Program

 

Thursday, February 15, 2007

7:00 - 7:45 & 8:00 - 8:45 pm
Exhibitors’ Showcases—
These 45 minute session feature the newest products and resources from publishers and service organizations that will bring you up-to-date with some the best support for your ministry.

7:00 – 7:45 PM SHOWCASES

Benziger                                                                                              Marriott Ballroom, Salon 3

“Benzinger: Your Partner for Total Parish Catechesis”

Anna Scally, National Youth Ministry Consultant for Benziger and President of Cornerstone Media; Timothy Mullner, Vice President, Benziger

Participants will hear of pending partnerships between Benzinger and Cornerstone Media and Orbis books and Benzinger.  DRE’s and Youth Ministers can look forward to using popular music as a dialogue tool with teens.  The Christ Jesus the Way series for grades 6, 7, 8 offer students a direct correlation with popular CDs produced by Cornerstone.  Adult Education series for CJTW opens more windows for total parish catechesis.  A look at what’s coming from Benzinger.

Harcourt Religion Publishers                                                            Marriott Ballroom, Salon 1

“A Festival of Film brought to you by Harcourt Religion Publishers”

Experience how the power of film can touch hearts and transform lives!  Join us to see the very latest in catechetical multimedia resources and learn how you can use them to energize every member of your parish community.

Liturgy Training Publications                                                                        Washington Room 6

“Whole-Community Catechesis with Celebrating The Lectionary”. Experience liturgy-based, life long faith formation with a comprehensive set of resources in Celebrating the Lectionary. CTL can supplement your existing program or help your parish branch out in new endeavors. Samples available of Children’s Liturgy of the Word, Christian Initiation of Children, and family handouts entitled The Word To Go/La Palabra Para Lievar, and age level materials for ages three through adult. See how systematic doctrinal formation is presented through the lens of the weekly readings and the liturgical seasons and celebrations. Free posters and Catechetical Resource booklets to the first 50 participants.

--Kathleen Truman, Celebrating the Lectionary Parish Ministry Consultant, Liturgy Training Publications

Loyola Press                                                                                        Washington Room 5

“Finding God for Junior High: It’s prayerful.  It’s personal.  It’s powerful.”

Barbara Campbell, Vice President, Catechetical Services; Jeannette Graham, Associate Director, Catechetical Services

We all want to make the spiritual journey of young adolescents relevant to their lives.  Finding God puts prayer at the very center of the program.  Through regular prayer and opportunities to experience many different forms of prayer – especially Ignatian prayer – young people are able to grow in a meaningful relationship with God.

The young people will benefit from the attention-grabbing format, the active-learning and community-building activities, the guided reflections, the dramatized Scripture stories.  You will benefit from the flexible units, the Director’s Guide, the Parent Guide to Prayer and the seven Family Newsletters.

OCP                                                                                                                Delaware Room

Today's Music for Today's Church
Join OCP along with talented composers and artists such as ValLimar Jansen, Jaime Cortez, Tom Booth, Cyprian Consiglio, and others as we present innovative musical resources for faith formation.

Pontifical Mission Societies in the U.S. U.S.                  
Maryland Room C

“Making Disciples of All Nations…Teaching Children to be Missionaries TODAY”

Sister Pauline Chirchirillo, PBVM, Archdiocesan Director

All young Catholics have a baptismal responsibility to make the message of Jesus Christ known to others.  The Holy Childhood Association – one of the four Pontifical Mission Societies – helps young people in the United States understand the universal nature of the Catholic Church and recognize that they are missionaries TODAY – in prayer and sacrifice – reaching out to children of the missions with the message of Jesus’ love and his great Good News.

RCL                                                                                                                Virginia Room

Jo Rotunno, director of creative development; Nancy Bird, lead manager, Donna Glaser, associate director, marketing

Confirmation and Adult Formation resources are some of the new things we have to share with you at RCL.  Let up introduce these exciting new resources to you and demonstrate how they can impact faith formation in your community of faith.  Our confirmation program is suitable for younger or older teens and the flexibility of our adult formation materials makes them perfect for many adult uses in your parish.

Silver Burdett Ginn Religion                                                              Maryland Room A

USING VIDEO GAMES
For Lectionary Catechesis with Children and the Scrutinies with DVDs

Gospel Champions
Presenter: Brian Mitchell

Gospel Alive
Presenter: Ray Latour

USCCB Publishing                                                                              Maryland Room B

 “Forming Disciples for Mission: The Challenge and Goal of Catechsis”

Therese Brown, Marketing; Mary Elizabeth Sperry, Associate Director                

Join USCCB Publishing for a lively discussion of how you can use recent publications, including the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults and The Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, to form disciples enlivened for mission.  We’ll give special attention to practical strategies and web-based resources designed for parish use.  Participants will receive a special discount on resources presented and a CD-ROM of useful resources.
 

8:00 – 8:45 PM SHOWCASES

GIA Publications, Inc                                                       
Delaware Room

“The GIA Showcase”

Composers: Marty Haugen; Tony Alonso and Chris Desilva

Sing through a complimentary packet of new songs from GIA.

Harcourt Religion Publishers                                                Marriott Ballroom, Salon 1

“A Festival of Film brought to you by Harcourt Religion Publishers”

Experience how the power of film can touch hearts and transform lives!  Join us to see the very latest in catechetical multimedia resources and learn how you can use them to energize every member of your parish community.

Liguori Publications                                                               Marriott Ballroom, Salon 3

Susan Reilly, Manager, Sales and Marketing

Detailed description of Liguori Publications Vacation Bible School.  This year’s theme is SonForcekids.

Liturgy Training Publications                                                            Washington Room 6

“Let the children come to me”, Are your pastor’s homilies going over the heads of most of the

young members of your congregation? Children’s Liturgy of the Word provides the Word of God for

younger ears. Come experience Children’s Liturgy of the Word from the Celebrating The Lectionary

materials published by Liturgy Training Publications. Free sample sessions and free color posters to

the first 50 participants   

Loyola Press                                                                           Washington Room 5

Barbara Campbell, Vice President, Catechetical Services; Jeannette Graham, Associate Director, Catechetical Services

Silver Burdett Ginn Religion                                                  Maryland Room A

CHRISTOLOGY:
Teaching and Experiencing The Christ

Jesus the Way
Presenter: Tom Zanzig

Where’s the Parish in Your Parish Program?
Blest Are We & Bendicidos
Presenter: Joyce Springer

Jesus, Visual Meditation Prayer Experience
Presenter: Tom Zanzig

Suffering Servant Scriptorium                                                           Maryland Room C

Nancy Scimone and Christine Haapala

Nancy Scimone, award winning composer and soprano, and Christine Haapala, author of the children’s best selling book, “Speak, Lord, I am Listening,” will lead all in a time of prayer and a time of song – spiritually uplifting praise from the Word of God.  Selections will be from a Scriptural Rosary, Scriptural Chaplet of Divine Mercy, Eucharistic Adoration meditations, and prayers of the Stations of the Cross.  A perfect way to start the conference – in prayer.

William H. Sadlier, Inc.                                                                     Virginia Room

“Sadlier: Celebrating 175 years…Come to the Party”

Dr. Carole Eipers and the Sadlier Team

Come to our party and celebrate our 175th birthday.  Enjoy cake and champagne as you take a peek at our plans for the next 175 years.  Receive our birthday gifts to you as well as special prizes!  Come and join the fun.

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9: 00 – 10:30 pm 
Concert -- Never Too Young to Sing God’s Praise
Join Mark Friedman and Janet Vogt, recipients of the 2005 Music Educators of the Year Award, along with artist Donna Anderle, and Tom Booth, celebrated Spirit and Song composer and artist, for an intergenerational prayer and worship experience that uses energetic music and lively storytelling to explore our Catholic faith.  This concert is sponsored by OCP.
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Friday, February 16, 2007

10 – 11:30 am, Opening and Keynote
With Christ-As-Companion:  Forming Disciples for a New Age
Fr. John Hurley

Old truths, new forms, unexpected challenges!  Yet one thing is constant for those who share in Christ’s mission, we are not alone.  This keynote will invite formators of disciples to explore how they themselves are nurtured and explore opportunities to celebrate our companionship with Christ and those entrusted to us in His ministry. 
 

Sessions, Period I: 1: 15 – 2:30 pm

1.         Rosie Papion Brown

Assessing Catechetical Approaches with a Black Catholic Lens

For each local community to fully develop its best practices, best dialogs,and best catholic life, our role as religious educators is to deeply ask ourselves, "With Christ as companion, how do we assess our catechetical approaches with respect to Black Catholics?"

2.         Marty Haugen

Faithful Worship in Challenging Times

How does music and how do music-makers serve the Gospel and God's people in envisioning and working for the God's Reign of justice and peace? This workshop will look at practical resources and leadership skills that might help those who labor in worshipping communities.
 

3.         Meredith Dean Joseph

Less Stress = Success

When you spend less time feeling stressed, overworked, and unappreciated, you have more time to do the job you are called by God to do! Through music, humor, prayer, and personal testimony, Meredith Dean Joseph will help you to find ways to regroup, reenergize, and refocus on ways to live more fully in the light and peace of Jesus, and share that light and peace with those around you.

4.         Mark Friedman/Janet Vogt/Donna Anderle

Exploring the Seasons of the "Liturgical School Year"

OCP composers Mark Friedman and Janet Vogt explore the cycle and seasons of the “liturgical school year" and share exciting new ways of including liturgy planning, instruction, and preparation into weekly lesson plans, classroom experiences, and school Liturgies. Janet and Mark share music and creative liturgical ideas that follow the seasons and special days which our children experience in the course of a given school year -- everything from the Opening of the Year Mass, All Saints, Reconciliation, and Eucharist, to Catholic Schools Week, May Crowning, and end-of-the-year Graduation.  This energizing workshop will enable teachers, religious education directors, music directors, and planners to empower their young people to more fully participate and appreciate the Eucharistic Liturgy!

5.         Jo Rotunno

What’s Different about the New Adult Catechism?

Do we really need another catechism? This informative workshop will give you a quick tour of the new United States Catholic Catechism for Adults, explaining its structure and unique features. You’ll learn how this important new document of the American Church relates to earlier catechetical documents of the past 20 years. You’ll also learn creative ways to introduce the Adult Catechism to adults in your parish in ways that will help them connect its content to the issues of everyday life.

6.         Victor Valenzuela

Planificación y organización de la catequesis: SIN ESTRÉS!

 La clave para ser un buen catequista es estar preparado y organizado. La organización no tiene que ser complicada ni difícil. En este taller veremos como un catequista comprometido puede organizarse. También veremos estrategias de planificación para la clase de religión. También revisaremos la pregunta que todos nos hacemos: “¿qué necesito para preparar una clase?” El manejo de la guía o manual para el catequista de los textos para los estudiantes será parte importante de esta presentación.

7.         The Catholic Collaborative on Justice Education

Presenters:

Chair will be Jane Deren, Ph.D., Director of Education for Justice
 Joan Rosenhauer, USCCB
Ted Miles, Catholic Relief Services
Sr. Katherine Feely, Education for Justice
 

Doing Social Analysis to Explore Current Justice Issues

Catholic Social Teaching prompts people of faith to look deeply into social issues through the process of the Pastoral Circle: reflect, judge and act.  This session will include an interactive experience to help participants reflect deeply on a critical justice issue, immigration, from the perspective of CST, and will discuss how to use the pastoral circle process with a range of topics and with different audiences.


Sessions, Period II: 3: 15 – 4:30 pm

1.         Victor Valenzuela

Maintaining a unified Religious Education program in today’s diversified parish

Parishes today are becoming increasingly diversified when it comes to language, culture and socio-economic background. This richness leads to questions of how best to serve these multi-faceted communities when it comes to religious education.  The New National Catechetical Directory addresses these issues. In this presentation, we will explore the questions and the realities that exist in our communities and look for ways to develop new strategies to deal with the issues. In the end, the participant will come away with a sense for the issues and some possible ways to deal with them.

2.         Michael Steier

An Introduction to the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults

The release of the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults offers the Church a wonderful new resource for adult faith formation for a variety of settings. Join me as I provide a brief overview of the document, highlight its possible uses, and invite participants to "sample the goods" contained therein.

3.         Rory Cooney/Theresa Donohoo/Gary Daigle

Christ the Icon - How Christ Reveals God in Scripture, Liturgy, and Song  

How do the songs we sing in prayer and worship, and the way we sing them together, form the way we think of God and Christ? What  kind of God does our music lead us to worship? By song and reflection, we will investigate this in our time together. Come prepared to sing, and perhaps to think of liturgical music in a new way.

4.         Cyprian Consigio

Priesthood of the Faithful

Using the General instruction of the Liturgy of the Hours as a basis, this workshop explores how the Church, she gather to pray, fulfills her role as priest of all creation.

5.         Jorge Rivera

Ministry with Hispanic young people is about accompaniment over the approach...

There are many ways and methods to work with Hispanic young people, but obstacles of "the how to*" is always a challenge. A good pastoral juvenil is very valuable in forming a strong identity, both as Catholics, and as Latino's in the United States. A strong identity has positive ramifications in all aspects of life.

6.         Anna Scally

Tune In: Use their issues, teach to their issues, touch their hearts!

As Jesus commanded,  “make disciples of all nations and to teach them to observe all that He had commanded. (The Church has not ceased to devote her energy to this task.) This workshop will show you that young peoples issues are found in their culture and expressed in popular music and media. And so are the solutions to their concerns. You will learn effective, practical and easy to use strategies to catechize through music that they are already listen to. This approach works!

7.         Bibi Qamar, Catholic Relief Services: Afghanistan
            Sara Bowers, Catholic Relief Services: Afghanistan
            Ted Miles, Catholic Relief Services: US Operations

Afghanistan: Renewing Hope, Building Solidarity

These are days of cautious optimism in Afghanistan. While the country has made significant progress in the past five years, the fact remains that Afghanistan is one of the most underdeveloped countries in the world. Commitment from the international community is essential for long-term sustainability and peace. Through its efforts in Afghanistan, Catholic Relief Services (CRS) links faith-based and secular, national and international partners in initiating innovative programs in accelerated and community-based education, agriculture, and livelihood development.  Join staff members from CRS, one native to Afghanistan, for an interactive workshop highlighting the current realities and work of CRS in Afghanistan, particularly in the area of education - an effort that is supported by the East Coast Conference liturgy collection.  The workshop also includes an overview of CRS education and parish resources that promote global solidarity. 


5:00 pm
Sadlier's Reception

Begin your evening by enjoying wonderful refreshments and making new friends at this always popular gathering hosted by William H. Sadlier, Inc

Concert, 8 – 10 pm
Enjoy a celebration of music and song
with Tony Alonso, Cyprian Consiglio, Rory Cooney, Jaime Cortez, Gary Daigle, Theresa Donohoo, Meredith Dean Joseph, Marty Haugen, Tom Kendzia, Val Limar-Jansen, Jorge Rivera, Chris de Silva and renowned percussionist, John Pennington.
 

Saturday, February, 17, 2007

9 – 10:15 am, Major Address
Embracing the Sacredness of Building Community
Rabbi Irwin Kula

Until very recently most people lived in relatively small, monolithic communities in which serious exposure to different world views, opinions, perspectives and religions was rare.  The truth was the Truth, and there were clear authorities who had the power to determine who was inside and was outside the community.  Today, we are living through an unprecedented historic, psychological and social transformation, especially here in the United States.  Philosophers call this the post-modern era.  Political scientists call this globalization.  Economists call it the post-industrial age or information age.  Some sociologists characterize it as an era of blending and bending, seeking and switching.   

This permeability of boundaries affects our very definition of community, our loyalty to community, our capacity to build community, and perhaps, most importantly, the relationships between communities.  In a word, our experience of community has never been messier.  Can our yearning for community be realized in this new context?  Can we embrace the sacred messiness of community?   

Sessions, Period III: 11 am – 12:15 pm

1.         Jamie Cortez

           Music in Catholic Schools

Music can be used to shape the faith of young students in the classroom and in school liturgies. This workshop will focus on how to use music to teach our children about our faith and will also give teachers some tools to develop a sharp, efficient and faith-filled music program for the Catholic school.

2.         Chris de Silva

Prayer and Praise for a New Age.
This is a workshop that explores timeless psalm texts and scripture set to new and contemporary melodies and rhythms.
For parishes with Youth / Young Adult and Children's liturgies, this workshop will explore ideas for enlivening worship and deepening spirituality; a new age of prayer and praise.

3.        Tom Zanzig 

            Jesus the Way: Christology and Spirituality

Our understanding of Jesus directly affects our self-understanding as his disciples. Every insight into Jesus generates a new insight into ourselves as well. In this workshop, Tom summarizes two major models for understanding Jesus and then suggests characteristics of Christian spirituality that flow from each.

4.         Steven Ellair

Called to Discipleship: Ritual Catechesis and Confirmation

Learning about the rite of Confirmation is one thing, learning through the rite is another. Come to this workshop to explore how ritual catechesis can be used with younger and older teens to provide a Confirmation preparation process that will truly lead to “missioned” disciples

5.         Monica Brown/Sr.Hilary Musgrave

I Am With You Always" (Mt 28:20) - Sacred Moments In the Classroom
This workshop will actively engage participants in developing skills in facilitating  scripture based meditation and ritual with children and youth,   which can draw them into deep stillness and intimate prayer.  Using scripture storytelling,  mime, sacred clowning,  music and ritual, together with active imagination and visualization, Monica and Hilary will demonstrate how we can provide sacred moments for our young people even   in our classrooms!

6.         Tom East

Forming Young Disciples - Vision and Practice of Adolescent Catechesis

How can we share a living and lived faith with this generation of young disciples?  How do we evangelize youth and their families?  This workshop will provide a synthesis of the most recent research about youth ministry and adolescent faith formation.  This will include practical suggestions and resources for parishes in developing faith formation, adolescent catechesis, and confirmation preparation.

Sessions, Period IV: 1: 45 – 3:00 pm

1.       Tom Kendzia/ValLimar Jansen

Lead Us to the Water: Effective Models for Liturgical Catechesis
A look at how the quality of our liturgical life shapes the work of catechesis. Practical ways to prepare, experience, and break open  the prayer life of the community rooted in the sacraments of initiation and the teachings of Christ.

2.         Maggie McCarty

Advocacy: Standing With, By And For Young People

Advocacy with, by and for youth is an essential component of comprehensive youth ministry. In order to form and inform the next generation of Church, we need to ensure that they are welcomed into the life of the faith community now.  This workshop will look at advocacy from a scriptural and theological perspective and offer practical strategies for infusing advocacy efforts into parish and civic communities.

3.         Michael Downey

Formation: Nurturing and Sustaining the Spirits of those Called

The parable of the workers called into the vineyard has been used to discern the work of the laity in Christ’s ongoing mission in the world.  While the call of vocation is an individual and personal one, the work we are called to concerns community.  Michael’s recent research has revealed that everyday experiences of work can contain moments of grace with the potential to nourish and sustain our spirits.  These insights can be applied across a variety of circumstances and situations.  This workshop will give participants insights into how the work of their lives can be food for their journey.

4.        Jim Schellman

RCIA and Ongoing Faith Formation

This workshop will develop the ways of ongoing faith formation being learned from the Church's experience with the "Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults." The Lord's pattern of forming disciples was one of apprenticeship, of teaching by doing. This apprenticeship in the company of the Lord included shared experience and the teachings that naturally derived from that experience. By these means he modeled the lived attitudes and behaviors that embody the in-breaking of the Kingdom in time and place. In the "Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults" we explicitly apprentice newcomers to the faith through shared word, vibrant worship, the life of our community of faith, and the witness and service we are impelled to offer out of love for the Lord and the Lord's kingdom. The reality is that we are, all of us, lifelong apprentice Christians who are living an ongoing journey of conversion and faithful living as Christ's disciples.

 

5.         Sr. Maria Luz Ortiz

CATECHIZING FOR A LIFE IN CHRIST

Catechesis aims to bring about in the believer an ever more mature faith in Jesus Christ,...and a firm commitment to follow him. (NCC #19)  Taking into consideration the composition of our society, we will discuss the need for a multicultural catechesis and its demands, and offer some practical suggestions

6.      Anna Scally

Tune In: Use their issues, teach to their issues, touch their hearts!

As Jesus commanded,  “make disciples of all nations and to teach them to observe all that He had commanded. (The Church has not ceased to devote her energy to this task.) This workshop will show you that young peoples issues are found in their culture and expressed in popular music and media. And so are the solutions to their concerns. You will learn effective, practical and easy to use strategies to catechize through music that they are already listen to. This approach works!

Sessions, Period V: 3: 45 – 5:00 pm

1.         Michael Mangan

Setting Hearts On Fire: Using liturgical music for evangelisation in schools and parishes.

One of Australia’s foremost liturgical composers will focus on using the power of music to build up the Body of Christ through vibrant and meaningful celebrations in Parishes and schools. The shared musical experience and the lyrical content of song can help build communion with Christ and each other and to “set hearts on fire.” Come along ready to sing,move and have fun as this energetic presenter introduces us to repertoire from his catalog of over 120 songs.

2.         Bob McCarty

Forming Young Disciples: A Challenge and a Promise

"Leaders create culture, but cultures, in turn, create their next generation of leaders." In this postmodern culture of individualism, relativism and materialism, we are faced with the challenge of forming disciples. If young people are to take their rightful role in the Church and in society, we must provide them with skills, relationships, and vision. This workshop will offer effective strategies for forming young disciples, which leads to signs of promise.

3.         Monica Brown/Sr. Hilary

Burning Hearts –  Nurturing in our Children and Youth Meaningful Relationships With Jesus

Using the Emmaus Story as a model for meaningful faith formation, this workshop will consider creative process, such as scripture storytelling, imagery, music and mime, as well as sacred clowning, which can nurture in children and youth, a sense of the immediacy of Jesus in their own journey and the warmth and tenderness of his presence in their lives.

4.         Anthony Ciorra

CHILDREN OF ABRAHAM:

The future of world peace depends on dialogue and finding common ground among Jews, Christians, and Muslims. This workshop will present a roadmap for inter-religious dialogue and reconciliation among these three major religious traditions.

5.         Tony Alonso

Forming Young Disciples for a New Age: Youth and Liturgy
As Church, we gather once a week to celebrate Eucharist as a community:�young, old and everything in between!�How can we embrace the gifts of young people�while also encouraging them and preparing them to be an integral part of the larger community?�Come explore ways�to engage young people in liturgy and the whole prayer life of the Church as well as form them in the ways of discipleship in these challenging times.

6.        Sr. Maria Luz Ortiz

CATEQUIZANDO PARA LA VIDA EN CRISTO

 La Catequesis intenta suscitar en el creyente una fe mas madura en Jesucristo...y un firme compromiso de seguirlo. (DNC #19)  Partiendo de la realidad en que vivimos discutiremos las exigencias de una catequesis multicultural y ofreceremos algunas sugerencias prácticas. 

7.        Tom Booth and Tom Tomaszek,

Developing Youth Inclusive Liturgies

 

What are the best principles and practices to follow and use to prepare liturgies that include youth and young adults?  This session will provide practical strategies for parish and school settings.

 

5:30 pm Eucharist

10:00 pm
Evening Prayer in the Taizé Tradition

End the day in this meditative form of evening prayer with the “songs of Taizé”. It will be offered by GIA composer Tony Alonso.

Sunday, February 18. 2007

9 – 11 am – Conference Closing with Tom Zanzig

No Longer I Who Live: Growing in Identification with Jesus

Where does the path of Christian discipleship take us? St. Paul put it cryptically: "It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me" (Gal. 2:20). But what does THAT mean? In our closing session, through presentation, process, and prayer Tom Zanzig will help us explore that profound question.