Introduction

Plenary Speakers

Presentations

Schedule

Registration

Friday Seminars

Features

Travel & Hotels

CTA Home Page

Women Responding to Fundamentalism
Louise Akers and Soona Samsami draw upon their respective traditions, — the Gospel of Jesus and the Koran — to raise questions and strategies about dealing with fundamentalism in both Christianity and Islam. Akers is a feminist liberation theologian with 40 years’ experience as educator and justice activist. Samsami is a city planner and Director of Women's Freedom Forum, with has networks with women in Iran and Iraq confronting fundamentalism and championing women's rights. In 1998 she was elected U.S. Representative of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, which works to establish a secular and democratic government there. Sat., 1 PM (9.01) & 2:30 PM (10.01)

All Saints Gospel Choir. Performance.
The All Saints Gospel Choir of Milwaukee (pictured, page 6) brings its joyful harmonies and rollicking rhythms to CTA for the seventh time. The choir was formed some years ago when three inner city Milwaukee parishes werre forced to merge. It is one of the few integrated Gospel choirs. Under the able guidance of founding director Arlene Skierawski, the group has even performed in Europe. Sat., 8 PM ( 12.01)

A Commentary on Benedict XVI's Encyclical, God Is Love
Tissa Balasuriya renowned Asian priest-theologian from Sri Lanka, is no stranger to CTA. Excommunicated by Ratzinger's doctrinal office in January 1997 for alleged "relativism" in his book, Mary and Human Liberation, CTA joined the unprecedented worldwide protest, and brought Fr. Tissa to address our conference that November. Within two months the Vatican had reinstated him, a stunning reversal that Charles Curran saw as Rome yielding to the sensus fidelium. He returned to address CTA in November 1998. Meanwhile the Asian Bishops' Synod took forceful theological positions similar to Balasuriya's. Now over 80, the distinguished Sri Lankan focuses his theological analysis on the first encyclical of Ratzinger as pope, emphasizing that God Is Love must be read "in a religiously pluralist world.” Fri.,3:15 PM (2.01) & Sat., 8:45 AM (6.01)

Don't Just Stand There! Move!
Dianne Bergant pinpoints areas of our lives where the word of God might be challenging us in the words of the conference theme: Rise Up, People of God! She 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 is author of many books, including People of the Covenant, Israel's Wisdom Literature: A Liberation-Critical Reading, and Preaching the New Lectionary, Cycles A, B, & C. She is editor of The Collegeville Bible Commentary for both Old and New Testament.
Fri.,3:15 PM (2.02) & Sat., 10:15 AM (7.01)

Will Clergy Sex Abuse Victims Ever Be Satisfied?
Barbara Blaine and David Clohessy assess the current situation worldwide. Even with settlements paid, bishops’ apologies, and new procedures in dioceses, victims continue to lament. Why do we still say more is needed? The veteran leaders of SNAP, the Survivors' Network of Those Abused by Priests, point out concrete steps that may bring justice, healing and closure. Both are victims themselves. Blaine, a Chicago attorney, is SNAP founder and president. Clohessy, a St. Louis community organizer, has been national director for 14 years. Sat., 1 PM (9.02) & 2:30 PM (10.02)

Nonviolent Action for Change: Stories of the Struggles in Our Church
Marek Bozek, Stan Doherty and other local and regional CTAers and activists tell stories of their own nonviolent action in struggles with unjust leaders in their Church. This session repeats the stories recounted in the "Responding to the Fire" Friday retreat (page 2) and is part of the Nonviolent Action track (page 5, box). Bosek is pastor of the embattled St. Stanislaus Parish in St. Louis. Doherty of CTA New England has been part of resisting wholesale parish closings in Boston. Other stories come from New Orleans, Lincoln, Neb., and McAllen, Tex. Sat., 2:30 PM (10.03)

CTA's Just Church Project: An Overview
Debra Nell Brittenum and Paul Scarbrough present a one-hour introduction to CTA's new initiative to create a just and participatory church through nonviolent action. The session is part of a special track on nonviolent action for change described on page 5 (box). Brittenum and Scarbrough are CTA board members, she an attorney from Memphis and homilist at last year's conference liturgy, he an acoustical engineer from Norwalk, Conn., and CTA co-president.
Sat., 1 PM (9.03)

Climbing Jacob's Ladder
Joseph A. Brown, S.J., discusses cultural heroism in a world of slavery, displacement and gender oppression. With a Ph.D. in American Studies from Yale (1984), he is director of the Black American Studies Program at Southern Ill. U. at Carbondale. Lecturing widely on African and African American spirituality, history and culture, he has also been head liturgist for the National Black Catholic Congress. His works include Accidental Grace (poetry), A Retreat with Thea Bowman and Bede Abram (black spirituality), To Stand on the Rock: Meditations on Black Catholic Identity, and Sweet, Sweet Spirit: Prayer Services from the Black Catholic Church. Sat., 1 PM (9.04) & 8 PM (12.03)

The Just Church Project: Nonviolent Action for Full Participation Catholicism
Ken Butigan and Ken Preston-Pile are joined by Laura Slattery as co-facilitators in this two-part special training in the principles, techniques and tools of nonviolent action to create a just church. These training sessions are part of a special track on nonviolent action for change described on page 5 (box). How do we confront fear, despair and hatred? How do the stages of successful social movements apply to church reform? Participants from several recent CTA actions in U.S. dioceses are on hand to tell their stories. In a CTA Just Church Response Network, how can we create solidarity, visibility, and national community? Ritual, exercises and role play. Part 1, Sat., 8:45- 11:45 AM (5.01). Part 2, 1 - 3:30 PM (8.01)

Theology of Insecurity
Simone Campbell contrasts our nation's preoccupation with security and the Gospel life of faith that is not concerned for safety or filled with fear. Through interaction, Scripture and poetry, she shares a theology of discipleship and Pentecost peace in the face of homeland security and the war on terrorism. Its hallmarks are Gospel stories, our everyday reflections as U.S. citizens on the pain of our times, and the experience of conversion that gives us hope. An attorney and former head of her order, the Sisters of Social Service, Campbell is national coordinator of NETWORK in Washington, D.C., and has served on delegations to Mexico, El Salvador and Iraq. Fri., 3:15 PM (2.03) & Sat., 2:30 PM (10.04)

Remembering Lost Loved Ones
John Chuchman and Karen Schrauben lead morning prayer with music, meditation and sharing about our deceased loved ones. 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. Schrauben is certified in pastoral ministry, served as a parish minister, and is a commissioned Lay Ecclesial Minister for the Lansing, Mich., diocese. Sat., 7:30 AM (4.01) & Sun., 7:45 AM (13.01)

From the Stars to the Street: Engaged Wisdom for a Brokenhearted World
James Conlon envisions a new era of peace and wellbeing for the entire community of life. The vision becomes our call to action when we experience the beauty of creation, the inspiration of the gospel, and stories of solidarity and engagement. This interactive session gives voice to our own life narratives, our faith traditions , and the wisdom of the universe. Conlon is director of Sophia Center at Holy Names University, Oakland, Calif. Among his books are From the Stars to the Street, At the Edge of Our Longing, and Ponderings from the Precipice. Sat., 1 PM (9:05) & 8 PM (12.04)

Celebrando Mujeres Testigas
Luz Corcuera and Chris Janezic lead a bi-lingual prayer experience celebrating women of Latina heritage who have overcome the unjust structures of their day because of their belief in Jesus. May their example deepen our faith and empower us to work for justice for all. The session is coordinated by Emily Holtel-Hoag (right), Special Projects Coordinator for FutureChurch. ¡Reza con nosotros! Corcuera is Co-Director of Latino Faith Formation in the Venice, Fla., diocese. Janezic teaches Catholic Social Teaching at the high school level. Janezic has been in Catholic ministry for 25 years as a teacher, lawyer, social justice advocate, and campus minister. Sat., 7:30 AM (4.02) & Sun., 7:45 AM (13.02)

The Beatitudes of Peace
John Dear, S.J., first looks at our culture of violence and war, then finds in Jesus’s Beatitudes a spiritual path for nonviolent living in this environment and a mandate to do the work of peace, justice and compassion. An activist and author of 20 books on peace and nonviolence, including most recently You Will Be My Witnesses, Living Peace, and The Questions of Jesus, Dear is former director of the Fellowship of Reconciliation. He now lives and works in New Mexico with a campaign to close Los Alamos, birthplace of the bomb (www.johndear.org) Fri., 3:15 PM (2.04) & Sat., 8:45 AM (6.02)

The Mandala: Inner Kaleidoscope for Personal Growth and Community Building
Stella DeVenuta OSF invites us to visit a sacred space in the exhibit hall during the weekend for a spiritual mandala exercise. We create our own colorful cut paper mandalas in a form or shape which identifies each person. De Venuta then teaches us to form our own unique configurations whereby we understand how each individual adds to the complex beauty of the whole. We may also let go of what we hold onto so tightly, that a new paradigm might emerge. DeVenuta is a Milwaukee Franciscan, an artist, educator and spiritual director. She believes that creative process is all about soul work, and offers alternative means of experiencng the Divine through image, color and ritual. Available throughout the weekend in the exhibit hall, 3rd floor.

A Queer Eye for the Catholic Church
Dignity USA leadership conduct this workshop. Queer eyes see differently. They have a transforming vision. GLBT Catholics have been struggling with rejection and alienation in claiming our identity and place in the Church. The challenges continue. Through it all GLBT Catholics have come to know the importance of incluson, diversity, and the ability to know one's self and each other. They are not afraid to stand up to institutions and authorities to confront injustice. These lessons apply to all who care about transforming the Church. Dignity USA is the nation's largest organization of gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans-gendered Catholics and their families and friends. National and local programs promote reform in the Church and offer spiritual and social support. Sat., 1 PM (9.06) & 2:30 PM (10.05)

Kill the Indian and Save the Man: The Boarding School Holocaust in Indian Country
Willetta Dolphus tells the story of the boarding schools which destroyed native culture and imposed untold suffering on the native children who attended them. A Lakota from the Cheyenne River Sioux Nation in South Dakota, Dolphus has over 20 years' experience in domestic and sexual violence prevention, was a founder of the Batterer's Re-education classes on her reservation, and in 1981 founded the Sexual Assault Response Team, the first in Indian Country. She is now the coordinator of the Boarding School Healing Project, and a frequent speaker on violence against women and the boarding schools story. She is nationally certified as a law enforcement instructor on domestic violence. Sat., 1 PM (9.07) & 2:30 PM (10.06)

What the Abuse Issue Is Trying to Tell Us
Tom Doyle offers continuing insights. A Dominican priest and canon lawyer, Doyle has become a canonical and pastoral expert on clergy sexual abuse since serving at the Vatican Embassy when the scandal erupted in the mid-1980s. He has worked with victims all over the U.S. and Europe, and has been consultant or expert witness on several hundred abuse cases here and in England, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. Doyle coauthored Sex, Priests and Secret Codes with Richard Sipe and Patrick Wall. He has a Priest of Integrity Award from Voice of the Faithful (2002) and a Community Hero Award from the Association of Trial Lawyers of America. Fri. 3:15 PM (2.05) & Sat. 8:45 AM (6.03)

I Am Calling Both Women and Men to Priesthood: Rise Up and Proclaim This, People of God!
Patricia Fresen describes the Roman Catholic WomenPriests movement that began with the 2002 ordinations of the Danube Seven and has expanded dramatically. It led to her own ordination as priest in 2003 and bishop in 2005. She tells her own story: 45 years a Dominican sister in South Africa and theology professor at seminaries in Rome and her native South Africa, and her expulsion after 45 years as a Dominican sister because she was ordained. Fresen is now coordinator of the RC Womenpriests training program preparing scores of women internationally for ordination. She discusses the program and sketches its hope for the future. Fri. 3:15 PM (2.06) & Sat. 10:15 AM (7.03)

God Talk and the New Cosmology, Part 1 & 2
Margaret Galiardi in a two-part presentation probes traditional God talk as it evolves under the impact of today's scientific understanding of the origins of the Universe. Through poetry and photos from the Hubble telescope we play at naming Holy Mystery, and discover the new urgency of acting on behalf of Earth, which Thomas Berry calls "a voice of the Divine which once silenced will never be heard again.” A Dominican sister from Amityville, N.Y., Galiardi worked for years at the Intercommunity Center for Justice and Peace in Manhattan, then as staff ecologist at a spirituality center in Water Mill, N.Y. Her books include Encountering Mystery in the Wilderness: One Woman's Vision Quest. She lectures internationally on the emerging ecological theology. (Fri. 3:15 PM (2.07) & Sat., 10:15 AM (7.04)

Body of Peace: Yoga for Peacemakers
Carolyn Gantner leads morning prayer of gentle yoga and pranayama or breathing. Many of us have hearkened to Gandhi's words: “We must be the change we wish to see in the world.” But working for social change brings great stress in the face of suffering and injustice. Even amid chaos and struggle, we must learn to keep our hearts open. Yoga helps us do that — to nurture our own life force and to stay on the path to creating a more peaceful world. This gentle exercise requires no yoga experience, and we may participate sitting in a chair or on the floor. Gantner gives area retreats and teaches yoga weekly in Madison, Wis. Sat., 7:30 AM (4.03) & Sun., 7:45 AM (13.03)

Pope Benedict XVI and the Future of Reform
David Gibson shares insights about the new papacy's likely impact on the Church and its reform. His biography of the pope, The Rule of Benedict: Pope Benedict XVI and His Clash with the Modern World, is being published this September. A committed lay Catholic, Gibson is an award-winning religion writer who often writes about Catholicism and has produced TV documentaries on the Church for CNN. For several years he worked for Vatican Radio in Rome, and is widely regarded by other journalists as having the best sources among American Catholics, their bishops, and Vatican insiders. Fri., 3:15 PM (2.08); Sat., 10:15 AM (7.05)

Globalization and the Undocumented
Jim Harney, a photojournalist and storyteller, traveled to the U.S.-Mexican border and the Mexican-Guatemalan border in the thick of a national debate on the fate of some 12 million undocumented people. He offers this slide presentation and conversation illustrating the human cost of globalization. Latin American migrants run a gauntlet of brutality, riding on the outside of freight trains, trekking through deserts, hoping to find in the U.S. the future denied them in their homeland by economic imperialism. Harney encourages us to storytell about our place on the planet in relationship to the “others" we saw in the slides risking their lives to get to where we are. Sat., 1 PM (9.08) & 2:30 PM (10.07)

The Songs of Kim and Reggie Harris. Performance.
Kim and Reggie Harris return to their fans at CTA with the rich tapestry of songs they call “Bach to Rock,” with generous helpings of folk, gospel and jazz. They met in 1974, sang while attending Temple U. in their native Philly, and began touring in 1980. They average over 275 performances a year, at venues that include the Smithsonian and the International Children's Festival in Canada. The Harrises are part of the Kennedy Center's touring workshop training teachers to use arts in the classroom. Three favorite themes of their song programs are the Underground Railroad, the Civil Rights Movement, and African American Music of Social Change. They have five CDs on the Appleseed label. Fri., 3:15 PM (2.09) & Sat., 1 PM (9.09)

Deeper than Words: Awakening the Soul Voice
Joan Horgan makes this prayer session a chance to listen to the “still small voice” in your soul. She helps us use the art forms of movement, drawing, music and writing to enter the quiet place where God speaks. You need no artistic experience to find this prayer time enrichng. 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. (4.06) & Sun. (12.06), 7:45 AM

Feminist Ministries in a Discipleship of Equals
Mary E. Hunt discusses the implication of today's emerging new models of feminist ministry for base communities, house churches, parishes and ecumenical gatherings. Issues include theological training, credentials, liability and accountability. How do we all manage the theo-political challenge of living with multiple ways of being church, yet ministering in mutuality? Hunt has a Ph.D. from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, Calif. She is co-founder/director of the Women's Alliance for Theology, Ethics and Ritual (WATER), Silver Spring, Md., where she lives with her partner, Diann L. Neu, and their daughter, Catherine Fei Min Hunt-Neu. She has taught women's studies at Georgetown and worked on women's issues and human rights in Argentina, continuing that work through WATER's exchange program with Latin American women. Fri., 3:15 PM (2.10) & Sat., 8:45 AM (6.04)

A Church in Search of Itself
Robert Blair Kaiser addresses the topic that is also the title of his newest book. Kaiser covered Vatican II for Time magazine in the 1960s, worked the religion beat for the New York Times in the 1970s, and since 1999 has been contributing editor in Rome for Newsweek magazine. During the 2005 conclave, he was TV commentator for Fox, CBS and NBC. Kaiser believes the Catholic press is as captive as the media in totalitarian societies: when no one makes independent inquiries into a society's non-accountability, that society becomes sick. But through the sex scandal since 2002, Kaiser says most American Catholics, including most bishops, believe church leaders are answerable to the people they serve. Sat., 10:15 AM (7.06) & 8 PM (12.05)

1. Fathering: Everyman's Walk
2. Dances of Universal Peace
Joseph Kilikevice, OP, uses presentation, discussion and ritual to probe the unique relationship of fathers and sons. Fathers who honor their male spiritual journey can pass to their sons the blessings of male leadership: healthy mentoring and integrity. Kilikevice also leads the Dances of Universal Peace as morning prayer in movement, using Jewish, Christian, Muslim and other traditions. Simple chants and movement in a circle open us to peace and solidarity with all people of the world. Kilikevice is founding director of SHEM Center for Interfaith Spirituality, Oak Park, Ill., with 24 years of national experience leading interfaith retreats in the creation spirituality tradition. Fathering: Sat., 10:15 AM (7.07); Dances: Sat., 7:30 AM (4.05) & Sun., 7:45 AM (13.05)

Cosmic Contemplation and the Canticle of Creation: Franciscanism and the Universe Story
Christina Leaño and Mary Litell, OSF, (shown here) lead an interactive session celebrating the new cosmos. Cosmologists like Thomas Berry have given us a new understanding of the universe, born some 13.7 billion years ago. God's loving is enfleshed in the atoms, gases, stars and life that have emerged. Saints Francis and Clare knew this mystery in their Canticle in the 13th century. How do we honor through ritual and prayer our new relationship to the universe? How can the Franciscan tradition enrich our prayer? Leaño is on the staff of the Pace e Bene Franciscan NonViolence service in Oakland, Calif., where Litell plays a role as animator in creation spirituality and the Sophia tradition. Sat., 1 PM (9.10) & 2:30 PM (10.08)

Parents of LGBT Daughters and Sons, UNITE!
Mary Ellen and Casey Lopata use the results of a survey of such Catholic parents to envision a Fortunate Families network. By building community among parents it will empower them to be prophetic voices in both church and world by witnessing to the faithfulness of their families and children. The Lopatas have been married for 42 years, with four adult children and 10 grandchildren. They founded the Fortunate Families ministry with parents and authored its guidebook. They co-directed Gay and Lesbian Family Ministry in the Rochester, N.Y,. diocese, and are charter members of the Catholic Parents Network and the National Association of Catholic Diocesan Lesbian and Gay Ministries. Sat., 1 PM ( 9.11) & 2:30 PM (10.09)

The Magdalene Moment
Joanna Manning, once called “that bitch” by Toronto's Cardinal Ambrosic, is an award-winning religious studies teacher and writer whose best-seller, Is the Pope Catholic? is both provocative and practical. Her op-ed pieces appear frequently in the Toronto daily newspapers. Now the new research into Mary Magdalene has stirred her creative ideas for a renewed Magdalene Christianity ranging across a broad spectrum from ecological to economic and sexual to spiritual. This interactive session includes small group activity and feedback. Manning is a five-time speaker at CTA and its regional chapters. Sat., 1 PM (9.12) & 2:30 PM (10.10)

Fool for Christ: The Story of Dorothy Day. Performance
Sarah Melici performs her original one-person play on the life of Dorothy Day. In an engrossing hour, she becomes Day and others, giving balanced attention to her loves, spirituality and politics. An accomplished actor, Melici premiered the work in 1998 at Mary House, New York City, where Day spent her last years. Now Sarah performs this work exclusively. Earlier, she toured in Driving Miss Daisy, and has played regional and repertory theater roles in such plays as Gin Game, Agnes of God, Steel Magnolias, Joe Egg, and the Little Foxes. TV credits include Law and Order and the mini-series, The Golden Years. Sat., 8 PM (12.06) & 10:15am (7.08)

Faith-Sharing CommUnions for Catholics in their 20's & 30's
National FSC leaders ask you: are you looking to meet progressive Catholics in their 20’s and 30’s? Want to deepen your faith and take action on church and societal justice? Join us for a workshop on how to begin and facilitate a local FaithSharing CommUnion in your city. FaithSharing CommUnions are local gatherings of young progressive Catholics in their 20’s and 30’s who are members of Call To Action, Dignity, FutureChurch, and Women’s Ordination Conference. We are working together to create a national movement of young progressive Catholics working for justice in church and society through deep spiritual grounding and creative actions for change. Join us! Sat., 1 PM (9.13) & 2:30 PM (10.11)

Immigrant Rights: A Vision of Racial Justice
Tram Nguyen takes stock of the millions taking to the streets to bring the immigration debate to center stage in the U.S. What has this rights movement achieved and what key questions of racial justice still confront us? Nguyen was editor of UCLA's Asian American bimonthly magazine before graduating in 1996, covered the education beat for the San Diego Union-Tribune, and edited Gidra, a magazine serving Asian-Americans in Los Angeles. Her extensive coverage of civil liberties earned her a New California Media Award in 2003. Now she serves as executive editor of ColorLines magazine. Fri., 3:15 PM (2.11); Sat., 10:15 AM (7.09)

Remembering the Original Call To Action Conference in 1976
David O’Brien recounts this unprecedented — and never repeated — exercise in people participation in the governance of the Church in the U.S. It produced amazingly progressive resolutions for a more and inclusive Church — the underpinnings of CTA's church reform efforts ever since. O'Brien is a church historian and professor of Roman Catholic Studies at College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, Mass. He worked for the U.S. Bishops' Conference, 1974 to 1976, helping to organize their original Call To Action conference in Detroit for the nation's bicentennial year. He drafted and compiled two years’ worth of ideas from 800,000 Catholics, then did the same with the draft and final resolutions adopted by the 1,351 delegates. Sat., 8:45 AM (6.05) & 10:15 AM (7.10)

Social Justice for Life: Reflections on Katrina, School of the Americas Watch, and Haiti
William Quigley shows photographs from his recent social justice expeditions to the Gulf Coast, SOA and Haiti. We reflect on how we renew our lives and stay faithful to the struggle of action for justice. A law professor at Loyola University New Orleans where he heads a Law Clinic and a Poverty Law Center, Quigley has litigated many cases with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the ACLU. He is the author of Ending Poverty As We Know It: Guaranteeing a Right to a Job at a Living Wage. In over 25 years as a public interest lawyer, he has served as counsel on issues of public housing, voting rights, the death penalty, constitutional rights and civil disobedience. Sat., 8:45 AM (6.06) & 10:15 AM (7.11)

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., 7:30 AM (4.06) & Sun., 7:45 AM (13.06)

Five Years of the War on Terror: Where Does Our Faith Call Us?
David Robinson applies Catholic Social Teaching to the War on Terror. His recent visit to Iran affects his thinking, as does his participation in delegations to Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Colombia, and Haiti. How are globalization and dwindling resources connected? Robinson is the Executive Director of Pax Christi USA. He represents Pax Christi International at U.N. sessions on disarmament and human rights. In 2004 he directed all of Pax Christi's actions for the election year, including the “Every Voter, Every Vote Counts” election observer project. He was an international election observer last year in El Salvador. He has participated in many direct actions, most recently at the Sudanese Embassy to call attention to genocide in Darfur. Sat., 8:45 AM (6.07) & 2:30 PM (10.12)

Roman Catholic Women Priests Celebrate Eucharist
Roman Catholic Women Priests invite us to a Eucharistic liturgy in which women, equal and sacred symbols of the Roman Catholic Chuch, celebrate in an inclusive manner the Sacred Meal of Our Faith. They invite us to join them and “discover the future alive in the present.” Facilitating this liturgy will be six ordained R.C. Women Priests, pictured below: Bridget Mary Meehan of Global Ministries University; Eileen M. DiFranco of Philadelphia; Joan Clark Houk of Pittsburgh; Kathleen Strack Kunster, serving a small community in California; Regina Nicolosi of Red Wing, Minn., a nursing home chaplain; and Kathy Sullivan Vandenberg. There are also two ordained R.C. women deacons: Juanita Cordero, a liturgist, and Mary Ellen Robertson, a hospice chaplain. Sun., 7:45 AM (13.07)

Respecting Parish Integrity in a Time of Fewer Priests
Chris Schenk csj, director of Cleveland-based FutureChurch, describes their Save Our Parish Community Project, which educates about the theological basis for the inherent authority of a parish community and its canonical right to exist. Why should vibrant parishes with effective outreach be closed just because no priest is available to live there? Parish communities have theological integrity, inherent authority, rights and responsibilities. What can we as pastors and parishioners do to claim these rights? Schenk and the project give us canonical, spiritual and organizing resources to resist unjust closings if the situation warrants. Peter Borre, spokesperson for Boston’s Council of Parishes, is on hand to share the recent experience of 15 vibrant but threatened parishes in the Boston archdiocese. Sat. 10:15 AM (7.12)

And the Survey Says!
Chris Schenk csj illuminates what progressive Catholics believe are the best ways to promote women’s full ministerial equality in the Catholic Church. She discusses the findings of FutureChurch’s Advancing Women in Church Leadership Survey of over 40,000 reform-minded Catholics. Learn about current trends and concrete strategies that are transforming institutional Catholicism from within and without. Schenk is director of FutureChurch, which spearheaded a 10-year effort to restore awareness of St. Mary of Magdala as the first witness to the Resurrection. A more recent creation is their Save Our Parish Community Project designed to give parishes tools to discern and resist unjust closing or merging. She has given hundreds of media interviews and presentations about the worldwide priest shortage, women in Scripture, Eucharist, Jesus and women, Mary of Magdala, and women officeholders in the early church. Sat., 2:30 PM (10.13)

People of God! Let Us Remember Who We Are and Why We Do What We Do
Kathy Sherman, csj leads a session of song and story which challenges us to recognize the presence of I AM even in these uncertain and turbulent times. We reflect in song and story on God’s “yes” to the world. We affirm our call to live with hope the uncompromising love and reconciliation of the Gospel. A Sister of St. Joseph of La Grange, Ill., Sherman is a prolific singer, composer and poet, and a frequent presenter at CTA conferences. Among her 14 CDs of original songs, rich in themes of justice and ecology, are Touch the Earth, Gather the Dreamers, and Once Upon a Universe. Sat.,8:45 AM ( 6.08) & 2:30 PM (10.14)

InterPlay©: Spiritual Practice for Living an Embodied Life
Jane Siarny leads this experiential workshop. Through movement, song and storytelling, we access our body's wisdom in an affirming environment. InterPlay© was created by Rev. Cynthia Winton-Henry and Phil Porter and is practiced worldwide. Siarny has been leading InterPlay for over 11 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. She is a wife and mother with an M.F.A. degree in dance. Sat., 8:45 AM (6.09)

Spiritus Christi Eucharist
Spiritus Christi Church members, including Rev. Mary Ramerman (pictured), host a Eucharistic liturgy. Spiritus Christi in Rochester, N.Y. is an inclusive Catholic parish known for its outreach to the poor. The parish has taken a stand on ordaining women (Mary was ordained in 2001), gay unions, and welcoming everyone to Eucharist. Sat., 7:30 AM (4.07)

Create Your Ideal Parish
Thomas Sweetser SJ and Peg Bishop OSF lead an interactive double session in which we create our own virtual parishes that are both ideal and practical. Their Parish Evaluation Project (PEP) has shown through years of work with scores of U.S. parishes that despite today's turmoil in the Church, every parish has great potential. A few dedicated skilled people can set a parish in a new direction. Sweetser has a Ph.D. that combines theology and sociology. He founded PEP 33 years ago and remains its director. Latest of his six books is The Parish as Covenant: A Call to Pastoral Leadership. Bishop joined the PEP team in 1997 and is its co-director. She has masters degrees in both religious education and organizational development. Sat., 1-3:30 PM (double session 8.02)

Been There, Done That. Now What?
Nancy Sylvester IHM, like us, has worked for justice in the world and the church all her life, but the Vatican II vision of church nurtured at the first Call To Action 30 years ago is not the one taking hold. Rather we face growing inequality, intolerance and polarization. How do we make sense of it, and live with integrity during this time? This workshop reflects on what our time is asking of us people of faith. Sylvester is founder/president of the Institute for Communal Contemplation and Dialogue, and former president of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious. She addresses major conventions here and abroad on such topics as leadership, politics, globalization, ecofeminism and Catholic Social Teaching. She was a lobbyist with NETWORK from 1979 to 1992, and served as its national coordinator. Sat., 8:45 AM (6.10) & 1 PM (9.14)

“Why Do You Look for the Living Among the Dead?” Praying with the Woman with the Hemorrhage
Gloria Ulterino and Judith Boyd lead this prayer service with music and storytelling. As the woman with the hemorrhage tells us her story, we are invited to ritually rise up, stand tall, and claim our full humanity in Christ. Ulterino 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 published two books of prayer services: Drawing from Wisdom's Well and Walking with Wisdom's Daughters. This prayer service will be chapter one of her third book, to be published next Spring. Boyd is a veteran pastoral musician and sings with a nationally known a cappella ensemble in Rochester. Sat., 7:30 AM (4.08) & Sun., 7:45 AM (13.08)

Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price. A film.
Wal-Mart, the movie, is the newest documentary from director/producer Robert Greenwald. It takes us on a personal journey into the everyday lives of families struggling against a Goliath. From a small business owner in Missouri to a preacher in California, from workers in Florida to a poet in Mexico, dozen of film crews on three continents bring the story of an assault on families and American values. Current and former employees, managers and executives tell all about the corporation's inner workings. The film relies on individual people all over the world, at all levels of society, telling their story in personal terms. Saturday, 8 PM (12.08).

Celebrate the Liturgy of Life
Miriam Therese Winter poses a question: If every one of us rose up and said, “I have been ordained by God to celebrate the liturgy of life,” then proceeded to do it, imagine the transforming impact on our socio-political realities and on the institutional church. Don't debate it. Do it. In memory of Jesus who did this before Christian tradition redefined word and sacrament. Winter teaches liturgy and spirituality at Hartford Seminary. Besides her prolific writing of 15 books, Winter is a composer with 15 recordings of original songs to her credit. Published books of her songs include WomanSong, Earth Song and SpiritSong. For more about her and her day of reflection on Friday, see page 2. Sat., 8:45 AM ((6.11)

What Caused the Conflict in Colombia? How Does It Relate to U.S. Foreign Policy?
Cecilia Zárate-Laun discusses, with visuals, the structural problems of Colombia, which grow more and more serious as globalization advances and U.S. foreign policy pushes Colombia to adapt to new global realities. She describes the challenges but also the hopes of her native land. Zárate-Laun is a former university professor in