7.5 Million Students in Religious Schools - Who Is Providing Support for the GLBT Students?
Marc Adams shares his story of growing up gay and attending religious schools, including Jerry Falwell's Liberty University. His interactive, multi-media session also describes HeartStrong Inc., the organization he founded, which provides support to GLBT students in these schools, and educates the public about what can happen there. The HeartStrong team has driven over 190,000 miles since January - and is the widest outreach effort in the history of the GLBT movement. Adams' award-winning autobiography, The Preacher's Son, traces his journey to self-acceptance, his struggle to survive religious schools, and to survive ex-gay/reparative therapy. Sat., 1 PM (8.01)

A Church Under Seige: The Word from Rome
John L. Allen, Jr., Vatican correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter, offers a behind-the-scenes take on current Vatican events, with one eye on the political dynamics that will elect the next pope. During the conclave, when the cardinals vote on John Paul II's successor, Allen will be an analyst for Fox News and for National Public Radio. His on-line weekly column, "The Word from Rome," is widely considered the best weekly run-down on Vatican affairs in the English language. Allen's latest book is Conclave: The Politics, Personalities and Process of the Next Papal Election. John lives in Rome. Fri., 3:30 PM (2.01) & Sat., 8 PM (11.01)

All Saints Gospel Choir. Performance
All Saints Gospel Choir graces the CTA Conference for the fourth time. The choir was formed a few years ago when three inner city Milwaukee parishes were forced to merge. It is one of the few integrated Gospel choirs. Directing the choir is Arlene Skwierawski, a high school music teacher whose leadership enabled her youth choirs to tour the U.S. and Africa. ASGC performed in Europe in 1998. Sat., 8 PM (11.02)

Amigos de Dios Marimba Ensemble. Performance
Amigos de Dios are the Holy Cross/Immaculate Heart of Mary Marimba Ensemble, founded 13 years ago in a Chicago inner city neighborhood. The group involves 100 kids ages 7 to 16, with about 35 studying the marimba. Teenage marimbistas team up to teach the younger children to play. Amigos have performed at City Hall, Grant Park and the Chicago Symhony Center. Summer tours have taken the ensemble to Washington, New York, Denver and Atlanta. Sat. noon. (7.01)

Beyond Afghanistan: How Do We Create True Security?
Medea Benjamin led a women's delegation to Afghanistan in November to assess the human toll of U.S. bombing. In January she led four Americans who lost loved ones Sept. 11 to Afghanistan to meet people who lost relatives during U.S. bombing. The amazing trip got worldwide coverage, and the U.S. is now being pressured to discuss civilian casualties and a fund for the victims. She shares a powerpoint presentation about those trips, and the moral/financial duty of the U.S. for the Afghan future. Benjamin is founding director of Global Exchange. She has spearheaded the anti-sweatshop movement against Nike and The Gap and the campaign for fair trade coffee, and was the Green Party candidate for the U.S. Senate from California in 2000. Sat., 2:30 (9.01) & 8 PM (11.03)

The Many Faces of Biblical Interpretation
Dianne Bergant, CSA, shows via examples that the way the biblical message is understood is influenced by the cultural context of the reader. Gender, race, ethnicity and economic status play key roles in determining the revelatory strength of the message at any moment in history. Bergant is professor of Old Testament studies at Catholic Theological Union, Chicago. Her research interests include biblical theology, the integrity of creation, feminism, liberationist perspectives, and world mission. She contributes many reviews to The Bible Today, and authored Israel's Wisdom Literature: A Liberation-Critical Reading (1997). Sat., 9 AM (5.01) & 4 PM (10.01)

Isaiah 2 and Its Relevance Today
Philip Berrigan and Elizabeth McAlister explore the prophecy of Isaiah about beating swords into pruning hooks, a message reinforced by the Sermon on the Mount. These scriptures, as the Word of God, have the potential to bring the nuclear club to heel, disarming its nuclear weaponry. As long as there is a remnant of Christians faithful, free and daring enough to take hammers and blood to invade the hellholes and disarm the First Strike obscenities, the Word has flesh that will threaten the killing machines of the world. The couple live and work at Jonah House, a nonviolent resistance community they founded in Baltimore in 1973. Philip has been nominated six times for the Nobel Peace Prize. Sat., 4 PM (10.14)

Tough Forgiveness
Jennifer and Jeanne Bishop believe in the transforming power of forgiveness. They lived through the 1990 brutal murder of their sister Nancy, her husband and their unborn child. They have since become leaders of Murder Victims Families for Reconciliation (Jennifer is national board chair), working for healing and peacemaking and opposing violence, guns, and the death penalty. Jeanne, an attorney and public defender in Chicago, speaks frequently for Amnesty International and against capital punishment. They share experiences and explore ways of responding to evil. How can we forgive someone who is not sorry, while not excluding justice or condoning the evil? Sat., 9 AM (5.02) & 2:30 PM (9.02)

"Done Made My Vows to the Lord": Thea Bowman and Our Church Today
Joseph Brown, SJ, considers the words, music and public persona of the late Sister Thea Bowman. Was she an "exception" or was she a prophet? How can her witness influence our engagement with issues confronting the Catholic Church now? Director of Black American Studies at Southern Illinois University, Brown lectures on African American spirituality, history and culture. He is the author of A Retreat with Thea Bowman and Bede Abram: Leaning on the Lord, and wrote the selection about Bowman in Celebrating Women Witnesses, the FutureChurch/CTA resource packet. Sat.,1 PM (8.02) & 2:30 PM (9.03)

Coming Out as a Liberal Catholic
Jim Bussen and James Cappleman see parallels between coming out of the CTA closet and the gay coming out experience. They share the applicable lessons gays and lesbians have learned in coming out. CTA members will get renewed strength to share their gifts for reform with their parish community. Bussen, a contract trainer in electronic banking, is former national president of Dignity/USA. Cappleman, a clinical social worker specializing in hospice care, is a past president of Dignity/Chicago. Fri., 3:30 PM (2.02) & Sat., 2:30 PM (9.04)

The Formation of Peacemaking
Daniel Caron knows that forming peacemakers happens one person at a time and requires continual practice. Explore the wisdom of spiritual teachers, nature, and lessons from Original Play, as we move from head to heart in the actual practice of building peace. Caron also guides morning sessions "creating prayer." We are asked to bring our favorite prayer, passage or poem. A former university teacher/counselor, Caron is a play specialist from Wheeling, W. Va., who now facilitates programs to promote personal and community peace. His present focus is with children and women of battered families. Workshop Sat., 1 PM (8.03) & 2:30 PM (9.05) Prayer session Sat. (4.01) & Sun. (12.01), 7:45 AM.

Women in Praise of the Sacred
Kathryn Anne Christian leads us in her original songs based on remarkable women such as Mary, Elizabeth, Hildegard of Bingen and Teresa of Avila. Our singing is deepened through personal and group reflection, scripture and simple body movement. Christian is also collaborating with Edwina Gateley in her presentation. She is a singer and church musician in Traverse City, Mich., with an M.A. in theology. Her musical releases include Ascension, Come Holy Mother, and Growing into God, a collaboration with Gateley. Sat. (4.02) & Sun. (12.02), 7:45 AM.

Rebirth: The Musical Journey of a Catholic Lesbian
Chris Connors weaves prayer and her own original music into her story of coming out as a lesbian, embracing her sexual identity as a Catholic, finding an affirming faith community, and living her call. Connors is a Boston folksinger/songwriter with her own CD, "A Perfect Shade of Blue." She is a 19-year member of Dignity Boston. Her song, "Prophets to the World," was the theme song for the 1997 Dignity/USA convention. Sat., 8 PM (11.04)

Science, Spirituality, and Seeding Consciousness
Carol Coston, OP, uses audio-visuals to discuss the effects of scientific breakthroughs on an emerging cosmology that connects with spiritual traditions. But globalization poses threats to the Earth, especially through genetically modified organisms on the world's heirloom seeds stocks. Coston helped found NETWORK, the Catholic justice lobby, and spent 10 years as its director. She is also founding director of two alternative loan funds that harnessed nearly $12 million in religous investments to bring credit to low income communities in the U.S., Latin America and Africa. She is co-founder/director of Santuario Sisterfarm, in the Texas Hill Country, working to change people's relationships to Earth and each other from dominance to co-creative partnership. Sat., 1 PM (8.04 ) & 4 PM (10.02)

A Critical Mass: Women Celebrating Eucharist
A Critical Mass - the inclusive feminist public Eucharistic celebration in Oakland, Calif. - brings core group members to share the historical and theological origins of this liturgy. Experience the gestures and songs with the women and men who make it happen - mainly cradle Catholics over 50, including religious, married and divorced, gay and straight. They are Monica Kaufer, Carolyn and Ralph Kellogg, Catherine MacGuinness, Kate O'Day, Mary and Maureen Reimer, Victoria Rue, and Kim Wayne. All have a passion for a discipleship of equals in a reformed, inclusive Catholic Church. Come with your comments and questions! Workshop, Sat., 1 PM (8.05). Liturgy, Sat., 4 PM (10.03)

A "Kairos" Moment for the Catholic Church
Michael Crosby, OFMCap, contrasts two Greek words for time: chronos means chronology, while kairos means a breakthrough in history. He sees the current spate of media stories about failed church leaders, not just as a chronology of abuse, but as a kairos event. Come and see if you agree. Crosby has a masters in economics, and a doctorate in theology at Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, Calif. His work is twofold: writing/speaking about biblical spirituality geared to our First World society, and advising investors on corporate responsibility. His 13 books include The Dysfunctional Church and Celibacy: Means of Control or Mandate of the Heart? Sat., 9 AM (5.03) and 4 PM (10.04)

Divorced Catholics Need Our Pastoral Help to Remarry
Charlie Davis rejected the annulment process because it would have forced him to deny that his first marriage (17 years, four children) was sacramental. He shows how divorce and remarriage were accepted for 1100 years in the Church (when priests and popes were married). He critiques the annulment process, calls for a mature theology of marriage, and invites us to support the sacraments for divorced/remarried Catholics. A retired government defense analyst, Davis has written extensively about his topic, contributing chapters in Rome Has Spoken and two other books. He coordinated a 1997 open letter to the bishops endorsed by 20 reform groups. Sat., 1 PM (8.06) & 2:30 PM (9.06)

Love Your Neighbor, Love Your Enemies: Jesus' All-Inclusive Nonviolence from New York to Kabul to Baghdad
John Dear, SJ, reflects on Jesus' call that we love not only our neighbor but even our enemies. Through stories, scripture, and the modern example of Dr. King, Gandhi and Dorothy Day, he invites us to the Gospel conclusion that accepting human diversity means renouncing war and nuclear weapons and welcoming every human being as a child of the God of peace. Activist and author/editor of 20 books, Dear has traveled in war zones, gone to jail for anti-nuclear actions, and served as chaplain to grieving families in New York right after 9/11. His books include Living Peace and Jesus the Rebel. Sat., 9 AM (5.04) and 4 PM (10.05)

A Faith Reflection on the Global Economy
Marie Dennis describes the impact of globalization as it is now being implemented, and proposes some strategies for a faith-filled response. Dennis is director of the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns. Mother of six, she sits on the boards of the Washington Office on Latin America and the Religiious Task Force on Central America and Mexico. Her all-day Friday seminar on this topic is on page 2. Sat., 1 PM (8.07) & 2:30 PM (9.07)

The Impact of the Clergy Sex Abuse Scandal on Gay Catholics and our Families
Marianne Duddy is executive director of Dignity/USA. From that national vantage point she has watched the scandal affect gay Catholics on many levels. Gay men and lesbians were victims. Gay priests and seminarians became targets of official blame. Families of gay people were told their children were child molesters. She offers an analysis of these various dimensions from the perspective of a lesbian Catholic. Duddy has an M.A. in theology. She and her life-partner Becky Burke live and work in Boston, the epicenter of the current scandal. Sat., 9 AM (5.05)

Beyond Religious Pluralism: A Post-9/11 Progressive Islamic Perspective
Farid Esack sees all faith communities challenged after 9/11. Pax Americana poses as an absolute, facing the absolute evils of terrorism. In the name of religious pluralism, the world community is being marshalled to serve patriarchy, militarization and consumerism. Religious traditions of dissent are delegitimized. What survival strategies lurk beneath the new-found Muslim rhetoric of "Islam means peace" and "The Qur'an is as benign as the U.S. Constitution" ? Esack is a South African Muslim theologian who has written on Islam, gender, liberation theology, and interfaith relations. He teaches interreligious studies at Xavier University, Cincinnati. Sat., 9 AM (5.06) and 4 PM (10.06)

The Church and Human Rights in Asia
Basil Fernando, director of the Asian Human Rights Commission in Hong Kong, discusses human rights across Asia, and the role of the Church as a minority religion in championing those rights. Fernando is a native of Sri Lanka, and a friend of theologian Tissa Balasuriya. He practiced law at the Sri Lankan Supreme Court, but was forced to flee for his life in the violent civil war. He was a human rights officer with the U.N. in Cambodia, and was recently awarded a prestigious peace prize in Korea. He is the author of several books on human rights. Fernando is also part of the Theology of Peace panel. Sat., 1 PM (8.08) & 2:30 PM (9.08)

Close Encounters of the Interreligious Kind
Dirk Ficca asks: What does it mean to live out one's own spiritual tradition in a religiously diverse society? Who are our neighbors? How can we get along, and better our community and world? Rev. Ficca is executive director of the Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions, a non-sectarian organization which fosters dialogue and common action in Chicago and around the world. In the 1980s he pastored a Presbyterian church in Michigan. He is also anchoring a panel on interreligious dialogue. Sat., 1 PM (8.09) & 2:30 PM (9.09)

Soul Sisters: Gospel Women Speak to Women Today
Edwina Gateley, assisted by Carolyn Vogt Groves, offers dramatic reading from her new book, Soul Sisters, to bring women from Scripture into our hearts and lives. Through poetry, visuals, and the beautiful music of Kathryn Anne Christian, the centuries dissolve as our soul sisters come alive and we experience the struggles, joys and hope of our shared womanhood. Gateley founded the Volunteer Missionary Movement, a lay overseas mission group, and Genesis House, a haven for prostitutes in Chicago. Her many books include Growing into God and The Mystical Heart. Read more about her and her all-day Friday session. Sat., 9 AM (5.07 and 4 PM (10.07)

Four Gifts of the American Church to the Universal Church
Roger Haight, SJ, recalls how the doctrine of religious freedom proclaimed at Vatican II can be related through John Courtney Murray to the American Catholic experience. Are there other contributions the American Church can make to the church at large? Haight identifies three more: the distinctively North American experiences of women in the church, of the rise of the laity in ministry, and of the positive character of pluralism. Haight is professor of historical and systematic theology at Weston Jesuit School of Theology in Cambridge, Mass., and past president of the Catholic Theological Society of America. His latest book, Jesus Symbol of God, was hailed by the Catholic Press Association as the best work in theology in 2000. It also got him banned from teaching pending an investigation by Cardinal Ratzinger's doctrinal commission. Sat., 9 AM (5.08) and 4 PM (10.08)

Songs of Faith - Songs of Freedom. Performance
Kim and Reggie Harris share the music of African American protest traditions, from the Underground Railroad through the Civil Rights movement. From their first album in 1982 to their recent recording, Steal Away, the Harrises' music honors their forebears and supports the struggle of enslaved people everywhere for freedom. The pair have toured the world as a folk music duo since 1980, averaging 250 concerts a year. Kim and Reggie are part of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (Washington, D.C.) Touring Workshop Program, teaching teachers how to bring the arts into the classroom. They are teamed with Diana Hayes in an all-day Friday program. Their songs are also introducing James Cone's plenary address Sunday. Sat., 8 PM (11.05)

Black, Catholic, Womanist: What Have African American Catholic Women Contributed to the Church?
Diana Hayes notes that little has been written about them. But without them, there would not be a Black Catholic community of faith today. She shares the story of their journey of faith from the 16th century until now. Their perseverance offers a lesson and a challenge to all of us. Attorney and theologian with twin doctorates from Louvain (Belgium), Hayes teaches theology at Georgetown, and also in the Institute for Black Catholic Studies at Xavier University. Her books include And Still We Rise: An Introduction to Black Liberation Theology. She also has an all-day Friday program. Sat., 9 AM (5.09)

Receiving the Gifts of the Spirit
Joan Horgan guides us via the arts - movement, drawing and writing - to open hearts and lives to the loving Creator. We don't need to be proficient in the arts to find this prayer meaningful. Horgan gives retreats, prayer experiences and evenings of reflection using the expressive arts. She is director of campus ministry at the College of St. Rose, Albany, N.Y. Workshop Sat.,1 PM (8.10) Prayer session Sat. (4.03) & Sun. (12.03), 7:45 AM.

A Peace and Justice Parish: Let Liturgy Be Liturgy
Gabe Huck asserts that peace and justice isn't a committee: it's what the whole parish does. The whole assembly comes to do its liturgy with strength and beauty. Christians make liturgy - and liturgy makes Christians. Huck was director of Liturgy Training Publications for 24 years (fired when Cardinal George announced "a new day" in liturgical renewal). His many books include Sunday Mass Five Years from Now and Liturgy with Style and Grace. With his wife, Theresa Kubasak, he has traveled to Iraq three times with Voices in the Wilderness. He hails from St. Nicholas Parish, Evanston, Ill. Sat., 1 PM (8.1) & 2:30 PM (9.10)

Community Blessings Rangoli
Indira Freitas Johnson uses art, ritual and dialogue to unite the community in hope and friendship. Rangoli is a South Asian folk art, handed down from mother to daughter, where a woman begins the day by painting a pattern on the threshold of her home. We use traditional materials like rice flour, turmeric, earth and flower petals to create our own rangoli and discover our common humanity and spiritual potential. Johnson is an artist/sculptor who responded to ethnic violence in the world in 1993 by starting the Shanti Foundation for Peace in Evanston, Ill. to put the arts in service to peace and understanding. Shanti projects are operating in seven Evanston schools and three Chicago sites. Johnson will also lead a Rangoli morning prayer session. Workshop Fri., 3:30 PM (2.04) Prayer Sat., 7:45 AM (4.04)

Women in Church Leadership: Where Do I Find Hope?
Theresa Kane. RSM was president of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious in 1979 when she urged Pope John Paul II to "consider the possibility of women being in all ministries of the church." Her courageous action won worldwide attention, and led to awards from 11 national and international organizations. Kane holds master's degrees in women's history and public administration and has participated in U.N. conferences on women in Nairobi, Beijing and Washington. She will share wisdom gleaned from many years of working to advance women's roles and will comment specifically on the work of the FutureChurch/Call To Action Women in Church Leadership effort. Fri., 3:30 PM (2.05) & Sat., 9 AM (5.10)

The Wound: Still Unhealed
Eugene Kennedy in 2001 published The Unhealed Wound: The Church and Human Sexuality. He addresses the same theme here. The wound is the failure of Catholic Church leaders to understand and embrace human sexuality. Their dismissive, even condemnatory, attitude toward sex has caused great pain in millions of believers and has led to a Church out of touch with the true spirituality of its people. Professor emeritus of psychology at Loyola University Chicago, Kennedy is author of some 50 books, writes a column syndicated by the New York Times, and had his TV play about John XXIII produced by PBS. His next book, 9/11: Meditations at the Center of the World, is a series of reflections on the World Trade Center attack. Fri., 3:30 PM (2.06)

Celebrating Diversity: Praying with the Peoples of the World
Joseph Kilikevice, OP, leads the Dances of Universal Peace - simple chants and movements in a circle of prayer to the sounds of sacred phrases from the Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish, Christian, Moslem, and Native American traditions. Kilikevice is founding director of SHEM Center for Interfaith Spirituality, Oak Park, Ill., with 20 years of national experience leading interfaith retreats in the creation spirituality tradition. He is also leading a day of reflection on Friday. Prayer Sat. (4.05) & Sun. (12.04), 7:45 AM.

Starving for the Swoosh
Leslie Kretzu and Jim Keady recount the time they spent during August 2000 living in a factory workers' slum in Tangerang, Indonesia, surviving on $1.25 a day - a typical wage paid to Nike's workers. Their interactive multi-media presentation includes slides, music, role-playing, and powerful new footage of their chance encounter with Nike CEO, Phil Knight, at Nike headquarters in Beaverton, Ore. Leslie and Jim are co-founders and co-directors of Educating For Justice, which does empowerment, education and action programming against Nike sweatshops and injustice to workers. Sat., 9 AM (5.11) & 2:30 PM (9.11)

Environmental Action, Grassroots Organizing, and Vision for the Future
Winona LaDuke shares unique perspectives as a native American - a member of the Mississippi Band Anishinaabeg. Author of four books, the mother of three children, and a two-time Green Party candidate for vice president, LaDuke is involved in local, national and international environmental issues from her home on the White Earth Reservation in Minnesota, where she is founding director of the White Earth Land Recovery Project. Graduate of Harvard and Antioch Universities, she is program director of the Honor the Earth Fund and a former board member of Greenpeace USA. In 1994 Time magazine listed her as one of America's 50 most promising leaders under 40. Fri., 3:30 PM (2.07) & Sat., 9 AM (5.12)

Stories of Hope. Performance
Let's Start, Inc., is a support process for women in transition from prison to society. It began in 1989 when Jackie Toben, SSND, began meeting informally with two women formerly incarcerated. Stories of Hope is a dramatic presentation, with music, of real life stories of women who have experienced the criminal justice system. Let's Start, Inc., based in St. Louis, Mo., believes that women coming out of prison can best empower those who come after them. Sat., 1 PM (8.12) & 8 PM (11.06)

A "e"ucharistic Celebration for the Powerless, the Oppressed and the Unusual
Shawn Lowe and Laura Newport lead what Miriam Therese Winter refers to as "eucharist with a small e" - an alternative and/or supplement to official Eucharist. We often think we are the only ones who feel powerless, oppressed or unusual. If we asked our neighbor, we might find they feel the same way. We bring our gifts and challenges to the table, break bread, sing and praise God, for we are not alone. Lowe and Newport pool their years of experience in liturgy planning, music ministry, religious education and youth retreats in several parishes. They are now active at Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish in Arlington, Va. Prayer Sat. (4.06) & Sun. (12.05), 7:45 AM.

The Shepherd Initiative: Building a Body of Christ Where All Are Truly Welcome
Mark Matson reacted to the Wyoming hate killing of the young gay man, Matthew Shepard, with more than outrage. Himself a gay Christian in Columbus, Ohio, he gathered 21 Christian church leaders in his area, and founded the Shepherd Initiative, an ecumenical coalition in which hundreds of people from 11 denominations are working to overcome homophobic fear and ignorance with information and understanding. Its 2000 conference drew 350 people from 11 states to hear Bishop Tom Gumbleton, Mel White and Peggy Campolo. Its 2003 event is expected to double that number. Sat., 4 PM (10.10)

Building Community While Closing the School of the Americas
Bill McNulty recently served a six-month jail term for civil disobedience protesting the U.S. Army's School of the Americas. A conservative Long Islander, he first questioned U.S. foreign policy during the Gulf War, learned about SOA from Fr. Roy Bourgeois, and now travels the country speaking out against SOA for training over 60,000 Latin American officers who kill their own people and trample on human rights. McNulty explains why closing SOA is even more urgent since Sept. 11, and offers organizing and action steps. Co-presenter is Megan Kennedy. Sat., 1 PM (8.13) & 2:30 PM (9.12)

Prayer for Healing the Church in Response to Clergy Sex Abuse
Bridget Mary Meehan, SFCC leads a quiet, meditative prayer to transform the whole church, wounded by the failures of its leaders, in the compassion of our God. Meehan is author of 20 books, including The Healing Power of Prayer. She is producer of Godtalk, an interfaith TV program on spirituality and justice, and serves as president of the Federation of Christian Ministries, in which women and men minister as partners and equals. Sat., 8 PM (11.07)

Who Is Jesus?
Michael Morwood says our answer can link us with all people and give us hope for renewing the Church. The Fall/Redemption/Jesus-as-Mediator story that underpins orthodox Catholic thinking urgently needs to be replaced with a more catholic perspective that sees everyone living IN God. Morwood is author of Tomorrow's Catholic (1997), Is Jesus God? (2001) and the forthcoming God Is Near (Sept., 2002). After 30 years of ministry he resigned from religious life and priesthood in 1998 and lives with his wife, Maria, in Melbourne, Australia. Fri., 3:30 PM (2.08) & Sat., 4 PM (10.11)

Sexuality and Catholicism 2002: Shattered but Still Whole
Holly and Terry Nelson-Johnson challenge us to see the current Church crisis around sexuality as a positive opportunity. Together we contemplate the mysterious prospect that we, both individually and as a church, are shattered but still whole with respect to the precious gift of sexuality. Terry is director of faith formation at Old St. Patrick's Church, Chicago. Holly is a family nurse practitioner specializing in integrative medicine. Together they conduct frequent workshops on marriage, relationship and sexuality. Sat. 1 PM (8.14) & 2:30 PM (9.13)

Passing On Our Values
Timothy O'Connell shares key insights from two of his 12 books: Making Disciples: A Handbook of Christian Moral Formation, and Tend Your Own Garden: How to Raise Great Kids. How can we share our vision of life, our sense of what's really important? O'Connell is professor of ethics in the Institute of Pastoral Studies, Loyola University Chicago, and a nationally recognized expert on values formation and transmission. Making Disciples received an award from the Catholic Press Association as the best educational book in 1998. Sat. 1 PM (8.15) & 2:30 PM (9.14)

Remembering the Dawn: American Indian Spirituality and the Gift of Diversity in the American Experience
Paul Ojibway, SA, discusses the American Indian community of tribes and nations - the most ethnically diverse population on this continent. It has thrived amid diversity and continual adaptation. What foundations for spiritual growth can we discover in this uniquely American experience of diverse cultures, languages and religions? Ojibway, a Franciscan Friar of the Atonement, is a member of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. He convenes the Leadership Task Force for the National Tekakwitha Conference and consults on American Indian spirituality and culture. Ojibway will also lead Prayers of the Four Directions. Sat., 1 PM (8.16) & 2:30 PM (9.15). Prayer Sat.(4.07) & Sun. (12.06), 7:45 AM

The Church in Latin America and the Challenges of Diversity
Suyapa Perez teaches theology at the University of Central America (UCA) in her native El Salvador, and leads a theology team that trains pastoral workers for local churches. Three steps - observe, judge and act - frame their theology. They observe unjust social structures of sexism, classism, racism, and dependency in the hemisphere. They judge based on the Gospel: amid differences of color, beliefs, sexual orientation and social status, every person has dignity. They take action: to alleviate suffering and build solidarity with the poor. Perez stresses how faith and justice bear fruit in the prophets and martyrs - like Archbishop Romero, the slain Jesuits and women, and many more in the Latin American Church. Sat., 1 PM (8.17) & 2:30 PM (9.16)

Día de los Muertos: A Celebration of Life
Mauro Pineda leads a participative ritual for this seasonal Mexican festival that parallels our Halloween, All Saints, and All Souls Days. Every culture has unique ways of dealing with life and death, often with special holidays that honor the memory of those who have gone before us. You can help build the altar by bringing flowers, candles, pictures or symbols of departed loved ones. Pineda, a native of Mexico and a resident of Chicago, is membership coordinator of national CTA. Sat.(4.08) & Sun. (12.07), 7:45 AM

A Therapist Looks at Clergy Sex Abuse
Patricia Porter has 525 hours of training and 15 years of experience in sex offender treatment and evaluation. With a masters in criminal justice and a doctorate in psychology, she has a private practice in Du Page County, west of Chicago, where 95 percent of her clients are sex offenders. Prior to 1987, Porter spent 19 years as a probation officer for the Juvenile Court of Cook County, Illinois. Her presentation will discuss types of offenders, the cycle of abuse, treatment and relapse prevention, and the risk of re-offense. Sat., 1 PM (8.18) & 2:30 PM (9.17)

Benchmarks II: A Study of Women and Jurisdiction
Kathleen Pruitt, CSJP, shares a four-year study commissioned by the Leadership Conference of Women Religious- the first empirical study of both lay women and women religious in Church leadership roles which involve jurisdiction in decision-making about personnel, property and policy. Women and Jurisdiction: An Unfolding Reality - The LCWR Study of Selected Church Leadership Roles presupposes that one's baptism, not ordination, disposes one to exercise influence and leadership in the Church. Findings reveal how women are already bringing their gifts and their potential to the tasks of leadership and governance in the Church. Pruitt is western province leader of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace. Sat., 9 AM (5.13) & 2:30 PM (9.18)

Spirit-led Guided Meditation and Prayer
Sondra Rhodes leads prayer whereby we seek to share in a joyful sense of the Spirit guiding our lives. She insists that "I facilitate the prayer session, but the Spirit is the leader." An African-American with a masters from the Jonnie Coleman Institute in Chicago, she is director of an alternative high school in Milwaukee, and chaplain of the Nehemiah Project, promoting crosscultural dialogue, especially between African and Celtic spirituality. Sat. (4.09) & Sun. (12.08), 7:45 AM

InterPlay: Spiritual Practice for Living an Embodied Life
Jane Siarny leads an experiential workshop. Through gentle movement, song and story-telling, we access our body's wisdom in an affirming environment. InterPlay was created by Rev. Cynthia Winton-Henry and Phil Porter over a 20 year partnership, and is practiced worldwide. Siarny has been leading InterPlay for 10 years with such groups as the National Catholic HIV/AIDS Ministry Conference, the United Church AIDS Network, the Sinsinawa (Wis.) Mound Center, and Catholic Lay Volunteers. Jane is a wife and mother with a M.F.A degree in dance. She is also in charge of dance for the conference liturgy. Sat., 9 AM (5.14)

Masterpiece in Progress. Performance
Jeff and Ellen Steinberg travel across North America sharing a message of hope, humor and encouragement, telling every person: "You are a masterpeice in progress." Since 9/11, that word is needed more than ever. Jeff is a singer, humorist and evangelist proclaiming that even in suffering, God is good. He was born without arms and hands and with legs deformed. Of Jewish parentage, Jeff grew up in hospitals and a home for the disabled. He took Jesus as his Messiah at age 11. He defines a handicap as "anything that keeps me from being or becoming all that God has designed for me to be." Ellen is a wife, mother and teacher with a special ministry to hurting women who have suffered abuse, the pain of divorce or the loss of a family member. Sat., 8 PM (11.08)

Taizé Prayer
Taizé prayer, with music from the ecumenical monastery of Taizé, France, has been a popular morning prayer option at CTA conferences, and will be available again this year. Sat. (4.10) & Sun. (12.09), 7:45 AM.

Universal Mystic Percussion Ensemble: A Performance
Universal Mystic Percussion presents a fusion of African, Afro-Cuban, Japanese and Russian music. Their traditional and improvised rhythms on conga and Japanese drums explore the power of music to heal body and spirit. Friday, 9:15 PM

An Obedient Church Is a Listening Church
Christine Vladimiroff, OSB, believes it is time to reconsider how decisions in the Church are made. How does decision-making function in a community of equals? If authority is service to the community, what does leadership look like? If obedience is responsibility to the community, what does it require? The monastic model defines both authority and obedience as listening. Authority must be a guide to God. Obedience must respond in an act of community. Both were exemplified last year when Vladimiroff, the prioress, and her Erie Benedictine community, decided not to accede to Vatican requests that their sister, Joan Chittister, be barred from the Women's Ordination Worldwide conference in Dublin. CTA's 2002 leadership award is being presented to Vladimiroff and her community. Fri., 3:30 PM (2.10) & Sat., 4 PM (10.12)

Sisters in Spirit: Houdenosaunee (Iroquois) Influence on Early American Feminists
Sally Roesch Wagner shares years of research on how gender equality in the Iroquois Confederacy inspired the 19th century women's rights movement in upstate N.Y. With one of the earliest Ph.D.s in women's studies, Wagner performs characterizations of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Matilda Joslyn Gage, and appears in the Ken Burns PBS documentary on Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, for which she wrote the faculty guidebook. She curated two exhibits for the Women's Rights National Historical Park during "Celebrate 98" in Seneca Falls, N.Y. She is author of a six-volume series, Daughters of Dakota, about the pioneering experiences of women in South Dakota. Fri., 3:30 PM (2.11) & Sat., 8 PM (11.09)

Who Do You Say That I Am?
Miriam Therese Winter, MMS, repeats a first century question as our 21st century challenge, as we struggle to live in the spirit of Jesus now and into the future. A Medical Mission Sister, Winter has a Ph.D. in liturgical studies and has published a dozen books. Recent titles are The Singer and the Song: An Autobiography of the Spirit, and Out of the Depths, the story of Ludmila Javorova, ordained a priest in the underground Church of Czechoslovakia under communism. Winter is Professor of Liturgy, Worship, Spirituality and Feminist Studies at Hartford Seminary in Connecticut. Fri., 3:30 PM (2.12) & Sat., 4 PM (10.13)

A Prayer Celebration of St. Mary of Magdala
Melody-Ann Yomekpe leads this ritual to honor Magdala, Apostle to the Apostles and first witness to the resurrection. The prayer service is based on the Mary of Magdala celebration developed by FutureChurch in partnership with Call To Action. It will incorporate music, scripture and reflection to celebrate Mary's life and to see how her wisdom can touch our lives today. Yomekpe is a native of Ghana, West Africa. She is pursuing a masters in literature at the University of Dayton.  She is also a choreographer of liturgical dance. Sat. (4.11) & Sun. (12.10), 7:45 AM.

"Plan Colombia": Another El Salvador?
Cecilia Zárate-Laun examines the complicated situation in her native Colombia. The U.S. military expenditures under Plan Colombia ($1.4 billion in one year) purport to make war on drugs. But aerial fumigation of coca fields has destroyed food crops, killed live stock, and rained contamination on families and children. Nonetheless, coca production has not diminished, but increased 25 percent. Meanwhile the violence and human rights violations escalate and the interminable civil war rages on. What does this mean to the Colombian people, and to us as Americans? Zárate-Laun is a former university professor in Bogotá, and now co-founder and director of the Colombia Support Network based in Madison, Wis., a nationwide group alerting the U.S. population to the effects of U.S. policy in Colombia. Sat., 1 PM (8.19) & 2:30 PM (9.19)