Diverse topics at Ministries Conference

By KATIE LEFEBVRE, Globe staff writer
August 7, 2003

FORT DODGE - The Diocese of Sioux City will present the Diocesan Ministries Conference at St. Edmond School in Fort Dodge. This year's conference will be built around the theme "Lead Me, Lord."

"It's a collaborative effort of all of our offices to provide good, solid adult formation," said Kay Morrissey, director of faith formation for the diocese. "We encourage any and all adult Catholics to attend. In other words, you don't have to have a leadership position in a parish to come to the diocesan ministries conference."

The conference will run two days, Oct. 3 and 4. Registration information has recently been sent directly to the homes of people in leadership roles in the diocese, as well as to parishes and schools, during August for people to sign-up to attend.

The conference will offer a wide array of session topics. Several of the sessions relate to prayer and spirituality. There are about five presenters under this category that will present different sessions.

"We always look to the topics of prayer and spirituality in terms of providing people with enrichment opportunities," said Morrissey.

Father Kevin Richter, pastor, St. Boniface in Sioux City and Mary Ricke, director of religious education, St. Edmond in Fort Dodge will present a session called "The Experience of Spiritual Direction: Companions on the Journey." This session will focus on the experience and the gift of spiritual direction.

"The sessions on prayer are especially important because all of us want to grow in our prayer life and want to pray with a sense of connection with God and with one another," said Sister Joan Stoffel, director of curriculum for the diocese. "We are praying for all kinds of things."

Another session will be lead by Father David Hemann, pastor of parishes in Ida Grove and Holstein. This will be titled "Don't Just Do Something, Stand There!"

This session will examine the time-tested ancient prayer called Lectio Divina: reading, listening, responding and contemplation.

"It is hard for the Lord to lead us if we don't slow down enough to listen to him," said Father Hemann. "We can't be lead unless we are open to where he is leading us. Sometimes the biggest accomplishment we can ever do is to slow down enough to enter into the depths of prayer so that the Lord can speak to us.

"Then from him speaking to us, our work won't just be hurried activity, it will have more focus and direction to it."

Father Joe Dillinger, pastor at parishes in Lidderdale and Glidden, will lead a session called "I Can Sleep When the Wind Blows." This workshop is about prayer: from birth to death, from tithing to building up treasure in Heaven. It will look at different forms of prayer and ways to involve members in a family or class.

"He is talking about prayer with all different kinds of people," said Sister Joan. "When we go to the liturgy we are with older people, we are with children. He is trying to show us how we can do that together and still be a family and meet everyone's needs."

"Now is the Time" will be a session discussing how to provide opportunities for students to pray, sing and live out their experiences of God. The presenters will be Sister Julie Tebbe, PBVM, Mater Dei School and Sister JoEllen Price, PBVM, Immaculate Conception, Sioux City.

This session will use music and ritual, as well as offer suggestions in planning children's liturgies and prayer services with an emphasis on justice and social concerns.

"The conference is one of the opportunities to grow in faith," said Sister Joan. "It's a community building event also because people get together to share ideas, talk with each other, hear emphasis on different aspects of our faith that we don't always hear about."

The conference is offered to Catholic schoolteachers, catechists, liturgists and any parishioners of the Diocese of Sioux City.

There are usually around 800 people who attend Friday, as it is used for a Catholic schoolteacher inservice, and approximately 125 to 200 people attend on Saturday.

"We are trying to go more towards adult spirituality, so it's kind of a refreshment or getting fired up again," said Beth Calhoun, part of the planning committee for the conference. "This is to try to help them feel better about themselves and that they are doing a great job, to relax and take the time to know that they are important and that they matter.

"That will make them better teachers, administrators, religious education teachers and the whole gamut because it is not only the teachers we are going for, the cooks are invited, the janitors are invited and the secretaries are invited."