience, "Dead Man Walking." Since 1984, Sr. Prejean divides her time between campaigning against the death penalty and counseling individual death-row prisoners. She was instrumental in sparking national dialogue on the issue and in shaping the Catholic Church’s newly vigorous opposition to all state executions.

3-21 Praying, Playing and Growing in Faith: Creative Ideas for Working with Preschoolers (workshop closed)

This "hands-on" session will demonstrate strategies for engaging the interest and imagination of pre-K and kindergarten kids (ages 3, 4 and 5), and helping them to discover and celebrate God’s love for them.

Kate Ristow is National Catechetical Consultant for RCL Benziger and a frequent speaker at national and regional conferences. For the last 15 years she has also served as a contributing editor and feature writer for Catechist magazine. Ristow has written catechist and teacher guides and student text materials for every elementary grade level and has worked in religious education for over 30 years as a classroom teacher, catechist and an administrator.

3-22 Four Questions, Four Paths, One Great Journey: The Hidden Power of the Gospels

This session will offer a fresh perspective that can fill the practice of your faith with "incredible abundance." Learn the hidden power behind the original selection of the Gospels and the three-year cycle of Sunday readings. Discover the fourfold journey of spiritual transformation locked deeply within the Gospels now opened through the groundbreaking work of Dr. Alexander Shaia. In our first, faltering steps, the Gospel of Matthew answers the question, "How do we face change?" Mark, Luke and John answer corresponding questions for the ensuing stages, as they guide us through the great spiritual odyssey we have awaited for so long.

Raised as a Maronite Catholic, Dr. Alexander Shaia is a spiritual director, international speaker and psychotherapist. He is the author of a number of books and parish study guides, including the newly released, "Hidden Power of the Gospels: Four Questions, Four Paths, One Journey." A former diocesan Director of Adult Catechesis, Dr. Shaia is also founder and Director of the Blue Door Retreat in Santa Fe, N.M., where he resides.

Carol Showalter and Maggie Davis will share the experience of groups across the country who are pursuing wholeness in body, mind and spirit through "Your Whole Life: The 3D Plan for Eating Right, Living Well and Loving God." They will demonstrate how we can make small but significant changes in our daily lives that will lead to long-term health and wholeness. You will come away with a new vision for what can happen when people come together to support each other on this journey!

Carol Showalter is Senior Marketing Consultant at Paraclete Press and Director of Paraclete Media Outreach. For over 40 years she has been helping others on the journey to health and wholeness and is founder of the 3D program. She has been featured in Ladies Home Journal, Woman’s Day, Prevention and other publications, and frequently leads retreats and workshops. Showalter is the co-author, with Maggie Davis, of "Your Whole Life: The 3D Plan for Eating Right, Living Well and Loving God."

Maggie Davis is founder and Director of Live Nutrition, based on Cape Cod, Mass. In 1975 she helped to develop the first computerized nutrient database used in this country. She continues to utilize technology in her practice, using a "high tech, high touch" approach. As a natural educator and motivator, Davis is a frequent speaker to both community groups as well as professional conferences, including the American Dietetic Association’s annual meeting.

"I came that you may have life, and have it abundantly." What a precious gift we have been given in Christ and how blessed our lives are, filled with countless graced-moments that challenge us to live abundantly. How awesome the opportunities that heighten our awareness of all our blessings: people in our lives; places of beauty and moments of grandeur; and the profound joy that the intersection of person and place brings to our daily life, blessing us with happiness, laughter and delight. In this session, we will relax with each other and explore the daily blessings that abundantly grace our lives.

Sr. Anne Smollin, a Sister of St. Joseph, is a psychologist, an author and a humorist. She is currently the Executive Director of Counseling for Laity, based in Albany, N.Y. A group facilitator, lecturer and consultant, she lectures extensively throughout the continental United States, Canada, Australia and Ireland speaking to religious, communities, conventions and businesses. Sr. Smollin is also author of four books.

The 21st century presents us with more evidence for creation and a creator than perhaps any other. Yet, pop culture atheism seems to be thriving at the same time. Fr. Robert Spitzer will explain the evidence for a creation outside of universal space and time arising out of contemporary big bang cosmology. He will also explain the indications of design in that creation from the work of many contemporary physicists.

In 11 years as President of Gonzaga University in Spokane, Wash., Fr. Robert Spitzer is Director of two institutes he established: the Spitzer Center for Ethical Leadership, and the Magis Institute of Faith and Reason. Fr. Spitzer is well known to many American Catholics as an author, a host of several popular series on EWTN and a public speaker. In addition to many scholarly articles and journal pieces, the Jesuit priest is author of "New Proofs for the Existence of God" and "Ten Universal Principles."

Music is an important aid to the grieving process. Come for new ideas on how music can bring hope and renew faith at funeral celebrations.

Christopher Walker is an internationally known church composer, speaker on liturgical music and choral conductor. Presently, he is Director of Music at St. Paul the Apostle Church in Los Angeles. Walker’s music is sung in churches worldwide, and he travels frequently, giving workshops and lectures on liturgy, music and children’s worship in countries around the globe. His latest music offerings include a rich variety of songs and Psalms.

3-27 What Does a Healthy Spirituality Look Like and Feel Like? (workshop closed)

We will explore some signs of a healthy spirituality, such as friendship, service, love for creation, the balancing of work and leisure, and the ability to live graciously with a certain amount of adversity and ambiguity. Through Scripture, stories and humor, Sr. Melannie Svoboda will lead us to appraise the health of our own spirituality and that of the communities to which we belong – family, parish and school.

Melannie Svoboda, a Sister of Notre Dame of Chardon, Ohio, has taught high school and college for over 20 years. She also has been novice director and provincial for her own congregation and has served on the formation team of the Jesuit novitiate in Detroit for six years. Sr. Svoboda is a prolific writer. Currently she writes and gives talks, retreats and parish missions nationally.

3-28 Why Our Students Behave the Way They Do ... and What To Do About It! (workshop closed)

Do you feel exhausted from dealing with your students all day? Do you ask yourself, "Now what do I do?" If so, this high-energy presentation is for you. Char Wenc, a professor of child guidance and interpersonal communication, will energize and empower you with practical techniques for discipline and positive reinforcement in your classroom.

Char Wenc is a nationally recognized speaker, author and coach on parenting and creating cooperative environments. She is a Professor in the doctoral program at the Adler School of Professional Psychology in Chicago as well as in the undergraduate program at Loyola University Chicago. Wenc has 25 years of teaching experience and 20 years as a member of the National Speakers Association and the Illinois Speakers Association.

2010 RECongress Period 3

Religious Education Congress
Friday, March 19, 2010
3:00 - 4:30 pm

2010 RECongress Period 3

Religious Education Congress Friday, March 19, 2010 3:00 - 4:30 pm

Religious Education Congress
Friday, March 19, 2010
3:00 - 4:30 pm