Central focus on Eucharist: Conference challenges faithful to grow in knowledge

By RENEE WEBB, Globe editor
Sept. 27, 2007

SPENCER - A first-year catechist from St. Cecelia Parish in Algona was among nearly 1,000 people to attend the Diocesan Ministries Conference.

"I took a day off of work to attend and I thought I would pick something up to help teach the kids," said Sue Haas, who was invited by the parish DRE to attend the conference.

Haas acknowledged that she was a bit intimidated to attend because she is a lay person and is so new to ministry.

"I came away today thinking there was something here for everyone - no matter their level of activity in the parish," said Haas. "I thought it was an excellent day. Every single person could come away with something."

Staff of Central Catholic Offices in Sioux City organized the conference that was held on two days - Sept. 23 and 24. They were pleased with the numbers, citing that attendance was up more than 25 percent over the last conference that was held in 2005.

Jessica La Fleur Malm, diocesan director of youth and young adult ministry, said Sunday attendance experienced the greatest growth.

"People really appreciated that we were able to offer it at no charge," she said. It was free thanks to funds generated through the Centennial Campaign for Excellence.

Organizers also were pleased with the turnout of priests. Between both days, more than 50 priests attended.

Conference takes new format

The conference, which has been held every other year in the diocese since the mid-1990s, was presented in a new format this year. Rather than have participants pick and choose from a variety of workshops, everyone heard a unified message from two keynote speakers.

The Benedictine monks, Father Godfrey Mullen, OSB, and Father Denis Robinson, OSB, from St. Meinrad's Archabbey in Indiana, centered their talks on the theme, The Eucharist: The Community and the Mission of the Church. (See page 5 for a related article.)

Among the organizers was Kevin Vickery, diocesan superintendent of Catholic schools, who found the keynote presentation to be interesting and insightful.

"It was a focused day on a pertinent topic," he said.

Mark Thomason, diocesan director of evangelization, catechesis and RCIA, said the conference helped to set a theme for the whole year and one that can be further expanded upon in parishes.

"The presentation also showed the importance of wrestling with papal text. It's not like it's the easiest thing to get into, but you have to because if you are hearing things from a third source you won't understand it," he said.

Thomason said it's one thing to get information from the Vatican, a local priest or a diocesan conference but is sometimes a different story to receive a true Catholic message or perspective from the secular press.

Father Denis, said Vickery, helped to demystify a papal document.

Challenge is appreciated

A confirmation teacher in the diocese told Thomason that he loved the conference because he hadn't had the opportunity for extensive theology education. The catechist said he liked the challenge of the conference.

"It further illustrated the importance of intense, adult catechesis," said Thomason. "We are behind and it's time for us to get caught up and you get caught up by working hard. I think we are up to the challenge. I was impressed with how people responded to being challenged."

The message was intense at times, noted La Fleur, but she added that people are called to grow in their knowledge.

"Our ministry is not fluff. Our faith is deep and meaningful," she said.

The two days were identical with the exception that the second day began with Mass. Bishop R. Walker Nickless presided at the Eucharistic liturgy.

In the homily, the bishop said, "As a community of faith we gather to celebrate the holy sacrifice of the Mass. This is a privileged time for us. We gather day after day to celebrate the Mass and we believe and know in our hearts that Christ becomes present in our midst."

Through the word of God and the Christ's body and blood, he said people can hear God speak directly to them.

"We are fed and nourished by being with the Lord and with one another," said Bishop Nickless, who reminded those in attendance that they have been given much and they in turn are to witness to others.

About 20 priests, including the two keynote speakers, concelebrated the liturgy with the bishop.

The conference attracted a wide variety - from Catholic school educators, to those serving in various parish ministries and some individuals who wished to nurture their own faith formation.

Kathryn Baker said she attended the conference because she was drawn to the topic - the Eucharist. She volunteers as a parish health advocate at St. Cecelia Church in Algona.

"I thought it was excellent," she said. She liked the final session that focused on the church community and the analysis of the three major age groups of parishioners.

Gayla Bush, DRE from Immaculate Conception Parish in Cherokee, found the conference worthwhile.

"I truly enjoyed getting another perspective on the Eucharist. As a convert, we didn't have the Eucharist all the time like Catholics do," she said. "It means so much to me to receive it and when I don't, I feel empty."

Chuck Elbert, principal at St. Edmond High School in Fort Dodge, thought the conference was a nice opportunity to learn about the Eucharist - "which separates the Catholic faith from other faiths."

Through the theologians, he was able to acquire a better and fuller understanding of the Eucharist and that in turn will be helpful for his ministry in education.

La Fleur said overall there was very positive feedback to the day.

"Most of the people really enjoyed the different format of the day and the location. The facilities that we used - the Clay County Events Center - fit our needs very well," she said.

ON THE WEB: The keynote speakers' PowerPoint presentation will be available on the diocesan Web site - www.scdiocese.org - for the next six weeks. Links to the papal documents will also be on the site.

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