THIS SESSION IS CANCELLED

When Catholics gather for Eucharist, we use our entire bodies to encounter Christ. We cross ourselves, stand, sit, bow, and kneel. This session will lead participants through all the postures and gestures we use at Mass, fostering a deeper appreciation for the sacred liturgy and the ability to teach people of all ages the meaning of our “Catholic calisthenics.”

Father Chris Rouech is pastor of St. Pius X Parish in Grandville. With a Master’s Degree in Liturgical Studies from University of Notre Dame, he served for eight years as interim director of the Diocesan Office for Worship.

Dimension: Spirituality 

Also offered as A-11

Join communication expert Mike DiCosola in a fast-paced session providing practical takeaways that will help you instantly improve your parish communications. Based on the popular Practical Parish Communication Workshop hosted across the US in 2017, you will discover easy-to-implement tips for everything from your parish bulletin and website to Facebook and your parish App. Throughout this session be inspired to recall your mission and heed the words of the Holy Father to “use wisely the means at your disposal” in engaging the faithful of your parish.

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Mike DiCosola resides in Rockford, Michigan is a parishioner at Our Lady of Consolation Parish and has been an active lay minister at all ages of formation for over 15 years. He speaks nationally on parish communications and evangelization as the director of the myParish App.

Dimension: Evangelization

Listening and being attentive to the voice of God within and reflecting in prayer on the way God is directing the human heart on a daily basis, makes the Examen prayer a daily opportunity for prayerful discernment. Praying this 5-step prayer is found at the heart of living the teachings of Ignatian Spirituality.

Elizabeth M. Gengle is a graduate of the Franciscan University of Steubenville with a Bachelor’s degree in Theology with a    concentration in Religious Education and a minor in Mental Health and Human Services. She is currently the Director of Adult Faith Formation and Spirituality and High School Youth Ministry for St. Francis Xavier Parish in Petoskey, Michigan. Elizabeth has also established Movements of the Heart Retreat and Speaking Ministry, dedicated to the teachings of St. Ignatius of Loyola and St. John Paul II.

Dimension: Spirituality

Evangelization, precatechumenate, acceptance, catechumens, candidates, purification, enlightenment, elect, scrutiny, mystagogy – what are these terms and what do they mean? In this practical workshop, Mary will offer an overview of the periods and rites of the RCIA and she will highlight key terms with which every person involved in the RCIA process should be familiar. Participants are encouraged to purchase or bring their own copies of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults.

Mary Sellars Malloy has over forty years’ experience in diocesan, parish and Catholic school ministry. She presents workshops, retreats, and parish missions throughout the country. Her goal is to encourage Catholics to enjoy and to live their faith! In August of this year, Mary retired from her position as Project Manager for RCL Benziger, which included editing and writing for the Web-based RCIA products Apprentices in Faith and  Young Apprentices.

Dimension: Evangelization

In this session we will attempt to understand what happens to the human being at death and after death. The analysis will be conducted within the tradition of Catholic dogma and classic spiritual works concerning preparation for dying, the state of death and the nature of the after life. These Catholic analyses will be compared with those of other religious traditions (specifically Eastern Orthodoxy and Tibetan Buddhism). Some reference will be made to attempts to scientifically investigate the next life and to claims made by practitioners of “new age” religions.

Dr. Mark Pestana is a Professor at Grand Valley State University in the Department of Philosophy (teaching for 31 years). Born in Fresno, CA he was raised in Maine and Iowa. Educated at University of Chicago (PhD.), University of Kentucky (M.A.) and Colby College in Maine (B.A.) He is happily married to Mary Beth with daughter Stephanie and son Simon.

Dimension: Theology

In his apostolic exhortation “The Joy of the Gospel,” Pope Francis call us to be missionary disciples. The parish Ambassador program is one way to engage your active parishioners, staff and teachers in this mission. As an extension of a ministry of hospitality, this program will help everyone realize their personal potential to become missionaries for their Catholic parish and school communities, so that they can fulfill their mission of evangelization. We will share practical tips on how to reach out to families you encounter every day and bring them closer to Jesus Christ through the Church, schools and diocesan programs.

Luzia Leme Tartari, Stephanie Grey, Izamar Mandujano, and Gerllys Cabral-Mota work in the diocese’s Office of Catholic Schools as advocates for students and families enrolling in our schools. They support the Catholic schools’ leadership in their outreach to new families. Their mission is to bring families closer to Christ through an increase in participation of Catholic and non-Catholic families in the schools’ faith-centered curriculum. They work closely with Pastoral Services, including Hispanic ministry, to support our common goal of evangelization. The Parish Ambassador program is one joint initiative we are exploring and will share in our presentation.

Dimension: Evangelization

We invite you to come and share with us the enjoyments of coffee and tea as we explore the ways in which we may teach our children about the seven deadly sins, encourage them in the seven lively virtues that shield us from sin and look at how they connect to the Sacraments.

Jeanette Isabel Perigard is number five of nine children and is a Catechist for Our Lady of Fatima in Shelby. She has taught grade K-4 and works with great joy at an in-home daycare. Theresa Perigard (Mom) has been a Catechist for 35 years and is also currently serving at Our Lady of Fatima. Being a Navy family, they have had the opportunity to travel, meet and serve with many of our brothers and sisters in the Body of Christ. 

Dimension: Evangelization

Practical Life activities correspond with the child’s need for movement, order and independence. Practical Life activities foster concentration as the child masters new skills. This workshop demonstrates a variety of practical life activities that require concentration and empowers children to contemplate Liturgical moments and Scripture readings while working with atrium materials.

Annette Witte became a Level I Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Formation Leader in 2010 and a Level II Formation Leader in 2016. Currently, she assists children in Levels I and II at Immaculate Heart of Mary and Levels II and  III at St. Thomas the Apostle both in Grand Rapids, MI. Annette Witte holds a Master’s of Pastoral Studies from Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis, MO.  She and her husband, Joe, have five children and three grandchildren.

Marie Farage is a Montessori trained directress currently working at McMillan Early Childhood Center. She has been involved with the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd for the past 12 plus years and is certified in all three levels. Marie has been assisting Annette Witte in formation courses since 2011.

Dimension: Spirituality

THIS SESSION HAS BEEN CANCELLED

In the study, Going, Going, Gone – The Dynamics of Disaffiliation in Young Catholics, Saint Mary’s Press reveals extensive research on why young people have left the Catholic Church. This presentation will identify the underlying dynamics that lead to disaffiliation, describe the factors that reinforce those dynamics, and examine the implications for the Church and our ministry with children, adolescents and families. We will hear about these issues from young people in their own voices and examine the broader sociological shifts affecting religious affiliation and engagement in secularized culture.

 Pamela Elsey has been involved in Catholic and religious education in various ways for over twenty-eight years in Catholic schools, in parishes, and on the diocesan level. Currently, she is a National Educational Consultant for Saint Mary’s Press. She and her husband, Mark, have 4 children, reside in the Atlanta, GA area, and are members of Saint Mary Magdalene Church where she is an adult catechist.

 Dimension: Evangelization  

Also offered A-17

An impassioned presentation of both current irrefutable statistics and historical documentation of our national struggle for multicultural identity as Americans, will be presented with an opportunity for both discussion and feedback. We will ask the question of why we have not learned as a nation from our past mistakes of oppressing those considered newcomers to our nation of immigrants. We will explore the many facets of cultural differences that both enrich our communities and at the same time serve as rationale for scapegoating for those who fall victim to the fear-mongering of close-minded voices. Finally, we will remind ourselves that our Catholic calling not only encourages us to embrace diversity, but calls us to action to be voice of truth and the hand of compassion.

Rick Muniz is the Principal of San Juan Diego Academy, a K-8 school within the Catholic Diocese of Grand Rapids. Rick is an educator, writer, speaker, activist and former journalist who regularly presents on issues of diversity.

Dimension: Spirituality 

Also offered as B– 27