Ministries Conference to address Catholic social teaching

By KATIE LEFEBVRE, Globe staff reporter
August 14, 2003

FORT DODGE - "Lead Me, Lord" is the theme of the Diocesan Ministries Conference set for Oct. 3 and 4, at St. Edmond's School, for anyone in the Diocese of Sioux City who is interested in learning more about their faith.

"We chose a general theme," said Kay Morrissey, director of faith formation for the diocese. "We've looked at a variety of topics given what we know our various offices hear out in the field."

Oct. 3 is offered as an in-service day to the Catholic school teachers of diocese to give them the opportunity to attend the conference. The day is also open to anyone who is not able to attend on Oct. 4. The conference will be offered a second day for anyone else who would like to attend.

The keynote speaker for both days of the conference is Bishop Daniel N. DiNardo. Along with the bishop's address, there will be sessions provided for smaller groups. Several of the sessions will be centered around Catholic social teaching.

"Another thrust of this conference is Catholic Social Teaching," said Morrissey. "That certainly is something that ripples across the whole curriculum."

One session, "Back to the Future: Moral Foundations of Catholic social teaching," will be presented by Mary Pat Potts of William Sadlier, Inc. The session will look back at the basics of moral theology to find a firm and steady foundation for Catholic Social Teaching.

The director of religious education at St. Edmond's School in Fort Dodge, Mary Ricke, will present a session titled "It's Not Fair." The session will tap into the natural sense of a teen as to what's fair and what's not. It will look at methods to integrate social justice into the various subject areas and seasons of the church year.

Jerry Eaton, LMSW, director of Catholic Charities for the Diocese of Sioux City, will present "Catholic Social Teaching."

"Eating is a Moral Act" will be presented by Brother David Andrews, CSC, of the National Rural Life Conference. The session will address the question: What blessing can be said over food if: it does not come from family farms, contributes to social injustice, harms the environment or creates public health problems?

"What I attempt to do is to invite eaters to think about how their eating effects them and their own nutrition and well-being in the light of the growing epidemic of obesity and diabetes," said Brother Andrews. "Also think about their food choices and the impact on local communities and farm families that are producing food and local environment. Eaters not only effect their own well-being, but the well-being of their communities and the natural surroundings.

"It is really to think about that fork as a lever for social, environmental and personal community impacts. It's a pretty big responsibility to use a fork, a knife and a spoon, so it's good for people to think before they eat."

To gain information about starting a foreign mission program in their school, attendees of the conference will be able to attend "Mission Honduras: Le Mars." The session will be given by Richard Seivert, guidance and social studies at Gehlen in Le Mars. He will share experiences from the successful program at Gehlen High School.

Dr. Stephan Davis, director of youth and intergenerational ministry for the Diocese of Sioux City, will present "The Jesus Jubilee: Gospel Values and Catholic Social Thought." This session will allow those attending to discover how Luke's story of Jesus proclaims the theological principles upon which the church's modern ideal of harmony and justice is built.

"Faith and Politics: 101" will be presented by Sara Eide, executive director of the Iowa Catholic Conference in Des Moines. The session will provide a fun and interactive multimedia workshop on the call of Catholics to be participants in the political process.

"In general, we are going to talk about what is the Iowa Catholic Conference, what is the role that we play in the Catholic church in Iowa," said Sara Eide, executive director for the Iowa Catholic Concerence in Des Moines. "We are going to spend time talking about what our role is as Catholics, what are we called to do in terms of politics and public policy. We will spend time covering Catholic Social Teaching and talk about how legislative issues fall under these principles and how we decide what issues we will get involved with and what position we would take on those issues."

It is a broad overview of the legislative process and how Catholics are called to be part of that process, and what the Catholic faith teaches people about the issues, noted Eide.

In addition to the different sessions, there will be vendors and exhibitors will various education materials and religious goods will be on hand for the conference.

This will be the sixth Diocesan Ministries Conference offered in the Diocese of Sioux City since it is offered every other year. Excellence in Catechesis, presented in opposite years, is geared to the teaching of religion while the upcoming conference serves to enrich and broaden knowledge of the Catholic faith for school teachers, catechists, liturgists and any parishioners wanting to enrich their faith.

"It is an opportunity to provide ongoing formation for people for them to think about aspects of their faith and to listen to people from outside the diocese as well as some leadership here," said Morrissey. "So that they get an opportunity to hear speakers that they might not otherwise hear, people with experience in different fields.

"It gives people the time to network with other people in the diocese to get insights and knowledge from people that they might not otherwise have access to stretch their own understanding and thinking about topics."

Materials have been sent to people throughout the diocese and to parishes and schools. For more information or to ask questions about the conference, contact the Central Catholic Office at (712) 255-7933. Cost of the conference is $20, including lunch.