Hope in Change Change rocks our world. While small changes create ripples that generate excitement or dread, large ones produce waves that plunge us into the throes of anxiety or anticipation. Is it any wonder that the symbol for hope is an anchor? Placing our hope in God through the minor and major changes in […]

The Gift of Cultural Hurricanes: How to Build Bridges that Empower Parents and Transform Catholic Families Effectively working with youth and families today poses previously unseen and epic ministry challenges. Dr. Hogan will propose effective strategies to reinvigorate ministry by creating new connections between youth, families and their parish. Dr. Tim Hogan is a psychologist […]

Hope in Suffering How do we find God in the midst of sufferings? What can we do to foster hope in times of trial? Using Psalm 42 as a guide, we will walk through a Biblical response to the sufferings of this world, emphasizing the critical elements: honesty in prayer, trust in God, and Christian […]

Hope for the World:  Catechesis that forms Missionary Disciples As Catholics, our Scripture and Tradition call us over and over again to bring hope to those who are living on the margins of society. The presentation will explore practical ways parish catechetical leaders can integrate care for the poor and vulnerable seamlessly into their formation […]

Leading Children to Pray:  Catechist as Pray-er and Model of Hope for the Journey It’s easy to teach children prayers…the words and phrases that we say.  But how do we pray with children?  Is it just a routine?  Is there a classroom environment that sends a message that prayer is important?  Are prayer experiences prayer-ful?  […]

Families of Hope: Building Partnerships between Catholic Schools and the Home As Pope St. John Paul II shares in Familiaris Consortio, the Church observes that the institution of the family acts as a sacramental “cradle” for the fostering the faith among generations. The need for reaching out to families, therefore, is crucial to the success […]

Young People, the Faith, and Vocational Discernment We will assess the formative influences on young people today, the end to which the Church’s evangelization and formation efforts are ordered, and the possibilities for renewing the Church’s mission in forming young people for vocational discernment. We'll ask, how do we create cultures in which it's easier […]

Making Hope Real Hope is an invitation to see and appreciate the world, much like God does, and believe that things can improve. It is a call to action, rather than a chance to stick our heads in the sand like an ostrich and cross our fingers. In this workshop, Becky shows you how to […]

Moving from Service to Missionary Discipleship Catholic educators inspire young people not only to serve, but to do so as missionary disciples sent to share God’s love, particularly with the poor, marginalized, and ignored.  Using Pope Francis’s Evangelii Gaudium as a framework, this session will share practical methods to transform service experiences into opportunities for […]

An Eminent Place: Catechesis at the Heart of Liturgy Practical tips to implement faith-filled, vibrant liturgies for the whole community. Tom Kendzia is well known as a composer, arranger, producer, teacher, clinician, author and performer.  He has been a professional liturgical musician for more than 30 years.  He has 15 collections of liturgical and instrumental […]

Hope in the Psalms St. Athanasius wisely pointed out to his hearers that the Book of Psalms was effectively like a Bible in miniature, a place where all human emotion found a voice, and a directive on how to pray to God. This talk will emphasize the rich tradition of praying the Psalms, focusing in […]

The Road to Emmaus: Learning to Teach with Hope from the Teacher On the road to Emmaus, the two disciples encountered Jesus in a transformative way.  Their eyes were "opened" and their hearts "burned".  By rediscovering Jesus as the disciples did on the road to Emmaus, we can bring hope to a world that has […]

School of Hope: How the Catholic School can Communicate the "Hope that Doesn't Disappoint" to the World The Catholic School is central to the pastoral activity of the Church. It has a distinct but integral mission to the ministry of Christ, that of living and proclaiming the Gospel in the midst of the World. In […]

Different Gifts, Same Spirit: Creating an Hope-filled Inclusive Learning Community We all know how important it is to help people with special needs enter full participation in the Catholic faith—learning about their faith, developing their own relationship with God, participating in worship and liturgy, parish ministry, and Catholic social justice initiatives, but most of us […]

Catholic Identity through Religious Pluralism: Building Hope for the Future This presentation responds to Pope Francis’s call for Christians to become livings signs of hope by offering important educational strategies to religious educators that provide young people with experiences of deep communion. By creating spaces of encounter in Catholic secondary classrooms where adolescents can embrace […]

Lanterns Along the Narrow Path: The Saints as a Source for Ministry The saints are a rich resource for orienting our ministries toward the goal of holiness--in how they illuminate the universal call to holiness in a vast array of vocations and ministries, and in their relationships with and intercession for us. Aimee MacIver holds […]

Going, Going, Gone: The Dynamics of Disaffiliation in Young Catholics Saint Mary’s Press recently conducted extensive research with young Catholics who have left the Church. This session will identify the underlying dynamics that lead to disaffiliation, describe the factors that reinforce those dynamics, and examine the pastoral implications. We will hear about these issues from […]

A Culture of Hope: The Social Expression of Justice as Mercy What is a culture of hope? Hope, for our salvation and that of others, begins when mercy and justice are practiced. We see this in Abraham’s negotiations with God for the salvation of Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham’s consultation with God “brings a new idea […]

Becoming a Prophet of Hope In the Old Testament, the prophets called for social change and a return to the Lord.  In our noisy culture, there are many distractions leading people away from the faith.  Technology and social media are just some of the things that people focus on more than God.  Come and see […]