Keynotes

John Dear, SJ - Living the Beatitudes of Peace: Becoming a Church of Creative Nonviolence

Jesuit priest, activist and author John Dear will explore that beatitudes as a path of peace and nonviolence, in contrast to the culture of war and violence--not only for our personal healing and wholeness, but as a way to transform the church into a community of peace as we ourselves become peacemakers, true disciples of the nonviolent, peacemaking Jesus.

Fr. John Dear is a Jesuit priest, peace activist, lecturer, and writer of approximately twenty books on nonviolence. In the course of his civil disobedience against war, he has been arrested more than 75 times and given thousands of lectures on peace across the country. He lives in the high desert of northeastern New Mexico. He is also a columnist for the National Catholic Reporter.       http://www.fatherjohndear.org

 

Bishop Remi De Roo - Rebuild my church – a Vatican Council Father Shares an Inspired Vision

When Blessed John XXIII was inspired to convene the Second Vatican Council, he opened a new era in the history of the People of God. You are invited to consider anew the meaning and pastoral challenge of this Pope’s vision. The reality of dialog and compassion were components of it. In light of today’s challenges of justice, leadership, nonviolence, and peace, how do we recapture his dream to inspire, impact, and motivate the rebuilding of our Church? How do we offer believers signs of hope on the journey?

Bishop De Roo was a newly appointed bishop as the Second Vatican Council opened. He participated in all four sessions from 1962-65. Since his retirement in 1999, he has traveled extensively proclaiming the vision of the Council, meeting many people, and rejoicing with them in joy and hope as the Vatican II document on the Church in the Modern World suggests. Bishop De Roo says that Vatican II furthered his theological formation like no other experience he have ever had. The interaction at the Council with the widely divergent schools of thought opened his eyes to the various influences that have shaped our Church over the centuries. He came to see how creative and life-giving these internal ecclesial tensions could become and grew to welcome the healthy diversity that is innate to authentic catholicity.

http://www.remideroo.com/              http://www.vatican2voice.org/symp/deroo.asp

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0MKY/is_3_27/ai_111012287

http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bderoo.html

 

Leo Keegan – Vatican II Liturgy

Vatican II - the reform continues - already not yet? Have the liturgical principles of Vatican II revitalized your parish celebration of the Eucharist? What wisdom is yet to be gleaned from the early church and the Sacred Constitution on the Liturgy to transform ministers - lay & clergy, men & women, young & old, toward an empowered, dynamic experience of prayer and celebration? Come take a look at some of the challenges before us as we move toward a renewed liturgy in our parishes.

Leo Keegan has been working in area of liturgical renewal for over 25 years as consultant for parish, diocesan and National Conferences specializing in initiation rites, liturgical arts and ministry formation. A graduate and adjunct faculty of Santa Clara University's Pastoral Ministry Program he has published in Modern Liturgy and Liturgical Press and currently serves as a team member with the North American Forum on the Catechumenate.

Workshops

Robert Blair-Kaiser - takebackourchurch.org

A brainstorming workshop of outside-the-box strategies that will bring us an accountable Church in America, led by servant bishops who can and will listen to their people.

Robert Blair Kaiser, who covered Vatican II for Time magazine, has written extensively on reform in the Church. With Rob Miller, he is co-founder of Take Back Our Church.         http://www.takebackourchurch.org

 

Pamela Bjorklund – Spirituality for the Social Activist: Why you Need Prayer

Why do we as social activists need prayer? Three of the many possible reasons: so we can be reminded that this is God’s work and not ours alone, to keep from burning out, and to keep from taking ourselves so seriously. Come and discover that prayer is perhaps more or less than you think.

Pamela holds a PhD in Clinical Psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology in Berkeley. She is a licensed Clinical Psychologist and a Spiritual Director and has directed many retreats since 1984.

 

Bill Cane - Experience of the IF Society

Funds are raised to help the people of Chiapas, to provide houses for poor families in Guatemala, for supporting soup kitchens in Peru, for supporting low income housing, a living wage initiative, and human rights locally.

 

Bill Cane is the Executive Director of IF, a nonprofit foundation that is involved in a variety of justice issues helping the poor in Chiapas, Guatemala, Peru, and locally. He is also the Editor of Integrities, a quarterly magazine that publishes stories of truth, history, and of people who are struggling to live their lives in an integral fashion.

 

Bishop Remi De Roo - Discussion on the Vatican II Vision

This workshop will give the participants an opportunity for open discussion with Bishop De Roo on Vatican II from an “insider”.

 

Fr. John Dear, SJ - A Conversation on Gospel Nonviolence with John Dear

John will pose several basic questions about living Gospel nonviolence and lead us in a conversation as we explore the meaning of nonviolence, its challenges for us personally, what the nonviolence of Jesus means to us, and how we can be instruments of Christ's peace.

 

Fr. Paul Fitzgerald, SJ - Catholic Social Justice Teaching

Catholic Social Thought: scriptural, theological and spirituality foundations for an intentional engagement with the great issues of social justice: peace, human dignity, global solidarity, inter-generational justice, etc.

Fr. Paul Fitzgerald, SJ - Eco Justice

Catholic Eco-Theology is an ethical response to the twin crises of climate change and the collapse of bio-diversity facing humankind and a spirituality to sustain us in our common ecological vocation.

A native Californian, Fr. Fitzgerald holds a B.A. in History from Santa Clara University, a Ph.B. in Philosophy from the Hochschule für Philosophy, Munich, an M.Div. and S.T.L. from the Weston School of Theology in Boston, a D.E.A. in the History of Religions and a D. ès L. in the Sociology of Religion at the University of Paris IV - La Sorbonne, and an S.T.D. in Ecclesiology from the Institut Catholique de Paris. At Santa Clara U. he has taught courses in both Systematic Theology and Practical Theology.       http://www.scu.edu/cas/dean/paul.cfm

 

Rob Grant - Why the Church has a Problem with Progressives, and How to Nurture that Problem into a Solution

Why on earth would an otherwise intelligent institution be so wary of concepts as seemingly benign as women priests? Inclusive language? Collaborative leadership? Knowing the paradigms, assumptions and fears from which a person or a group operates is the first step to conversation and true engagement. Thirty-year veteran pastoral minister/teacher/writer Rob Grant moderates this foray into appreciating, and opening, the mind of the Institution.

With thirty years of investment in Lay/Ecclesial dialogue under his belt, San Francisco writer/liturgist/pastoral musician/composer/community organizer/liturgical artist/educator/workshop presenter Rob Grant brings a unique combination of skills and experiences to the table. A driving force in the Bay Area liturgical scene, Rob has been instrumental in the formation and forward movement of the Northern California Lay Convocation. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Arts and a minor in Theology from the University of San Francisco, and a Master’s Degree in Pastoral Ministry from Holy Names University.

 

Pace e bene - JustChurch Project

Pace e Bene is collaborating with Call to Action by offering nonviolence trainings and strategizing for the JustChurch Project and its sites. Part I of this workshop will offer an overview of Call to Action’s JustChurch Project, which assists CTA groups in seeking justice in their local church settings. We will explore the success stories of some JustChurch sites, strategize how to form JustChurch sites in your local area. In Part II we will experience some tools for nonviolent action and strategizing to maximize effectiveness of JustChurch organizing. This is a double workshop.

Their mission is to foster a just and peaceful world through nonviolent education, community-building, and action. They were originally formed by a small group of Franciscans and others in 1989. Pace e Bene is a growing community representing a diversity of spiritual traditions and cultural backgrounds that networks with nonviolence practitioners in many parts of the world.       http://paceebene.org/

 

Victoria Rue, Juanita Cordero, Kathleen Kunster, Jane Via - Women Priests at the Grassroots

What difference are women priests making in small faith communities at the grassroots? How are they changing what we mean by "Church?"  We will also look at the impact of gender on liturgy, leadership and process in these communities.  

Victoria Rue, M.Div., Ph.D. is a feminist theologian, and writer, director, and teacher of theatre.  She teaches at San Jose State University in Comparative Religious Studies and Women's Studies. Victoria also presides at monthly liturgies of the Sophia Catholic Community in Santa Cruz and at a weekly Eucharist at SJSU. Juanita Cordero, M.A. is an instructor at De Anza College in the Education and Child Development Department.  Kathleen Kunster, M.Div., Psy.D. Candidate, serves as a counselor in both a public high school and a community mental health clinic. Kathleen and Juanita are currently co-pastors and presiders in a small Eucharistic faith community in Los Gatos. Jane Via(Ph.D., J.D.) is a county prosecutor in San Diego, CA and a former professor of Religious Studies. Jane and Rod Stephens, founded the first RCWP “parish” in November 2005 in San Diego, CA.

 

Pre-Conference Workshop  (Friday 10AM - 3PM)

Sr. Helen Thompson, BVM – Spirituality Evolves! Our Changing World Calls for a Radical Shift in Worldview

Please join Helen Thompson, BVM for an inspiring and informative day of reflection and sharing.  Helen invites us to explore several radically different ways people image God, Jesus, the Church, and themselves.  She relates this imagery to stages in the evolution of human consciousness and invites participants explore how their images and worldview have shifted in their own lives. Knowing that consciousness does evolve, that our spiritual images do shift, helps us better understand ourselves and other well-meaning Christians who may be at a different evolutionary stage. Understanding is the beginning of communication.

Helen Thompson is a Sister of Charity, BVM with a doctoral degree in Curriculum and Instruction and a master’s degree in Theology. She was a teacher and academic dean at other colleges before teaching Leadership, Spirituality, and Ministry at GTU in Berkeley.