Creating Hope and Changing Lives, One Song At a Time To effectively reach a culture, we must realize that the Church needs to focus on evangelization not because we need more numbers, but to let young people know they are appreciated and that their gifts are important to building the Kingdom of God.  This may […]

Hope for the World: Helping Kids and Teens Embrace the Fullness of Catholic Social Teaching Catholic Social Teaching transcends the boundaries of politics and secular ideologies. In a society that is highly polarized, how can we form children and teens to proclaim and live the beauty of Catholic teaching, from caring for all creation to […]

Forming Young People for Holiness and Hope The Culture of Ambitious Multitaskers and the Challenge to Forming Young People for Holiness “The more you can do, the better.” This maxim of our modern lives is one into which we form and educate our young people. But does our prizing of ambitious multitaskers actually work against […]

Praying Our Lives: Hope for the Restless Heart Do you ever feel like something is missing in life? Do you ever feel like you are on a hamster wheel trying to keep up with lifeÂ’s rapid pace? Do you wonder how will I find rest in the busyness of life? Do you seek a deeper […]

Too Young to Go Forth? Engaging Youth in Global Issues through Faith Young people want to go forth and change the world. This session will share methods and resources to engage young people as agents of Christian encounter who respond in faith to a world in need. We will provide practical ways for you to […]

Hope for a Confused Culture This presentation would focus on the need to lead teens to an understanding that their identity is based only in relationship with God. In a culture that continues to encourage teens to choose their own identity, it is important that we provide clarity. Theology of the Body shows us that, […]

Missionary Catechists: Sharing Hopeful Gifts for Ministry Catechists might not consider their classrooms missionary territory but so it is. The role and responsibility of the catechist to share the Good News with others requires the same gifts of the Holy Spirit that nudged the early disciples out of the upper room and into the world […]

Children of the Light: The Pre-Catechumenate Period with Children We, the Church, are to welcome and invite those children who have not yet been baptized, have come to an age of understanding, and are of catechetical age to be a part of the process of faith formation. This session for RCIA ministers, directors of faith […]

Hope In The Vision: The Power of our Catholic Identity to Transform Our Ministry In parish and school ministry, itÂ’s easy to get bogged down with logistics, losing sight of the vision which should be inspiring and guiding us. Through engaging stories, practical applications, and spiritual encouragement, this keynote presentation will highlight the power of […]

The Power of Unfounded Hope: A True Story This workshop/talk is a concerted effort to invite the listener into the life and world of someone who dramatically fought the downward pull of hopelessness with the manifested presence of divine grace, which gave birth to a newfound hope. However, the goal of the presentation is to […]

A Future Full of Hope: What Current Research Says about Keeping Kids Catholic We have known for some time that young people are leaving the Church in alarming numbers. New research gives us insight into why they are leaving and how we can better build a foundation of faith that will promote lifelong engagement and […]

Engaging Parents in Sacramental Catechesis Part  2 We say it time and again, "How do we involve parents and families in catechesis?" Sacramental formation is a unique doorway to engage and involve families in the faith formation of their children. The question is how to get them through the doorway! Part 2 of this series […]

GO! Be Missionaries of Hope! Using as a foundation the Aparecida Document, written at the conclusion of the 2007 Congress of Latin America and Caribbean Bishops, as well as other missionary documents, we will see that in our encounter with Christ, hope is born!  However, how does one encounter Christ?  How does one keep their […]

HOPE: Real-world Solutions for the Interpersonal Challenges of Parish Service In order to be a true pastoral leader, one must have the right toolbox. Much like those who work in human resources, those who work in pastoral ministry must communicate effectively with clergy, other ministries, and parishioners - but always in the context of our […]

Young Adult Responsive Parishes:  Hope in Times of Uncertainty Young adults trying to form meaning amid the plurality and ambiguity of contemporary culture. Church leaders have an opportunity to embrace this spiritual quest by creating young adult responsive parishes.  This presentation uses the spiritual quest of young adults as a framework to help guide them […]

Meeting Teens on Their Turf: Utilizing Specialized Retreats to Inspire Hope By breaking out of the class retreat model, we are able to significantly impact the spiritual lives of teens through a variety of retreat settings. This creative approach allows opportunities for all students to meet Christ and develop a personal relationship with him. This […]

Shift Parents from the Parking Lot to Participation Why do some parents rely on religious education programs to be the primary providers of faith formation for their children?  How can catechists move parents from the parking lot to fuller participation?  This presentation will provide practical, applicable, inspirational and compassionate insights for “backdoor” evangelizing. Dr. Patricia […]

Spirituality of the Catechist: The Importance of Prayer, Liturgy and the Interior Life Catechists need to cultivate a lively spiritual life, rooted in the Word of God, if they are to be effective stewards of God's mysteries. Using stories and practical examples, I will explore the mysteries of grace, the Liturgy and the interior life […]