Registration Guidebook is online
The Guidebook is your key to registration and contains all workshop and speaker descriptions, entertainment and liturgy options, and all events during Congress. Review the Guidebook to plan your registration.

The Guidebook is available in four formats:
PDF: The Registration Guidebook is viewable as a PDF document that requires the free Adobe Reader installed on your computer.
iPaper: The Guidebook is available in iPaper format, which requires no software download and is a Web-based version of the book.
Web: View every workshop period (English and Spanish) as a separate web page.
Paper: Still prefer the paper version of the Guidebook? You can still have one mailed out to you (order one at right).
See the Guidebook online »

Youth Day Feature: Miles, Kroger, Walther
Both Youth Day tracks get to see the Youth Day Arena keynote and two chosen workshops, including this one and others whose sessions are held in the Convention Center meeting rooms.

Session N - "Hopebound in Prayer"
February 25, 2016 - CONVENTION 203
In saying, “Come follow me!” (Matt. 4:19), Jesus is offering an invitation rooted in hope. This is also an invitation intimately bound up with the practice of prayer, for prayer connects us with God and others. It leads us into the heart of love in which we discover what we need – not what we want – to grow in our desire to follow Christ. Bind your Youth Day in an experience of prayer, hopeful reflection and deepening commitment to the practice of love. This interactive workshop explores practices of prayer and contemplation through Scripture, music, conversation, silence and a brief overview of a tradition that spans thousands of years.

Baltimore native Ted Miles first worked in Belize and Guatemala in a two-year Jesuit Volunteer position. For nearly 30 years since then, he has served in parish ministry, Catholic high school education and archdiocesan leadership development. For 10 years now, Miles has worked for Catholic Relief Services as Relationship Manager for Youth and Religious Education and Coordinator of the Youth & Religious Education Outreach for the United States. He has spoken nationally and internationally on behalf of CRS.

Singer/songwriter Sarah Kroger first performed publicly at Life Teen camps and Steubenville Youth conferences. In the short time she has been composing and performing, she has participated in a range of national and international events, including the JubilMusic International Christian Music Festival in San Remo, Italy, World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and countless other parish and youth events across the United States. Kroger is published with Oregon Catholic Press/Spirit and Song.

Ben Walther began writing songs while serving as a worship leader in college. He taught religion for over five years and spent 13 years in parish and school ministry. He has served as a diocesan event worship leader, retreat host and conference speaker. Walther now teaches religion at St. Paul Catholic School in North Canton, Ohio. A recent addition to the OCP/ SpiritandSong.com family, his CD is titled “Make Your Home in Me.”

See the Youth Day page »

#LAYouthDay Photo Challenge

Each week throughout Advent, we post a word on our LosAngeles Youth Day Twitter page (@LAYouthDay) that helps gather our Advent focus. We're asking you to be involved and capture an image demonstrating this word in action and post it using the hashtag #ADVENTLA. This week's word is "Teaching."

RECongress Spotlight: Sacred Space

Thursday-Sunday – Convention 304
Be sure to visit Sacred Space, located  on the third floor of the Convention Center, where you will be invited to stand in prayerful solidarity with the victims of human trafficking as you pray the Stations of the Cross during this Lenten season. Human trafficking is a painful reality -- a modern-day slavery happening all around us, often undetected. May our prayer awaken awareness in us and move our hearts to be God’s liberating compassion in our midst. In this Holy Year, in which the doors of mercy are open to all, let us join in the struggle to cross the thresholds from slavery into freedom.

Drawing from the Beatitudes, the Holy Father noted that those who suffer from forms of modern slavery, such as forced labor, prostitution and organ trafficking are the “least among us” and that all men and women of good will are called to renew their commitment in improving the human condition.
See all the Congress Spotlights »

Liturgy Feature: Syriac Liturgy

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2016 - 5:15 pm
Rev. Aphram Mushe, presider

Music by the Syriac Community

Rev. Father Aphram Mushe is Parochial Vicar of Jesus Sacred Heart Church in North Hollywood, Calif. He speaks Aramaic, Arabic and English. In 2011, he was appointed Secretary to Archbishop Yohanna Butrous Mouche in the Syriac Catholic Diocese of Mosul in Nineveh, Iraq. In 2013, he served at Our Lady of Deliverance Parish in Bayonne, New Jersey, and in 2015 he came to the Jesus Sacred Heart Church.
See the Congress Liturgies »

Speaker Feature: Fr. Bill Burton, OFM

Over the three days, Congress 2016 will offer 300 workshops presented by 200 speakers. Topics range from personal growth to music to spiritual topics — in English, Spanish and Vietnamese. Each Emailing we spotlight one of our presenters:

Fr. William L. Burton, OFM, a Franciscan friar of the Sacred Heart Province, began his 20-year teaching career as a professor of undergraduate and graduate courses in Biblical Studies at Quincy University in Illinois and at DePaul University in Chicago. Currently an Assistant Professor of Scripture and a spiritual director, Fr. Burton has published several articles in The Bible Today and a DVD series. He leads parish Bible study, retreats and workshops, study tours and pilgrimage travels throughout the Holy Land, Greece and Turkey.

Demystifying the Book of Revelation (*)

Period 3-04, Friday, February 26 - 1:00 - 2:30 pm

In America today, the loudest voice in the discussion of the Book of Revelation has been the “Rapturist’s” – a voice characterized by the “left behind” books and movies. This popular interpretation is at odds with mainstream biblical studies and does not attend to the apocalyptic genre of which the book is part. Yet, without understanding this peculiar style of writing, we risk misunderstanding the book itself and miss its pointed message. In our session, we will recapture the challenge this enigmatic book continues to pose to us and to our society.

At Table with Jesus: “Do This in Memory of Me” (*)

Period 6-06, Saturday, February 26 - 3:00 - 4:30 pm

Jesus’ early followers – Paul and the author of Luke/Acts in particular – understand and advance Jesus’ ministry in terms of his “table fellowship.” What does he eat? With whom does he eat? Where does he eat? And what is Jesus teaching us by these scenes dealing with food and dining? What do these New Testament scenes tell us about the Eucharist? Ultimately, the question to be answered is this: Why did Jesus ask that we remember him by means of the Eucharistic meal? When seen in the context of first-century Judaism and Hellenism, this question is not as difficult to answer as we might think!
Go to the Speakers Page »

Special Hotel Rates

Don't forget to make your travel arrangements now. 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 contracted rates.
See the Hotels listing »