FAQs about the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress

How much does it cost to attend the Religious Education Congress?
The regular registration fee for the adult days of RECongress 2022 is $85, with special discount pricing of $75 by Janauary 10 -- now extended through January 20, 2022. There is a separate registration and pricing to attend Youth Day.

I didn't attend RECongress last year, but how do I get a Registration Guidebook this year?
Registered RECongress attendees are "automatically" mailed a copy of the Registration Guidebook for the next RECongress event. The complete Guidebook is available online under the "Guidebook" link. If you missed attending last year's event or moved since our last RECongress and you want a paper copy, you can order a Guidebook to be mailed, or order a Guidebook from the "Order Guidebook" link on the home page.

How will I receive my RECongress tickets?
All RECongress tickets will be mailed beginning in mid-December. If you do not receive your tickets in the mail, please come to the Registration Area located in the Prefunction Lobby of the Anaheim Convention Center and we will assist you. For those registering online or by mail, be sure to provide an email address that that you will receive an email confirmation of your registration. After January 20, 2022 tickets will no longer be mailed. Please bring that email with you to the Registration Area (or have it available on your phone) to scan and print out your tickets. You may use the barcode appearing in your confirmation email to print tickets at RECongress. If you register and do not receive an emailed barcode confirmation, please contact the RECongress Registration Desk at (213) 637-7348 or email recongress@aol.com.

Note: Those registered who reside outside of the United States and Canada will receive barcode confirmations after January 20, 2022.

The Registration Area is located in the Hall B Prefunction Lobby and the hours during the RECongress weekend are:
   Thursday, February 20: 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm
    Friday, February 21: 7:00 am to 3:00 pm
    Saturday, February 22: 7:30 am to 2:30 pm
    Sunday, February 23: 8:00 am to 11:00 am

RECongress 2022 locations and times for pick-up of the tote bag with Program Book, lanyard and name badge holder:
   -- Thursday, February 20 - 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm in ACC North (Plaza level).
   -- Friday, February 21 - 7:00 am to 3:00 pm in ACC North (Plaza level)
                                 & 7:00 am to noon at the Arena east doors.
   -- Saturday, February 22 - 7:30 am to 2:30 pm in ACC North (Plaza level).
   -- Sunday, February 23 - 8:00 to 11:00 am in the Registration Area, Hall B Prefuction Lobby.

ADDITIONAL GENERAL QUESTIONS

May I register over the phone?
No.

Is there a preferred means of registering?
Yes, we encourage you to register online. Online registration provides two benefits: 1) You can get tickets for the workshops you want to attend since sold out sessions are shown in real time; and 2) You receive an email confirmation immediately.

When is the last day to register by mail?
January 31, 2022 is the last day to mail in a registration form for RECongress 2022. After this date, you may register online (by credit card) or on site (by cash, check, or credit card).

What is the last day to register for the Religious Education Congress?
You may register online until 9:00 a.m. PST on Sunday, February 23, 2022.

Why do I have to provide my email address when I register?
By providing an email, you will receive confirmation of all your workshop selections and other important information. This email confirmation also provides a link for you to make changes to your workshop selections if you change your mind or have made a mistake when registering. We do not share or sell your email address with anyone.

I want to change my workshop selections. What can I do?
If you provided a valid email address with registration, you received an email confirmation summary. That email also contains a unique hyperlink that allows you to return to your registration page. Click that link to make any changes to your workshop selections or to correct any mistakes in your registration. However, you may only do so until your badge/tickets are printed. Once tickets are printed, you are no longer able to make changes.

I am disabled. May I attend with a helper?
If you need an attendant at RECongress, we ask that only one Personal Care Attendant (PCA) accompany you to workshops and other RECongress events. If an attendant is to accompany you, it is important to mail your registration and payment – along with your attendant’s registration (no payment necessary) – in the same envelope with a brief note explaining the circumstance. It is essential to register by the fee increase date (January 23, 2022).

Distances between the Convention Center and surrounding hotels are quite lengthy, you may wish to be scheduled for all-English sessions in the Arena or all-Spanish sessions in Hall B. You may select all-English sessions or all-Spanish sessions online, or please include a note with your mailed in registration card.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your ability to attend or enjoy RECongress due to handicap access or mobility concerns, please feel free to contact Rob Williams at RECmobility@la-archdiocese.org. RECongress' Mobility Team will be available to help with wheelchair transport, special seating and any access issues within RECongress. At RECongress you can find the Mobility Team located just outside RECongress Headquarters (AR-1), in the Arena Lobby area.

NOTE: The Convention Center does not provide wheelchairs. Please contact Scootaround for wheelchair and scooter rentals in Anaheim, including mobility scooters, manual wheelchairs, powerchairs and even the ultra-portable WHILL Intelligent Personal Electric Vehicle. For more information, see https://locations.scootaround.com/anaheim online or call (888) 441-7575.

I want to attend the RECongress for only one day. How much will it cost?
The Religious Education Congress has a flat-rate fee, whether you attend for only one session or stay for all three days. Our ability to bring in world-class speakers under one roof is something you cannot find anywhere else. Even if you attend only one session, RECongress is an incredible value. Your registration fee also allows you entrance to the Keynotes, Exhibit Hall, Liturgies, Sacred Space, entertainment and more!

Can my two boys attend with me for just one speaker?
RECongress is an adult/young adult-ONLY religious education event. If you bring your child(ren), they MUST be registered and they must accompany you at all times. We ask that they be your sole responsibility so they do not disturb the other delegates. Children need to pay the full amount even if they are attending only one workshop. There are no discounts.

Do workshops get cancelled?
We try not to cancel any RECongress workshops. If a workshop speaker cannot attend RECongress, we will try to fill the session with a speaker offering the same or similar topic. There are no new sessions added at RECongress.

Can I stand-by for workshops that I did not get?
Yes. A line will form outside each workshop room location for people that have tickets to attend a different workshop. A few minutes before the workshop begins, attendees in the stand-by line will be permitted to enter IF there are seats available in the room. (There are fire code regulations that prohibit people from standing in the back without having a seat.) Sometimes you will get in, but oftentimes you will not. We cannot guarantee that you will get into your preferred workshop if you were not originally assigned to it.

Why do so many good topics run concurrently?
With nearly 300 workshops scheduled over 8 periods, averaging 34 sessions per period, all packed into three days – it's no wonder workshop topics run in conflict. We do plan out topics to try to spread them out evenly. Also, check which workshops are recorded – attend the ones that are not recorded and you can then pick up audio CDs (or download MP3s) for the sessions that have time conflicts.

I don't have a hotel reservation and the list on the website indicates many hotels as "Sold Out." What am I supposed to do?
You must ask for the "Religious Education Congress" rate at the hotels. However, many of the hotels contracted by RECongress sell out of these room blocks. Though there are only a certain number of rooms contracted at the " RECongress rate" and the hotels may sell out of these rooms, you can check to see if there are still rooms available at regular rates.

Some years RECongress falls at a very busy time in the liturgical year. How do you choose your RECongress dates?
Unfortunately, we do not have full control over which dates become available to us. Since our event utilizes not only the Convention Center but also the surrounding hotels, we are subject to that availability and thus makes it difficult to avoid scheduling conflicts. We do our best to be mindful of those times but it is somewhat out of our control.

Why don't you book more hotels?
We book the maximum allowed number of rooms at each hotel. A " RECongress" room rate is agreed to at the time we sign the contract. RECongress guarantees that the room block at each hotel will be met or faces penalties.

YOUTH DAY QUESTIONS

How much does it cost to attend Youth Day?
Youth Day has a separate registration and fee from the adult RECongress days. Youth Day's regular registration pricing is $40 with special discount pricing of $35 extended through January 20, 2022..

When will I get my Youth Day badges?
Youth Day packets (badges and information brochure) will be mailed prior to Youth Day. If you do not receive your mailed packet, please call the RECongress Registration Desk at (213) 637-7348 for assistance.

Why does the fee increase after a certain date?
Processing late registrations is more expensive for us and requires us to allocate additional resources to dealing with registration issues. The increased fee helps us cover these additional costs. Also, workshops sell out to the great disappointment of many of our attendees. We find that raising the price encourages many people to sign up early, which results in people receiving their first-choice workshops.

What is required now of Youth Day Chaperones?
All adults attending Youth Day as group Chaperones MUST be compliant with Safe Environment policies and procedures (fingerprinting/background checks, etc.) including compliance with required Safe Environment Adult Training. The Contact Person must be able to produce records indicating completion of these awareness sessions should he/she be asked. The registration process requires that each Adult Chaperone be compliant. If mailing in, please check the “Compliant” box under Chaperone. The "Adult" and "Compliant" boxes must be checked or the registration and check will be returned. If registering online, please check the "Compliant" boxes for both Chaperones and adults.

ONLINE QUESTIONS

Can I register via the internet?
Yes. In fact, we encourage you to do so. Go to archive.recongress.org and select the Register button. Online registrations have two benefits: 1) You avoid postal delays or lost mail and can receive a confirmation immediately; and 2) You can see which workshops are sold out and select the alternative workshop that you wish to attend.

What are the Arena and Hall B workshops?
The Arena is the largest venue at the Anaheim Convention Center. We try to place our most popular speakers and those workshops which we anticipate will draw the largest crowds in the Arena since it is large enough to accommodate everyone who wishes to attend. There is an Arena workshop in each period. Online, if you select the "Arena Only" button, you are choosing to attend all workshops that take place in the Arena. Hall B is another very large venue for our Spanish-language workshops.

I do not see where to select my workshops.
The third page of the online registration process is the Workshop Selection page. Here you can choose the workshops you wish to attend. If you select the Arena or Hall B buttons, you are choosing to attend the specific workshops that are being held in those respective venues. If you wish to attend anything other than the preselected workshops in the Arena or Hall B, you must SCROLL DOWN on the page and there you will see where you can select your workshops for each period.

I’m on the Workshop Selection page, but I only see two buttons that say Arena and Hall B. Where can I select my workshops?
The two buttons labeled Arena and Hall B offer you a quick way to select all the workshops that will take place in those respective venues. These are preselected workshops and you should review these to make certain these are the workshops you wish to attend. Most people do NOT wish to attend only Arena or Hall B workshops and want to customize their selections. If you wish to select individual workshops other than those in the Arena or Hall B, you must SCROLL DOWN on the page and there you will see where you can select your workshops for each period.

I misunderstood the Arena Only option. Can I fix it?
Yes, you can return to your registration at any point before tickets are printed and make changes to your choices, as long as space is still available for the session you desire. Please log in again and edit your changes. Any changes to your registration (email address, mailing address, workshop sessions, etc.) will not affect your payment.

I’m trying to register online, but the system won’t let me past the Workshop Selection page. What’s going on?
You are either trying to select a workshop that is sold out, or you have left a workshop selection blank. You MUST select something for each workshop. If you do NOT wish to attend a workshop during a given session, please select “I do not wish to attend a workshop in Period x” for that time period. Also, the workshops that are SOLD OUT are listed underneath the drop-down menu for each session. Review the list and make certain that you ARE NOT choosing one of the sold out workshops.

I’m on the Workshop Selection page and it says all the workshops are SOLD OUT.
The closer you register to the actual event date, the more workshops will be sold out. At first glance it may appear that ALL the workshops are sold out. But they are not. First, we will never sell out of seats for Arena or Hall B workshops. Second, if you review the list carefully, you will notice that it lists the workshops that are sold out. You must then click on the down-arrow in the selection box to pull up a list of ALL the workshops. Now you must select a workshop that is available to you (and does NOT appear in the list of sold out workshops).

It is advisable to review the workshops that are sold out prior to beginning the registration process. You can go to archive.recongress.org, then select Updates from the left-side navigation menu, then select Closed Workshops. Doing so will allow you to give careful thought to other workshops you may wish to attend if your first choice is sold out.

Where are the second- and third-choice options online?
A benefit of our online registration system is that you are able to view all the available workshops, and for any session you choose, you will instantly receive a ticket. Mail-in registration cards still require second and third choices in case a workshop is filled.

Can I be sure I got into the workshops I chose?
Our online registration system is "live"! You can only select available workshops. Generally speaking, the first 5,000 registrants receive their "first choices."

PAYMENT QUESTIONS

What forms of payment do you accept?
If you mail your registration, you can send a check or money order made out to Religious Education Congress. If you register online, you can pay by check, credit card or debit card. We accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover.

Can I pay by check if I register online?
Yes, you may pay by check with online registrations. Register online as you normally would and choose the "ACH payment" option when it comes time to pay. You will be asked to provide the bank routing number and account number found on the bottom of the check.

My check was cashed, but I received a notice that I owe $10 more. Why is this?
The cost to attend Religious Education Congress is $75 (extended through January 20, 2022). Any mailed registrations POSTMARKED after that date will be processed at $85. Simply including a check or money order that is dated prior will not suffice.

"Frequently Asked" FAQs about RECongress 2022