RECONGRESS 2016 UPDATES
 

Congress Theme Song - Watch the video of how Meredith Augustin created the RECongress 2016 theme song, " Boundless Mercy / Misericordia Inagotable"

 

Congress Photos - See if you or someone you know is pictured among our posted photos from Congress 2016. You can find the photos here.

 

Congress Statistics - Find our updated attendance figures for Congress 2016 here.

 

Congress Winners - In celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress, there was a drawing for 60 people to win a free 2017 Congress registration. Find the list of winners here.

 

 

RECONGRESS CELEBRATES 60 YEARS!
 

Congress History - The origins of the Religious Education Congress spring from the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine program, popularly known as CCD, a ministry that actually began in Los Angeles in 1922 under Bishop John Cantwell.

In 1956, CCD Director Msgr. John Clarke joined with Msgr. Leland Boyer in helping to organize the first CCD Institute held at Mount Carmel High School, located at 7011 South Hoover Street in Los Angeles. Some 500 teachers and catechists attended the two-day conference. (The school closed in 1976, and was demolished in 1983.)

 

When is Congress? - The majority of the Religious Education Congresses have been held in the month of February (29 times since 1967, or 58 percent of the time). It was held in March 16 times (32 percent); three times in January (1967, 1985, 1990, or 6 percent) and twice in the month of April (4 percent). The earliest dates that Congress was held was January 13-15, 1967; and March 31-Apr 2, 2006 was the latest the Congress event has been held since 1967.

Read about the Congress Milestones.

THE LOS ANGELES RELIGIOUS EDUCATION CONGRESS

RECongress is the largest annual gathering of its kind in the world. The four-day event is held at the Anaheim (Calif.) Convention Center and is sponsored by the Los Angeles Office of Religious Education. Begun in 1968 as an "institute" for religious education (CCD) teachers, RECongress has grown to include people of all vocations and different faiths.
 

Youth Day (February 25, 2016) – Congress opens on Thursday with a day-long event for high school youth. This is an opportunity for students – not only from the Los Angeles Archdiocese but throughout California and the western states – to come together and share in Liturgy, workshops, entertainment and to experience the energy of a Youth Day Rally. See our Youth Day page.
 

Congress days (February 26-28) – The remaining three-day weekend is open to adults and young adults and offers more than 200 speakers presenting over 300 workshops, in addition to lunchtime entertainment, evening concerts, 16 Liturgies in a variety of characters, the Exhibit Hall and much more.
 

Free Exhibits (open to Registrants only) – One of the perks of Congress is the Exhibit Hall – held Friday through Sunday – showcasing over 200 companies ranging from religious art to music, and from publishing houses to educational institutions, in addition to our own represented Archdiocesan ministries. See the 2016 Exhibitor Listing.
Future Dates: Congress 2017 - February 23 (Youth Day) & February 24-26, 2017

YOUTH DAY - THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2016

New this year, Youth Day 2016 adds an additional workshop period. Each group selects either a morning Arena General Session (Track 1) or afternoon Arena General Session (Track 2) -- so everyone gets to see the Arena speaker -- and then chooses two other workshops.

The theme for Youth Day 2016 is #hopebound. Registration has closed February 16. The cost was $35 ($30 by January 8, 2016). The schedule for the day is:

TRACK 1		TRACK 2
TIME	EVENT	TIME	EVENT
8:00 am	General Session – Arena	8:00 am	Opening Music & Opening Sessions
	(Rally / Liturgy with Archbishop	8:45 am	First Convention Workshop
	José Gomez / Keynote)	10:00 am	Second Convention Workshop
11:45 am	Lunch	11:00 am	Lunch
1:00 pm	First Convention Workshop	12:15 pm	General Session - Arena
2:00 pm	Second Convention Workshop		(Arena Rally / Liturgy with
3:15 pm	Praise / Worship & Sending		Archbishop José Gomez / Keynote)
3:45 pm	Dismissal	3:45 pm	Dismissal

Find more information on our Youth Day page.

ABOUT THE L.A. RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

Yelp Review
"Some people go to Tibet, Bali, or India for spiritual rejuvenation or enlightenment. Others take to the deserts in the Americas or the mountains in the Andes. I head to Orange County, California. For nearly a decade, I have joined thousands of other Catholics for a weekend of workshops, liturgies (I love hearing my favorite gospel singer!), and camaraderie. I call it visiting the Catholic planet. Don't let the name fool you; you don't have to be a Catholic schoolteacher or catechist to take part or even a staunch Catholic. In fact, the LA Congress has conservative Catholic protesters every year taking issue with the multicultural liturgies and/or the messages of inclusiveness. I consider this one of the highlights of every year and I've made it a family tradition bringing along my mother and now my daughter."
                                                                                                            -- Julie C., San Leandro, CA

American Catholic Blog

"The purpose of this event is for the development of faith, but I think this event is much more than that. It is an opportunity to celebrate God and the love of his people. It is also a great opportunity to be inspired and informed and perhaps even transformed. To my friends, I call the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress the Love Fest. There are people hugging, laughing, and a general sense of well-being at this convention. After all, isn’t that what God wants for us, to share in his love, to offer hope and support to one another, and share our gifts with each other? I think so, and I can only hope that I too help in my small way to set the world afire."                                                 -- Tammy Monjaras, Cincinnati, OH

See what others say about Congress on our RECongress Reviews page.

CONGRESS INFORMATION