Steve Bozza will speak about the planning to date of the World Meeting of Families. Specifically:
See Flyer for more details!
Downloads: World Meeting of Families Flyer | World Meeting of Families Call
Jason Lillis will lead the discussion, “National Marriage Week: What worked well, and how we can plan ahead!”.
A facilitated conversation around National Marriage Week with fellow Family Life Ministers across North America. It’ll be chance for each of us to share our ideas, learn from one another, and look ahead to next year’s National Marriage Week. We’ll gather to pray for our Church, for married couples, for each other, and talk about a few questions to help us all prepare for further marriage support and enrichment through our ministry. Think ahead of how you might answer each of the questions below.
See Flyer for more details!
Downloads: National Marriage Week Flyer | National Marriage Week Discussion
Dr. Lauri Przybysz will present “Formation for Family Life Ministry: Elements for Effective Partnership”.
This presentation is an introduction to the personal formation needed for well-rounded and well-prepared lay persons called to serve the church in parish and diocesan programs for family life ministry, focusing on the four pillars of ministry formation: human, spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral, as presented in the Co-Workers in the Vineyard of the Lord: A Resource Guide for Developing Lay Ecclesial Ministry.
Learning Objectives:
Downloads: Przybysz Flyer | Personal Formation Plan | Przybysz Call
Lydia Pesina and Martha Pezo-Marin when they will present “Hispanic Ministry: Challenges and Opportunities”.
In addressing challenges and opportunities in ministry to Hispanics, it is important to highlight that currently Hispanics constitute the largest minority group in the U.S. and the population is soaring because of immigration and high birth rates. We talk of Hispanics as a group because there are some strong common traits among the different Spanish speaking cultures ; however there are distinct differences within the Hispanic community which are shaped by family of origin, education, and acculturation.
Topics to be addressed:
Downloads: Pezo-Marin and Pesina Flyer | Power Point | Pesina Marin Call
Dr. Richard P. Johnson, Ph.D., PCSG will present “A Marriage Prep (and Enrichment) Program for Middle-Age and Older Couples”.
1. Are middle-aged and older couples different from younger ones? Do they have different marriage prep needs?
2. How can we best prepare middle-aged and older couples for the sacrament of marriage?
3. Do marriage enrichment programs for middle-aged and older couples need to be different?
Dr. Johnson describes an entirely new perspective of how we can successfully prepare middle-aged and older couples for marriage. He begins with a clear outline of how maturing couples use their individual personalities that they bring into the relationship in a more differentiated way than younger couples do. He identifies the six marriage “essentials” for a happy, healthy & holy marriage for maturing adults, as well as what he calls the marriage “eroders” and “evaporators” of marriage solidarity. He concludes with ways marriage can be elevated onto a spiritual plane.
Downloads: Johnson Flyer 10-17-2013 | Loving for a Lifetime Powerpoint | Johnson Call
Peg Hensler will present “Convalidation Strategies – How to Bring Marriages into the Church”
· Why are Catholics marrying outside the Church?
· How do we find and reach out to non-sacramental couples?
· How do we help them overcome obstacles to Catholic marriage?
· Once married couples decide to marry in the Church, how do we prepare them (diocesan programs, parish programs or both?)
Downloads: Hensler Flyer | Convalidation Strategies Handout | Hensler Call
Lauren Gaffey and Becky Eldredge where they will present “Christ Alive in Our Marriage Retreat.”
Young adults are hungry for a connection to God and to one another. Using the gifts of Ignatian Spirituality, Charis Ministries’ retreats offer young adults the opportunity to see where God is at work in their lives through peer reflections, small groups, silence, and prayer. Becky and Lauren will share some insights about the importance of retreats for young adults, with a special emphasis on the new Christ Alive in Our Marriage Retreat.
The Marriage Retreat, written specifically for young couples in their early years of marriage, offers the opportunity for continued reflection on the role of faith and God in their relationships after the wedding ceremony as they navigate the first few years of marriage. Couples ask themselves:
Downloads: Gaffey – Eldridge PDCC Flyer | Gaffey – Eldridge Call
Ann Garrido will present “The Spirituality of Administration.”
Although we probably didn’t anticipate it when we moved into diocesan and parish ministry, administration fills much of our days – emails and phone calls, scheduling and budgeting, planning and problem solving. Administration is frequently critiqued both by those within the profession and without as work that takes good, fun-loving people and turns them into anxious curmudgeons, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Speaking out of her own experience as administrator, Ann Garrido will look at practices of administration that can be potentially transformative, making us not only effective administrators but holier, healthier Christians. Participants will be invited to reassess their own daily administrative tasks and conflicts with an eye toward how they might serve not only the greater Reign of God, but their own personal spiritual journey.
Downloads: Garrido Flyer | Garrido Call
Bob Donius is honored and excited to be invited into a conversation with you about what it means to faithfully live a healthy and holy sexuality.
“When students have asked me through the years what the Church teaches about sex, I tell them that the Church wants them to have a wild and wonderful sex life…at the right time, with the right person.”
In Familiaris Consortio (1981), John Paul II reminds us that “the human person is an incarnate spirit called to love in his/her unified totality.” This unified totality includes the human body, and thus the body is made a sharer in spiritual love. Created in the image of God, who is Love, this should not come as news. But given our Church’s longer history of suspicion and even disdain for our bodies and our sexuality, it is good to hear the good news: our bodies and our sexuality are holy. In his first encyclical, Deus Caritas Est (2005), Benedict XVI writes about the intrinsic connection of eros and agape: “Yet eros and agape—ascending love and descending love—can never be completely separated.” Yes! The passionate energy of our human desire is connected to God’s compassionate love. This is a far cry from “the scourge of concupiscence!” James and Evelyn Whitehead have written a wonderful exploration of this embrace of our sexual energy in their book, Holy Eros. Ronald Rolheiser likewise celebrates sexual energy in his contemporary classic, The Holy Longing. The body is sacramental and so is sex. Like any sacrament, they must be lived and celebrated with respect and joy.
Downloads: Donius Flyer | Donius Call
Bonnie Mack from the Archdiocese of Cincinnati shared her expertise on ministry to mixed faith couples.
Bonnie addressed the issues of ecumenism, the new evangelization and ministry with inter church couples. She also looked at the special issues facing mixed faith couples preparing for marriage in the Church.
Many of us in family ministry deal with a variety of couples from many faith traditions and some who profess no interest in religion. We encourage you to join us for a presentation and discussion about how best to work with these issues.
Downloads: