Introduction

Plenary Speakers

Presentations A-G

Presentations H-Z

Schedule

Registration

Friday Seminars

Features

Travel & Hotels

CTA Home Page

All Saints Gospel Choir. Performance
All Saints Gospel Choir brings its joyful harmonies and rollicking rhythms to the CTA Conference for the sixth time. The choir was formed some 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 (11.01)

Harambee, Let's Come Together! Praying with the Seven Principles of Kwanzaa
Celeste Anderson Byrne helps us, through song, movement and ritual, to explore the Nguzo Saba, the set of seven principles on which the African-American celebration of Kwanzaa is based. The session will focus on the ways these principles are related to social justice teachings. Byrne has a B.A. in theater and an M.A. in pastoral studies, and has worked in campus ministry, spiritual direction, HIV/AIDS services, and worship. She is founder/director of Celestial Jewels, a retreat and workshop ministry in Louisville. She is also national board president of Mary's Pence, an organization providing support to Catholic women's ministries. Sat., 1 PM (8.01) & 4 PM (10.01)

SIN: A Cardinal Deposed. Performance.
Bailiwick Repertory, a professional theatre company from Chicago, performs the shocking new docu-drama about Cardinal Bernard Law of Boston. The play by Michael Murphy is taken entirely from the 11,000 pages of the prelate's actual testimony in depositions in lawsuits alleging years of sexual abuse of children by archdiocesan priests. Law is accused of negligence reassigning priests who he knew had molested children. Rave reviews have called SIN “intense and disturbing” (Chicago Tribune), “searing” (New York Times), and “all the more powerful for its minimalism, reminiscent of Judgement at Nuremburg” (Chicago Sun Times). After a long run in Chicago the original cast is taking the play to Boston for a three-week engagement in June. Sat., 8 PM (11.02)

Awakening the Wild Man
Brian David Christian leads a prayer session inviting men to live as wild men of God. Through ritual, drumming, archetypes and discussion, we evoke the strength of the inner man, explore the joy of abandonment to God, and honor our wounds as gateways to our greatest potential. After 12 years in retreat work, Christian now works exclusively with men. He has made Richard Rohr's Men's Rite of Passage and his own journey of recovery. He was mentored by a Hopi elder and spent months alone in the wilderness. (Drums welcome but not required.) Sat. (4.02) & Sun. (12.02) 7:45 AM

Women Singing the Sacred
Kathryn Christian gathers women to celebrate the sacred in our lives through song, scripture, meditation and shared reflection. Using music based on women saints, mystics and prophets, we honor the Holy One with feminine images to find healing and nurture for our souls. Christian is a church musician in Traverse City, Mich., and a singer/composer of music based on scripture and women mystics. Her M.A. in theology is from New Brunswick Theological Seminary. Her recordings include Ascension, Come Holy Mother, and Growing Into God (with Edwina Gateley). Sat. (4.03) & Sun. (12.03), 7:45 AM.

The Crying Need to Formalize Our Ministry to a Church in Grief
John Chuchman discusses why each parish should have a formaiized ministry to its bereaved members, and how to organize one. We are all grievers. We mourn life's ordinary losses plus all those we bring upon each other, in and out of the Church. No one should have to go outside the faith community for help with the grief journey. After 32 years with Ford Motor Company, Chuchman answered a call to help the grieving, their caregivers, and anyone seeking spiritual help. He is author of four books on spiritual healing and growth, and gives retreats for hospices and churches across North America. Karen Schrauben joins him in morning prayer sessions “Remembering Those Who Have Gone On Before Us.” She is certified in pastoral ministry, served as a parish minister, and is a commissioned Lay Ecclesial Minister for the Lansing diocese. Workshop Sat., 2:30 PM. (9.01) Prayer Sat. (4.04) & Sun.(12.04), 7:45 AM.

Imaging God from Women's Experience: A Celebration of “She Who Is”
Lalor Cadley leads a prayer experience based on Elizabeth Johnson's book, She Who Is. God's face is visible not just in kingly lords and shepherds but in nursing mothers, working women, and sisters. We view images of God from women's experience and contemplate a world where God's image shines in all Her people, and men and women are equals in building God's KINdom on earth. Cadley is a spiritual director/retreat leader whose master's thesis was on spirituality in midlife. She writes guest columns on faith and values in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Active with CTA Georgia, she organized a Holy Week protest of the bishop's ban on footwashing for women, an action that attracted national media attention. Sat. (4.01) & Sun. (12.01), 7:45 AM

Catholic Moral Theology and Sexuality: Can the Catholic Tradition Say Anything Meaningful Today?
Charles Curran knows that for many Catholics today, the answer is no. The Church has lost credibility in this area. Negatives of the tradition are obvious: dualism of spirit and matter, patriarchal approaches, stress on the legal, authoritative positivism of teaching, and physicalism regarding natural law. Yet the positive elements could ground a more adequate sexual ethic: appreciation of the human, need for Scripture and tradition, faith and reason; a communitarian approach instead of individualism, and a different take on the role of hierarchical teaching. Curran is a world-renowned moral theologian and author of more than 40 books, including The Catholic Moral Tradition: A Synthesis. He holds the Scurlock Chair of Human Values at Southern Methodist U., Dallas. Read about his related Friday seminar here. Sat., 4 PM ( 10.02)

Getting into Trouble for Peace and Justice: The Next Step in Discipleship to the Nonviolent Jesus
John Dear reflects on practicing Gospel nonviolence in the current culture of war, hatred and division. Jesus was always in trouble. We too must learn to ‘disturb the peace’ with trouble-making nonviolence— the heart of the Gospel. Jesuit priest and former director of the Fellowship of Reconciliation, Dear was Red Cross coordinator of chaplains at the New York Family Assistance Center after 9/11. His 20 books on peace/justice include Jesus the Rebel, Living Peace, Disarming the Heart, and most recently, Living with the Questions of Jesus. He has been arrested over 75 times protesting war, and now coordinates Pax Christi New Mexico from his home in the desert. www.johndear.org Sat., 9 AM (5.01) & 4 PM (10.03)

Towards an Inclusive Sacramental Priesthood: Challenges, Opportunities
Russ Ditzel chairs a discussion of the Roman Catholic community’s growing embrace of a priesthood open to women and men, straight and gay, married and single. We look at changing social perspectives since Vatican II, the impact of generational differences, and how we can further encourage grassroots change. Ditzel is a married priest, president of CORPUS, and on the international executive committee of the North Atlantic Federation for a Renewed Priesthood. He is lives in New Jersey. Sat., 1 PM (8.03)

Whom God Has Called Together: Same Sex Marriage, Witness of Communion and Compassion
Brendan Fay, whose spouse is Tom Moulton, uses personal stories and video clips of their own and other couples' weddings to spark theological reflection and dialogue on the gift and challenge of same sex marriage for the Christian community. With an M.A. in theology, Irish-born Fay has been active in leadership of Dignity/USA since 1986. He is founder/co-chair of New York's inclusive St. Patrick's Parade and co-chair of the Civil Marriage Trail Project, bringing couples to Canada and Massachusetts for legal marriage. He and Tom were married in Canada last year, and reside in New York City. He recently coordinated a video documentary series on being Irish and gay in America. Sat., 1 PM (8.04) & 2:30 PM (9.03)

Restoring the Ruins: The Sex Offender Mentality in the Church
Fran Ferder identifies several characteristics which psychologists say are common to the psychic structure of abusers. They can be present not only in individual offenders, but in groups, institutions and structures. Some of them, such as ’rigid orthodoxy’, have facilitated the tragedy of clergy sexual abuse, and will continue to do so until the treatment applied to individual offenders is also brought to bear on church structures where abuse has flourished. Franciscan Sr. Ferder holds doctorates in psychology and ministry. She and colleague, Fr. John Heagle, co-direct a counseling and renewal center in Seattle which they founded in 1985 at the urging of Archbishop Hunthausen. Their co-authored books include Your Sexual Self: Pathway to Authentic Intimacy (1992) and Tender Fires: The Spiritual Promise of Sexuality (2002). Ferder is also part of a daylong seminar on Friday (click here). Sat., 9 AM (5.02) & 4 PM (10.04)

From Religion Back to Faith: Revisioning Our Story That “We May Have Life”
Barbara Fiand challenges us to a faith relevant for these arid times when our well seems to be running dry. Real faith precedes religion and gives it purpose. Faith links us to our common vision. We need the waters of contemporary experience lest our precious story wither. A Notre Dame de Namur sister, Fiand lectures and gives retreats in the U.S. and abroad on holistic, feminine and quantum spirituality, religious life, and transformation of consciousness. Her seven books include Releasement: Spirituality for Ministry; Wrestling with God; and the newly revised and expanded Refocusing the Vision: Religious Life Into the Future. She lives in Cincinnati, and is working on a new book developing the theme of this workshop. Sat., 9 AM (5.03) & 4 PM (10.05)

Toward A Radical Democratic Church: The Ekklesia of Wo/men
Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza notes how Roman Catholic theology has developed not only hierarchical-kyriarchal understandings of the universe but also a politics of exclusion that has made wo/men second class citizens. The struggles for the ekklesia of wo/men as a radical democratic space and spiritual vision seek to undo the theology of woman’s special nature and of the hierarchal-kyriarchal nature of church that legitimate the politics of exclusion. Schüssler Fiorenza taught for 15 years at Notre Dame and since 1988 has been professor of scripture interpretation at Harvard Divinity School. She keynoted the CTA conference in 1998. Her groundbreaking book, In Memory of Her (1983) transformed New Testament studies in a feminist direction all over the world. A more recent work is Wisdom Ways: Introducing Feminist Biblical Interpretation (2001). Fri. 3:15 PM (2.01) & Sat., 9 AM (5.04).

Sharing the Vision
Mary Ann Garfold offers a make and take workshop seeking ways for parish ministers and catechists to pass on the vision of church in religious education programs. From her work as spiritual director, RCIA director, catechist and retreat leader, she offers practical ways to share our vision of joy in God's love. She also leads a prayer session, "Bread for Ourselves and One Another,” with music, movement, reflection, and ritual sharing of many types of bread. Like bread, our spiritual life must contain salt, yeast, water and flour if we are to be broken and shared. Garfold has worked as a school psychologist, and got a second masters’ degree in applied theology from Wheeling (W.Va.) Jesuit University. Her ministry has included spiritual direction, retreats, and spiritual formation for catechists and lay ministers at diocesan and parish levels. She lives in Pittsburgh. Sat. (4.05) & Sun. (12.05), 7:45 AM

Body, Sex and the Sacred: A Latin American Perspective
Ivone Gebara seeks a new understanding of “sacred” in the realm of our bodies. The word is used, not only by anthropology and by religion, but also by today's capitalist culture. Which bodies are sacred and which are profane and profaned? Who decides? Christian tradition and contemporary feminism and ecology propose new ethical behavior regarding bodies, and new insights for understanding them. An ecofeminist theologian living with the poor in her native Brazil, Gebara endured silencing by the Vatican in the late 1990s. She taught in the Institute of Theology in Recife (1973-1989) and worked on a six-member team for alternative theological formation supported by the late Dom Helder Camara. Among her many books is Mary, Mother of God and of the Poor. Fri. 3:15 PM (2.02) & Sat., 4 PM (10.06).

Mystery, Catholicism, and the Future of Religion
David Gibson asserts that the crisis in the Catholic Church reflects in many ways a crisis in all religions. Does religion, as opposed to faith, have a future? If so, what role can Catholicism play in shaping that future? A veteran journalist on religion and human rights, Gibson worked for the English Programme of Vatican Radio, covered dozens of John Paul II's overseas trips, and has written TV documentaries about Catholicism, including recent CNN features: “Sacred Ballot,” about the coming conclave, and “The Mystery of Jesus,” a forensic look at the life of Christ. In the U.S. he has won the Templeton Religion Reporter of the Year Award. His best-selling 2003 book, The Coming Catholic Church, explains the transformations already underway through both a revolution from below and an impending change at the top. He is working on a follow-up book about the next pope. Fri. 3:15 PM (2.03) & Sat., 4 PM (10.07)

Torture and Impunity: A Story from El Salvador
Neris Gonzáles of El Salvador tells her personal story. A literacy and health worker among the peasants, in 1979 at age 17 she was captured by a death squad, tortured for nearly two weeks, left for dead in a body dump, yet she survived. She reported atrocities to Archbishop Romero, who was slain the next year. She came to the U.S. for trauma treatment in 1997 and filed for political asylum. Through the Center for Justice and Accountability, she filed a lawsuit against Generals Garcia and Casanova, who were living in Florida. Though the pair were acquitted in a simultaneous case filed for the four American churchwomen slain in 1980, a jury in 2002 ruled against the generals and awarded $54 million to Gonzales and fellow torture victims. The verdict honors countless Salvadoran victims, and give hope that even the powerful can be held accountable for human rights. Gonzales now works for ECOVIDA, a social justice/ecology group in Chicago's Hispanic community. Sat., 1 PM (8.06) & 2:30 PM (9.05)

In Good Conscience: Sr. Jeannine Gramick's Journey of Faith. Documentary film.
Jeannine Gramick's battle with the Vatican over her compassionate ministry to gay and lesbian Catholics is the subject of this new documentary film which premiered in Turin, Italy April 25 and at Lincoln Center in New York City, June 9. The Emmy-winning director is Barbara Rick, daughter of Joan and Don Rick of CTA New Jersey. She will be on hand after the 82 minute film to discuss it with the audience. Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Barbara Kopple calls the film “brilliant … the most insightful film so far about the Catholic Church.” Money to market it has come from such donors as Ellen DeGeneres, Susan Sarandon, The Andrew Goodman Foundation, and CTA members. It is a production of Out of The Blue Films: info@outofthebluefilms.com Screening Sat., 8 PM (11.03)

Discovering Ritual Moments: An Enactment of Decade Day
Salome Harasty and Janet Herrick, founders of Stone Circle spiritual resource center for women in Florida, make the case for women's re-discovery of ritual in their daily lives. Part of the workshop is Stone Circle's Decade Day ritual, celebrating passage from one decade of life to another. Volunteers will form the ritual circle. Past women will be remembered. Harasty has worked in religious education, parish ministry, and retreats. Herrick is a parish pastoral associate involved in adult enrichment and spiritual direction. Interest in spirituality of native peoples has taken her to Latin America, Thailand, Nepal and Tibet. Sat. (4.06) & Sun. (12.06), 7:45 AM

Redeeming the Black Body: Womanist Theology and Black Sexual Politics
Diana Hayes discusses how the bodies of persons of African descent, both male and female, have been dehumanized and rendered demonic by both the Catholic Church and U.S. society. She looks especially at the religious roots of “scientific racism” and the myth of true womanhood. Aspects of this demonization are still present and impede persons of African descent becoming church leaders. Womanist Theologians are challenging these stereotypical perspectives and redeeming the Black Body as created in the image of God. Attorney and theologian, Hayes teaches theology at Georgetown. Her books include And Still We Rise: An Introduction to Black Liberation Theology. Fri. 3:15 PM (2.04) & Sat., 1 PM (8.07).

And Justice For All: The National Review Board Confronts Clergy Sexual Abuse
Pamela Hayes, a prominent New York criminal attorney serving on the U.S. Bishops’ National Review Board, discusses how the Church’s justice system is working for victims and the wrongfully accused, and what role lay Catholics must play to insure that all members of the Church family receive justice. As a public defender in New Jersey, Hayes made headlines defending battered women in domestic violence cases. As a prosecutor in New York, she obtained guilty verdicts for high profile police corruption and hate crimes, especially the Howard Beach and Bensonhurst cases. She has taught law at John Jay School of Criminal Justice and at City University of New York. Fri. 3:15 PM (2.05) & Sat., 9 AM (5.05).

Sex, Science and the Sacred: Sexual = Personal = Spiritual Integration
Daniel Helminiak uses Bernard Lonergan's analysis of human consciousness plus the findings of medical and social sciences to make the case that sexual = personal = spiritual integration. The result is a broadly inclusive view of sexuality which is contemporary, not medieval. It challenges official Catholic teaching, yet builds upon its core, the natural law insistence that grace builds on nature. Helminiak has Ph.Ds in both theology and developmental psychology, and teaches at the University of West Georgia. He was teaching assistant to Bernard Lonergan at Boston College. His best known book is What the Bible Really Says About Homosexuality. His interdisciplinary treatment of spirituality is found in The Human Core of Spirituality and in Religion and the Human Sciences, and in upcoming popularizations, including Queer Quest: Gay Identity and Spiritual Growth. Fri. 3:15 PM (2.06) & Sat., 9 AM (5.06).

Call To Action's Anti-Racism Initiative
Thomas Honoré and Lena Woltering of the CTA board and its Anti-racism Task Force outline the Anti-racism Initiative CTA is undertaking with Crossroads Ministry. (For an all-day Friday workshop on the topic, click here.) As an organization rooted in the Gospel, we are called by God to address how race affects our organization, our church and our culture. Hear about the process used to analyze racism in CTA and greater society. We go beyond personal prejudice to face the misuse of power by systems and institutions. Honoré was a Josephite priest in the 1960s, then resigned and spent a career promoting civil rights for the poor and people of color in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. His new autobiography is Grace at Every Turn: The Journey of an African Creole Into and Out of the Priesthood. Woltering is former coordinator of the Fellowship of Southern Illinois Laity, a leader in the Illinois struggle against the death penalty, and a lifelong campaigner for a Vatican II Church. Sat., 1 PM (8.08) & 2:30 PM (9.06).

Lord, Send Out Your Spirit
Joan Horgan guides this prayer session. She helps us use the art forms of movement, writing and drawing to heighten awareness of the Holy Spirit at work within us. The Spirit enlivens us as it moves through us to God's glory. Horgan leads retreats, prayer experiences and evenings of reflection using the arts. She is director of campus ministry at the College of St. Rose, Albany, N.Y. Sat. (4.07) & Sun. (12.07), 7:45 AM

A Call to Wed: Theological Reflections on Marriage
Patricia Beattie Jung uses current debates about gay marriage to reflect on sexual pleasure, procreativity, gender complementarity, love and fidelity. She looks at Christian beliefs about the goodness of creation, the sexuality of Jesus, and the resurrection of the body. Our universal call to friendship, especially in loving partnerships, must be re-examined in light of all Christians' experiences, whether GLBT or heterosexual. Dr. Jung is also part of a daylong seminar on Friday (click here). She teaches theology at Loyola/Chicago, specializing in sexual ethics and particularly the moral evaluation of pleasure and sexual diversity. She is co-author of Heterosexism: An Ethical Challenge and co-editor, with Mary Hunt and Radhika Balakrishna, of the anthology, Good Sex: Feminist Perspectives from the World's Religions. She and her husband, Presbyterian minister Shannon Jung, mark their 30th wedding anniversary next year. They have three sons. Sat., 9 AM (5.07)

The DaVinci Code and Mary Magdalene
Joseph Kelly gives a Power Point presentation about the portrayal of Magdalen in Dan Brown's best selling novel, The DaVinci Code, which has caused more than 60 million readers to look at her in a new way. He also teams with Teresa Berger in a daylong workshop on the subject on Friday (click here). Kelly is chair of the religious studies department at John Carroll University, Cleveland, and author of eight books. He has addressed the current topic on four TV news outlets and in the pages of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland's daily paper. He speaks regularly on Cleveland public radio. Sat., 1 PM (8.09) & 2:30 PM (9.07)

Ethphatah! Music and Sacred Dance Workshop
Joseph Kilikevice, OP, leads this workshop named for the Gospel word for “be open.” To make the Church open, we must open ourselves, not hide from other People of God behind doors of division. This and other Aramaic words of Jesus are chanted and danced, softening the heart. No experience is needed: words, music and sacred dance are gently taught. Kilikevice also leads the Dances of Universal Peace as morning prayer. We call upon God in ways that honor a rich diversity of spiritual traditions: Jewish, Christian, Muslim and others. We use simple chants and reverent movement in a circle, opening us to peace, reconciliation and solidarity with all people of the word. Kilikevice is founding director of SHEM Center for Interfaith Spirituality, Oak Park, Ill., with 22 years of national experience leading interfaith retreats in the creation spirituality tradition. Ethphatah: Sat., 8 PM (11.04). Prayer Sat. (4.08) & Sun. (12.08), 7:45 AM.

Ancient Women, Ancient Echoes: A Pilgrimage to Compassion and Wisdom
Martha Ann Kirk and Covita Moroney share story, music and ritual from ancient Jewish, Christian and Muslim women, challenging and healing us for our journeys into the future. Stories come from Kirk's new book, Women of Bible Lands. Music is from Moroney's CD of Middle Eastern reconstructed music of the time of Jesus. For more about these talented women from San Antonio, see their daylong Friday workshop on here. Kirk recently received two Peacemaker awards for her interfaith work and use of the arts. She travels internationally to bring story, drama and dance in service of justice and peace. Sat., 4 PM (10.08)

Understanding Young Adult Catholics
Renée LaReau asks: what unique gifts and concerns do young adult Catholics bring to the Church, and what are their problem areas of disconnect with the institutional Church? She reflects on their lived experiences and recommends “best practices” to involve them in the Church's life. LaReau is a syndicated columnist whose work has appeared in U.S. Catholic, the National Catholic Reporter, and America. She is the author of Getting a Life: How to Find Your True Vocation, a 2003 book designed for young adults. She has a M.Div. from Notre Dame and a Masters in Journalism from Ohio State University. Sat., 1 PM (8.10) & 2:30 PM (9.08)

Why I Stay in the Church and Why You Should Too — Despite Everything
Robert McClory shares some insights, ideas and suggestions about keeping Catholic identity in an age when the institutional Church seems bent on driving everyone out of the pews or out of their minds. McClory is a Chicago journalist who writes for the National Catholic Reporter and other journals. He co-founded CTA News and remains its associate editor. He spent two decades on the board of CTA. Among his books are Power and the Papacy (1997) and Faithful Dissenters: Stories of Men and Women Who Loved and Changed the Church (2000). Fri., 3:15 PM (2.07)

Music Camp: Movement as a Praxis to Spirituality
Melvin John P. Miller and Kuukua Dzigbordi Yomekpe lead this participatory and interactive session, working with us to find ways in which movement can enhance spirituality and accompany the various forms of prayer. Please come dressed comfortably. They also lead morning prayer, “Communing with the Spirit through Dance.” We honor the morning with Melvin and Kuukua as they use movement to connect with the universe and show gratitude for the gift of a new day. Miller is director of dance ministries at The Riverside Church in New York City, and artistic director of A Time to Dance, Inc., employing the “Praise Dance” technique of Lynda Haymond. He is pursuing an M. Div. concentrating on systematic theology and the arts. Yomekpe, formerly known at CTA as Melody-Ann, is a liturgical dancer and choreographer whose work, seen at three previous conferences, is influenced by the culture of her native Ghana, West Africa. She serves CTA on the Next Gen Committee and the Anti-Racism Task Force. Sat. (4.09) & Sun. (12.09), 7:45 AM

Native Ways of Prayer and the Ecology of Meaning
Paul Ojibway sees the American Indian experience of the Sacred as critical for understanding of our place in the universe and our individual path. The ways of prayer are means to an ecology of meaning that embraces all the relationships that form the web of life.  This workshop explores the indigenous American ways of prayer and ritual that connect the People to the experience of the Sacred in ordinary life and transform it.  Likewise, we look at ways of praying that inform and challenge our post-modern notions of gender, sexuality, relationships, and exclusive, personalized spirituality and ritualized prayer. Ojibway is a Franciscan Friar of the Atonement and a memer of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. He convenes the Leadership Task Force for the National Tekakwitha Conference and consults on Indian spirituality. Fri., 3:15 PM (2.09) & Sat., 4 PM (10.09)

Erotic Relationships: Cosmic and Personal Dimensions
Diarmuid O'Murchu asserts that relationships and sexuality for long have been conditioned and undermined by narrow anthropocentric and biological terms of reference. We need to reclaim the deeper, embracing dimension of relationality that permeates creation at every level, human and non-human alike. For his part in a related daylong Friday seminar. O'Murchu is a priest and social psychologist in the Sacred Heart Missionary Congregation who lives in London and conducts seminars and workshops internationally. His books include Quantum Theology (1997), Reclaiming Spirituality (1998), and Evolutionary Faith (2002). Sat., 9 AM (5.08) & 4 PM (10.10)

Relearning Fidelity
Anthony Padovano feels that fidelity requires a realistic and challenging re-definition. Elements of rigidity and even self-indulgence were part of our former definition. Not all liabilities in our ideals can be eliminated, yet we must try to define fidelity in ways that give more substance to institutional loyalty and personal integrity. A founding member of Ramapo College in New Jersey, Padovano holds doctorates and professorships in both theology and literature, has written 25 books and plays, and lectures internationally. He is past president of CORPUS USA, and a leader in the International Federation of Married Catholic Priests. Sat., 9 AM (5.09) & 8 PM (11.05)

Sex Abuse and the Accountability of Bishops
Linda Pieczynski discusses the latest developments in the sexual abuse crisis, looks at the implications of the National Review Board’s reports, and shares strategies for holding the bishops accountable for their role in the scandal. Pieczynski was president of Call To Action from 1994 to 2000 and was an assistant state’s attorney specializing in sexual abuse cases in DuPage County, Illinois. As an adjunct professor at National-Louis University, she taught graduate courses on child abuse and neglect for educators. Her most recent publication is a pamphlet for the National Pastoral Life Center, entitled Keeping Our Children Safe. Sat., 1 PM (8.11) & 2:30 PM (9.10)

Globalization: From Chaos to the Great Design
Catherine Pinkerton examines both positive and negative facets of the globalization already in place. They reveal an inherent, expansive beauty, but also a challenge to us as Gospel people to be artisans of such a globalized reality, the plan of God, the Great Design. This dialogic session looks at both economic globalization and the theological currents which which are interwoven there, particularly the system we call cosmology. A sister of St. Joseph (Cleveland), Pinkerton for the past 20 years has lobbied on Capitol Hill for NETWORK; A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby. She is a former president of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, and now co-chairs the Churches’ Center on Theology and Public Policy in Washington. Sat., 1 PM (8.12) & 2:30 PM (9.11)

From Violence to Wholeness (FVTW): Transforming Ourselves and Our World
Cindy and Ken Preston-Pile invite us to cultivate the groundwork for the nonviolent life and offer a process and tools for putting this into daily practice in our communities and movements for social change. Trainers in the FVTW program of Pace e Bene Nonviolence Service in Oakland, Calif., they use ritual, stories, interactive exercises, creative expression, and presentation. We focus on how we can harness the transformative power of nonviolence to create peace. Besides Pace e Bene, Cindy has worked with Pax Christi and the Nevada Desert Experience. Ken has worked with Global Exchange and Peace Brigades International. Sat., 1 PM (8.13) & 2:30 PM (9.12)

A Woman's Journey to Priesthood
Mary Ramerman tells her story: how a pastoral assistant and mother of three became a priest and pastor to the vibrant community of Spiritus Christi in Rochester, N.Y. She shares the three-year process of discernment and theological reflection that led to her ordination in November 2001, and the questions it raised in her community. What light does her experience shed on future women priests? Spiritus Christi is an inclusive Catholic parish known for its outreaches to the poor, including prison ministry, mental health center, recovery house and projects in Haiti and Chiapas, Mexico. The parish has taken a stand on ordaining women, gay unions, and welcoming everyone to Eucharist. Before priesthood Ramerman spent 25 years in youth, religious education, and pastoral ministry. Fri., 3:15 PM (2.10) & Sat., 9 AM (5.10)

New Faces in the Priesthood: Women Seeking Ordination
Victoria Rue and Anne Pezzillo chronicle how Catholic women, believing that ordination will come from the grassroots, not the hierarchy, are boldly seeking ordination in alternative Catholic communities, small faith groups, and ecumenical settings. They are rethinking what it means to be a priest by creating a priesthood alongside the people. Rue has a Ph.D. in theology, teaches at the University of San Francisco, and is co-founder of A Critical Mass: Women Celebrating Eucharist, a group that gathers for an inclusive feminist Eucharist once a month at a public park in Oakland, Calif. She has worked with the leadership of Women's Ordinaton Conference (WOC) for over ten years. Heeding her own call to the priesthood, she expects to be ordained to the diaconate in summer, 2004, by Austrian Bishop Christine Mayr-Lumetzberger. Anne Pezzillo is a licensed therapist and provides individual and family counseling to victims of domestic violence and their children. She is a WOC board member, and lives in Chicago with her partner of five years. Sat., 2:30 PM (9.13)

Optional Celibacy, the Priest Shortage and The Synod on The Eucharist
Christine Schenk csj of FutureChurch gives an overview of the CTA partnered project, the Corpus Christi Campaign for Optional Celibacy. She also addresses the call by the National Lay Review Board for an in-depth study of mandatory celibacy. CTA and FutureChurch activists surveyed priests in 65 dioceses about optional celibacy, sponsored over 30 educational celebrations of Corpus Christi, and are collecting tens of thousands of signatures for the International Synod on the Eucharist, October 2005. Inspired by the witness of 163 Milwaukee priests, the project held two press conferences at meetings of the U.S. Bishops and generated many media articles about the need to return to our early church tradition of both a married and a celibate priesthood.  Learn parish-based strategies for educating about the priest shortage, celebrating our Eucharistic identity and claiming our rights and responsibilities as Catholics. Let’s find a way to make the priest shortage a top agenda item at the Eucharist Synod. Sat., 1 PM (8.14) & 2:30 PM (9.14)

The Call of the Earth Charter
Mary Evelyn Tucker discusses the drafting of the Earth Charter that arose from the Rio Earth Summit in 1992 after worldwide consultation, and suggests how we and our communities can promote its spiritual vision. The Charter lays out principles for building a just, sustainable and peaceful global society. It responds to the global environmental crisis and demands rethinking of the spiritual dimensions of human/Earth relations. It uses the new cosmology of Thomas Berry and Brian Swimme as well as Catholic social teaching about justice. Tucker is a professor of religion at Bucknell University, teaching Asian religions and ecology. She served on the Earth Charter drafting committee, 1997-2000. She and her husband, John Grim, directed a series of conferences on world religions and ecology at Harvard, and are series editors for the ten volumes that resulted. They now coordinate the Forum on Religion and Ecology (www.environment. harvard.edu/religion) For Tucker's role in a daylong Friday seminar, click here. Sat., 4 PM (10.11)

The Truth of Our Lives Must Be Heard: A Prayer Service With Mary of Magdala
Gloria Ulterino and Judith Boyd enable Mary of Magdala to lead this prayer session on truth telling. She draws on Scripture and tradition to illumine her own story and enkindle the flame of truth in ours. The service uses music, storytelling, and a participatory ritual. It is taken from Ulterino's 2002 book, Drawing From Wisdom's Well. She is an active preacher and leader of the “Women of the Well” storytelling group in Rochester, N.Y. Former director of the Office of Women in the Rochester diocese, she has three masters' degrees in divinity, theology and American history. Boyd for many years has been a pastoral musician in both Catholic and Protestant churches. Since 1975 she has sung with Madrigalia, a nationally known a cappella ensemble in Rochester. Sat. (4.10) & Sun. (12.10), 7:45 AM

Dr. Spock Meets Gandhi: Value-Based Parenting
Susan and Jim Vogt know that all parents dream of their child’s success. But success means more than income, looks, or a happy marriage. This session is about raising children of integrity who value simplicity and care for others. Learn six practical ways to foster these values with children, drawn from Susan's book, Raising Kids Who Will Make a Difference (2002). Married since 1971, with four grown children, the Vogts were co-directors of family ministry for the Diocese of Covington, Ky, for over 20 years. Earlier they held similar positions in the Diocese of Kalamazoo, Mich. They are co-authors of Families Creating a Circle of Peace (1996) and Kids Creating Circles of Peace (2000). Today Susan is a freelance author/speaker. Jim is national director of the Marianist Social Justice Collaborative. Sat., 1 PM (8.15) & 2:30 PM (9.15)

Life, Death and the Sacred: Called to Respond to Global AIDS
Susan Weissert examines the structural and systemic issues underlying the AIDS pandemic, in which every day 8,500 people die, and in which every 14 seconds another child is orphaned by AIDS. HIV/AIDS erodes families and society, devastates national economies and challenges leaders to protect their people or placate international political powers. How much longer can the world, can we, allow our silence to condone millions of preventable deaths related to poverty, debt, lack of access to medicines, and unjust structures? Weissert is a Maryknoll lay missioner and coordinator of the Maryknoll AIDS Task Force. She has worked in public health and grassroots health education in Chile and Peru. Now she keeps in touch with missioners working in HIV/AIDS, shares their anguish and hope, does workshops, and lobbies for AIDS legislation and access to affordable medicines. Sat., 1 PM (8.16) & 2:30 PM (9.16)