Summa This, Summa That

Hi Everybody, I just got out of a wonderful presentation by Cecilia P. Regan, who is a diocesan Director of Catechesis for the Diocese of Metuchen, NJ. (Hello, New Jersey!) She is the perfect combination of that motherly, good-humored quality that is so inviting in some women, with the wisdom and practical experience of many years as a DRE before taking her current position a few years ago.

She spoke compellingly about Whole Community Catechesis, the need for it in bringing parents of RE students back into a growing and nurtured faith (or perhaps bringing them in for the first time). She covered introducing the idea of WCC gradually to one’s parish, using hospitality and brainstorming sessions with parish leaders, creating wish-lists and praying together to set exciting goals for the parish’s future. First, try doing a whole catechesis event only once or twice a year (Advent and Christmas, perhaps), to whet their appetites, and build from there. Generally, after one experience, people are asking for more.

I think what I liked most was that she didn’t want to throw the baby out with the bath water. She wants faithful teaching, adherence to the Church’s dogmas, documents, and goals for the New Evangelization, but she also calls for innovation and openness to our changing needs as a church within a changing culture. She’s clearly got a lively faith and a love of the Church. A very encouraging presence, and someone to watch.

We’ll be in our final Leadership Assembly in a few minutes, so I have to run, but this has been a great experience of the Church in all its diversity and, even in some sense (though gently), its conflicts. But I feel such an affection for this dear group of people, all loving Christ, all seeking sincerely to do good. God bless our church and heal her divisions with an abundance of love and good humor. We are family.

We’re sighing and heading off to sleep with the haunting music of the MAC’s vivid, personal, multi-media presentation of the Way of the Cross playing in our heads. At one point, after some of the composers had performed very beautiful sung prayers, and some of the heart-wrenching testimonies had been read (parents of deceased children, relating it to Mary’s suffering at the Cross), I just lost it. I was missing my family, and suddenly the grief from my father’s passing in January hit me very deeply. But something about the context of experiencing my grief during the presentation made it a tender experience, and not an agonizing one. It was good to share it with my dad.

I thank Michael Ruzicki, the Way of the Cross’s musical director, for his thoughtful work on this. I’m so glad I was able to experience it.

And to my friend Gracie, I am happy to announce: They closed the evening with a rousing rendition of Lift High the Cross!!! (My dear friend Gracie, my daughter, and I love this hymn.)

Off to pray my Rosary and turn in for the night. We’ve got more breakouts in the morning, and then we’ll head over to the Basilica for a little visit before we drive back to New York.

I’ll check in tomorrow and let you know how the final day of the MAC is going. Many thanks to Therese Brown for this opportunity to participate as a media rep. It’s been wonderful!

Hi All, It’s just getting better and better here at the MAC. After some very solid and exciting talks this morning, I was privileged to hear Tom McGrath, Loyola Press’s VP of New Product Development, and an author, talk about reaching out to parents of the children in our RE classes. He’s got great ideas. This is a topic near and dear to my heart. Parents are our mission field, as catechists, and we’ve got to encourage them as the primary educators of their kids at home. I loved so many things, especially his stories about the way parents model faith in the home, but he also said that it’s important to recognize that we have common goals and to discuss this with parents.

i.e. In talking with them, we find that they want their kids to celebrate the sacraments. Good. They want to help kids understand their faith. Great. They want to lay a foundation of grace and strength for the hard times ahead. Okay, wonderful! Now that we’ve had this conversation together, we’ve made a kind of contract with them that brings us together in a unity of purpose. He said it so much better!

Mass tonight with Cardinal O’Brien was very beautiful. The music was amazing, the homily by Fr. John Hurley, CSP, stirring and full of hope. Tonight we’ll participate in Michael Ruzicki’s Way of the Cross at 8pm. We are really psyched.

God bless! I’ll check in later.

Hey, I had trouble getting my wireless connection this morning, so I’m late, but it’s been a truly wonderful day so far, and I’m going to give you a quick re-cap. I really can’t say enough about Dr. Carolyn Woo from Catholic Relief Services, talking about the value of the business community’s contribution to peace and prosperity, and the great need to adopt best-practices and proper business training in parish settings. She is a charming and fascinating presenter and someone who inspires in a universal way.

I’m still chuckling, but I was belly-laughing at the time — Fr. James Martin, SJ, best-selling author of “Between Heaven and Mirth” gave a side-splittingly funny talk about joy and humor as essential qualities in the life of faith. I can’t wait to get a copy of his book!

I also had the great joy of hearing Joe Paprocki speak, today, on Catholic identity. He’s so warm and delightful, and his joy is contagious. Thank you, Joe! I’ve got some of his books on my list, too. Got to get back to the Loyola booth.

I just left Our Sunday Visitor’s Dr. Joseph White, who did a wonderfully informative and entertaining presentation on attention spans, multiple intelligences, and teaching faithfully in ways that children at various developmental stages can understand and retain. It was so much fun. I ended up volunteering to be a part of a skit, and played a newscaster on the road to Emmaus. Such a ham, I am.

I’m also thrilled to have finally met my editor, David Dziena, in person! What a joy. Such a wonderfully competent, faithful person I’m so honored to know and work with. I also had the surprise and joy of meeting the beautiful, warm and encouraging Beth McNamara, editorial director at OSV (my editor’s boss), and John Christensen, who is the company’s terrific marketing director. Such an exciting day! I’ll write more later!

The conference center is still abuzz after a wonderful evening of gospel-style music and stirring talks by conference organizers and special guests, after which RCL Benziger, the Leadership Roundtable, and Sadlier sponsored a lovely reception in the Exhibition Hall.

It was a wonderful day, and attendees from the 65 different dioceses present here are sighing happily and trouping off to their rooms to glory in memories of the day. See you in the morning!