For many young adults, life is hectic, high tech and lived in the fast lane. This workshop is focused on learning Christian Discernment leading to inner freedom. We will (a) develop skills for slowing down, living in the present, and discovering our deepest desires and inner blocks, (b) learn the art of recognizing movements of the Spirit leading to Christian choice-making, and (c) explore ways of celebrating God's passionate, unconditional love in the midst of chaos.
Sr. Molly Neville, SNJM, is Vocation Director for the Sisters of the Holy Names. A recognized leader in adult spiritual formation, retreat ministry and prayer development, she holds an MA in education, having studied at Holy Names College, Creighton University and the Graduate Theological Union at Berkeley. She works extensively with young adults in faith development and vocation discernment.
Through viewing videos, sharing ideas and role-playing, we will explore some of the complexities associated with addressing media violence. We will (a) observe the pervasiveness of violence in the media, (b) interpret and evaluate messages about men and women found in music videos and prime time, and (c) recognize various economic, ethical, and social points of view on the issue of violence in the media.
P. Rachel Levin is an educator with over 15 years experience designing curricula and conducting educational workshops and seminars for children and adults. Rachel was the principle writer of The Center for Media Literacy's publication Beyond Blame: Challenging Violence in the Media. She has written numerous other media materials and is currently pursuing a masters degree in Media, Society and Educational Systems.
We are the Church! As Church, we have been asked to move from a hierarchical pyramid model to an inclusive communal model. This new model call us - as a priestly people - to look at our individual gifts and how we can share them with the world.
Fr. David M. Pettingill has been a priest in the Archdiocese of San Francisco for 35 years. During this time, he has served as a faculty member and principal of Marin Catholic High School; professor of Homiletics, Liturgical Celebration and Scripture and Dean of Students at St. Patrick's Seminary; pastor of St. Gabriel's Parish and founding Director of the School of Pastoral Leadership. He is currently serving as Director of the Archdiocesan Office of Parish Life and has conducted numerous workshops and retreats.
This is an experiential introduction to practices that cultivate our ability to be increasingly aware of the presence of the Divine in our lives. We will do a simple mindfulness meditation, centering prayer, and then share our experiences with each other in discussion.
Catherine Regan, Ph.D. is a psychologist practicing in San Francisco and a spiritual director-in-training at Mercy Center, Burlingame. She does psychotherapy, teaches mindfulness meditation, and leads mindfulness-based workshops and retreats.
Through meditation, poetry, chanting, and discussion, we will explore the possibilities for greater aliveness and satisfaction in work and relationships. (Suggested as a sequel to "Waking Up I".)
Catherine Regan, Ph.D. is a psychologist practicing in San Francisco and a spiritual director-in-training at Mercy Center, Burlingame. She does psychotherapy, teaches mindfulness meditation, and leads mindfulness-based workshops and retreats.
The goal of this workshop is to allow us to experience dance as a beautiful, enjoyable, deeply moving and meaningful form of worship and an embodied expression of the soul in prayer. Through fun and reflective exercises, we will discover that dance and movement is our birthright, and we will learn how our bodies can mirror the deepest and truest aspects of ourselves. We will begin with prayer and an easy warm up and finish by creating a dance ritual together. Please wear comfortable clothing. No previous dance experience is necessary. To insure comfort and confidence, all movement will be done as a group.
Christine Self is a former professional dancer with the San Francisco Ballet Company who has taught classes entitled "Dance and the Catholic Spirit", given workshops in dance and spirituality, as well as performed and choreographed liturgical dance for churches through the Bay Area. She is currently working toward a Masters of Divinity degree at the Jesuits School of Theology at Berkeley.
How we image God for ourselves and our Church impacts our spirituality and expectations of others. In this workshop, we will explore many images of God in an effort to understand what they tell us about our Church, our world and ourselves.
Fr. Mark Wiesner graduated from St. Patrick's Seminary and was ordained for the Diocese of Oakland. He is Parochial Vicar at All Saints Parish in Hayward, CA and is also a reserve chaplain in the US Air Force. He has donemissionary work in Scotland and Australia and has lead or been a team member on over 400 retreats.
We will discuss the importance of small faith communities as a means of growth in Christian living as we look at the newly discovered power of the Scriptural Word.
Fr. David M. Pettingill has been a priest in the Archdiocese of San Francisco for 35 years. During this time, he has served as a faculty member and principal of Marin Catholic High School; professor of Homiletics, Liturgical Celebration and Scripture and Dean of Students at St. Patrick's Seminary; pastor of St. Gabriel's Parish; and founding Director of the School of Pastoral Leadership. He is currently serving as Director of the Archdiocesan Office of Parish Life and has conducted numerous workshops and retreats.
Who was this Jesus of Nazareth and how is he Christ for the World? What does the Church have to say about Him? We will explore the teachings of the Catholic Catechism regarding Jesus Christ by delineating the given themes of the catechism, relating it to our own faith level and learning how we can evangelize in spreading our love and knowledge of Jesus Christ.
Most Reverend G. Patrick Ziemann has been a priest for 30 years, originally ordained in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. He received both a BA and MA from St. John's Seminary, Camarillo. He also has an MS in Education from Mount St. Mary's College. He served as Associate Pastor in St. Matthias parish, Huntington Park; teacher of Religion at Mater Dei High School; Vice Rector, Dean of Studies, and teacher of Our Lady Queen of Angels Seminary. He was ordained as Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles in 1987 and appointed Bishop of Santa Rosa in 1992.
We will explore various ways to pray using a combination of storytelling, discussion, music and experiential components.
Liz Hannan is a music instructor for several Catholic elementary schools, music coordinator of Our Lady of Angels parish, and foundress of Christianas, a local prayer group.
Eileen Barsi is the former Coordinator of St. Peter's Confirmation Program and a retreat coordinator.
Maureen Zane has been a junior high teacher in the Archdiocese for 26 years. She is a student of spirituality and has conducted prayer and meditation experiences for teens and young adults.
To be at home as an imperfect person in an imperfect Church that welcomes, heals, and reconciles an imperfect world. We will explore (a) the Church's recognition of institutional sinfulness as well its holiness, (b) the "courage to accept acceptance" of our imperfection and (c) specific suggestions for individual and corporate healing.
Fr. Al Moser, C.S.P., has been a healer of some sort ever since the US Army made him a medic in WW II. For the last ten years, he has coordinated "Homecoming" for alienated Catholics at Newman Hall at UC Berkeley. He has lived half of his life as a lay person and the other half as a Paulist priest. He graduated from Xavier University in Cincinnati, and has done graduate work at Fordham University, University of Toronto and Catholic University.
Socrates advised us that the unexamined life is not worth living. But, what did he know about the frenetic pace and overwhelming demands of modern life? How exactly can we live reflectively? How can we find the time to ponder the important questions? If we believe God is present in our world, how do we identify that presence? How do we listen to the voice of God? And, what is meant by "the will of God" for me? In his workshop, we will explore contemporary answers to these questions offered by the Ignatian ideal of "finding God in all things".
Maureen Pryor is the Director of Campus Ministry at the University of San Francisco. Her interests include Ignatian spirituality, lay ministry and spirituality, women in the church and prayer. She has completed a M.Ed. in counseling and a MA in theology, and has completed the spiritual director's certification program at Mercy Center in Burlingame.
We will explore the fundamental components of the Twelve-Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous and other Twelve-Step recovery programs as they relate to Roman Catholic tradition and theology.
Fr. John P. Conley is a long-standing member of the Twelve-Step program. He is a priest of the Archdiocese of San Francisco and is currently Associate Pastor at St. Bartholomew Parish in San Mateo.
We will review the connections between spirituality and social justice issues in which we can become involved. How do we define social justice? With so many social concerns, where do we begin? How can we get involved with social justice issues and make a difference?
Mike Duffy has a Masters Degree in Theological Studies from the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley. He is currently Associate Director of Campus Ministry at the University of San Francisco where his responsibilities include social justice programming. He is also involved with a number of local and national social justice agencies.