Workshops
Workshops
There will be three (3) rounds of workshops, each an hour long. Click the arrows below to expand the tab to view the workshops offered in each session. Click here to view the workshop descriptions in a printable form.
Workshops: Round One
Teaching Conflict Resolution
Presenter: Jacqueline Allen Doucot
The Hartford Catholic Worker has been teaching conflict resolution to children for 30 years in the North End of Hartford. In the wake of rising tensions and violence in our society, we are thrilled to offer some of our experience in the hopes that we can help create a culture of nonviolence and work together to build the beloved community, the kingdom of God. Continuous Translation to Spanish provided.
Enseñanza de la resolución de conflictos
Presenter: Jacqueline Allen Doucot
El Trabajador Católico de Hartford ha estado enseñando resolución de conflictos a niños durante 30 años en el North End de Hartford. A raíz del aumento de las tensiones y la violencia en nuestra sociedad, estamos encantados de ofrecer algo de nuestra experiencia con la esperanza de que podamos ayudar a crear una cultura de no violencia y trabajar juntos para construir la amada comunidad, el reino de Dios. Se proporciona traducción continua del inglés al español.
Trauma Aware Parishes
Preseter: Dr. Michael Carotta
We have been called to accompany others. What might trauma informed accompaniment look like? Suppose we intentionally developed a trauma informed parish? This session offers a basic understanding of trauma and its impact on us, principles and practices which help restore, and some concrete resources for shaping a trauma informed parish.
“I give you a new commandment, love one another.” Catholic Social Justice in the Parish; A workshop for deacons.
Presenter: Deacon Timothy F. Donohue
Through witness and guidance, deacons are called to impel the community of believers to live lives of service – this service includes works of charity, including the Church’s concern for social justice. Learn how to move your parish forward in the ministry of social justice during these challenging times.
Traveling the Road Together at Home
Presenter: Margaret Hoblin
We travel with many people throughout our lives, just as the disciples traveled with Jesus. But before we ventured out into the world, our traveling was with our closest relationship...our family. Most children attend Mass once a week and religious education formation sessions, 30 times a year, but how is their faith being formed at home? Let's explore a daily plan to draw the child, entrusted to us by God himself, into discipleship at home. This workshop will present innovative ideas and activities for students to share with their families and aid them in becoming true evangelizers of their Catholic faith. The children will learn to create conversations, lead prayer with their families and truly invite Jesus into their homes and lives.
Do We Have the Courage to PAUSE and Look at Faith Formation for Adolescents in a New Way?
Presenter: Laurie Janecko
Be part of the discussion on the necessity for a critical look at how we can enhance how we teach and share our faith with adolescents. Our PAUSE will focus on People, Asking questions, to Understand Spirituality and Service through Experience.
Ignatian Spirituality as a Gateway to God
Presenter: Rev. James Martin
Ignatian spirituality encourages us to find God in all things, develop a personal relationship with Jesus, cultivate a spirit of discernment and live graciously. Come learn more from Father James Martin about the ways we can find God – and how God can find us- in the real world of work, decisions, prayer, ministry, and friendship.
Journeying to Justice
presenters: Dr. Brian Stiltner, Nancy Kiely, Marcia Franko, Marianne Esposito
Panel presentation with representatives from Saint Paul 6 (Hamden), Christ the King (Wethersfield), Saint Thomas the Apostle (Oxford), Saint Mary (New Haven).
Our parish communities find it easy to respond to the immediate needs of the poor. The teachings of Jesus call us to more, namely the establishment of right relationships, of justice. Can we be both charitable givers and impassioned workers for justice? In this workshop we will hear from leaders of four parishes about their journey towards justice.
La educación como puente entre un sueño y un propósito.
Presenters: Fr. Hector Rangel Guerrero, José Ostorba, and Meg Hyre of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, New Haven
El Papa Francisco relaciona a menudo la educación con la justicia social, y habla directamente a los jóvenes sobre la importancia clave de la educación para vivir una vida plenamente realizada:
¿Cómo te ayuda la escuela a crecer? Te ayuda no sólo en el desarrollo de tu inteligencia, sino en la formación integral de todos los componentes de tu personalidad. El elemento principal de la educación es aprender a ser generoso... La escuela no sólo amplía tu dimensión intelectual, sino también tu corazón humano.
Me gustaría reflexionar sobre dos valores fundamentales: la libertad y el servicio... La libertad significa saber reflexionar sobre lo que hacemos, discernir lo que es bueno de lo que no lo es, y comportarse de manera que conduzca al crecimiento.
[El servicio significa] no encerrarse en uno mismo y en tu pequeño mundo, sino abrirse a los demás, especialmente a los más pobres y necesitados, para trabajar por hacer del mundo un lugar mejor.
Para la comunidad inmigrante, conseguir una educación sólida supone una lucha creativa por parte de los niños, los padres y los educadores.
En este taller, escucharemos las historias personales de dos estudiantes; el análisis de un padre sobre el reto de encaminar a sus hijos por una vía educativa cuando los propios padres no tienen experiencia en dicha vía; y los medios por los que dos iniciativas de New Haven están utilizando la colaboración compartida de padres, hijos y educadores para colocar y mantener a sus estudiantes en la universidad.
Por último, tendremos la oportunidad de reflexionar juntos sobre cómo se fortalece y transforma el desarrollo educativo cuando se integra con el desarrollo espiritual.
Workshops: Round Two
Promoting Parent Engagement in Religious Education Programs: Strategies for Building Strong Foundations in Faith Formation and Virtue Development
Presenter: Kathryn Bojczyk
Although parents are their children’s first teachers, several barriers exist that may hamper parents’ involvement in faith formation educational activities, especially in the early years. Recognizing the importance of building the foundations of faith formation and character development early in life, the goal of this workshop is to discuss how to implement teaching practices that ultimately promote strong parent engagement in religious education programs. Dr. Kathryn E. Bojczyk will explore strategies for promoting parent engagement in faith formation activities with the goal of improving catechists’ knowledge about creating supportive contexts that promote virtue development after baptismal preparation to build a strong faith community.
Thinking Outside the (Rice) Bowl
Presenters: Deacon Timothy F. Donohue/ Sarah Nikkel, CRS Chapter leader
CRS is much more than the cardboard box you receive at Lent. It’s an opportunity to put our faith into action to help the world’s poorest create lasting change. Learn how individuals, parishes, and schools can be part of this movement!
Open Wide Our Hearts: Implementing Anti-Racism in our Catechesis and Christian Discipleship
Presenter: Kevin Dowd
Participants will engage with the USCCB pastoral letter against racism, "Open Wide Our Hearts," with an eye to religious education and ongoing Christian discipleship. The "two feet" model of praxis will guide our discussion.
Soñemos Juntos – Contemplativos en acción – Una Praxis en las Periferias
Presenter Rev. James Manship
El Papa Francisco escribe: "A veces, cuando piensas en el mundo, muchas veces puedes sentirte paralizado, son muchos los lugares de conflicto que parecen no dar tregua; hay tanto sufrimiento y necesidad. Sin embargo, a mí me ayuda mucho concentrarme en lo concreto de las situaciones, así uno encuentra rostros con ansia de vida y amor, se ve la realidad de cada persona, de cada pueblo. Uno ve la esperanza escrita en la historia de cada nación, que es gloriosa porque es una historia de sacrificios, de lucha cotidiana, de vidas rotas y entregadas en sacrificio y eso, en vez de abrumarte, te invita a reflexionar y a dar una respuesta de esperanza.”
La Iglesia no puede permanecer al margen de la creación de una nueva sociedad, una civilización del amor. ¿Por dónde empezar esta aventura de un discípulo misionero? Justo dónde estamos, y desde allí, vamos a las periferias.
El Papa ofrece una metodología eficaz: un tiempo para ver, para discernir bien los espíritus para que elijamos bien y luego, un tiempo para actuar por el bien común. Esta presentación compartirá formas prácticas en que los feligreses pueden soñar, juzgar y actuar juntos, como discípulos misioneros.
The Joy of an Open Heart
Presenter: Deacon Art Miller
The U.S. Bishops Pastoral letter against racism, “Open Wide Our Hearts”, calls all of us to personal, ongoing conversion. Reflecting on scripture, participants will reflect on their earned and unearned privileges, and how that influences our attitudes.
It's Not about Service! Engaging Youth in Service as a Privilege instead of a Chore
Presenter: Stephanie J. Peddicord, MPS
"In the age of mandatory service hours, Confirmation requirements, and the college application rat race, the concept of service has become pretty watered down – especially for our young people. For many, it’s become a chore (“how many service hours do I get?”) instead of the privilege at the heart of missionary discipleship. So, how can we re-imagine service in a way that engages and inspires?
Join us as we explore this and other questions through multimedia prompts, reflection, and interactive conversation."
Catholics in the Public Square: Advocating for the Common Good
Presenter: Deacon David Reynolds, CT Catholic Conference
In these very politically volatile times Catholics may find themselves conflicted between viewpoints on various topics and what the Catholic Church teaches on these issues. This workshop will begin with a review of the United States Bishops document “Faithful Citizenship” and what is meant by the term “Common Good”, which is found in numerous Church teachings. It will then review practical steps on how Catholics can let their voices be heard in the legislative process.
Eucharistic Belief in Three Dimensions
Presenter: Noel Terranova
In this workshop, participants will take up the call of the US bishops to reflect on the presence of Christ in the Eucharist and to renew our catechesis and evangelization in our parishes based on the Eucharistic mystery. We will explore how Eucharistic faith can move from one-dimensional (doctrinal assent and individual belief) to two-dimensional (simple liturgical enactment) to three-dimensional (faith praxis in communities and work for justice) with special attention to how these dimensions build on and enrich each other. Participants will discuss how a more engaged form of Eucharistic living and believing can energize liturgical ministry, adult faith formation, and social justice programming.
Workshops: Round Three
Faith Formation in Early Childhood: Strategies for Cultivating Curiosity and Values in the Preschool Years
Presenter: Kathryn Bojczyk
Through early childhood faith formation, young children (ages 3-5) develop in their awareness of God and gain the foundation for cultivating a loving, personal relationship with God. Contrary to popular belief, early childhood faith formation is more than just “fun and games but involves a process of inviting children to experience God in concrete, age-appropriate ways. In this presentation, Dr. Bojczyk will introduce basic principles of early childhood faith formation and will identify strategies for effective learning at the early childhood level. Specifically, best practices around fostering children's spiritual foundations in early childhood will be addressed through discussing specific criteria for seeing, feeling, and evaluating our religious education practices in our spiritual work with preschool children
Sistema de inmigración: cambios, rejos y posibilidades
Presenter: Sr. Mary Ellen Burns, ASCJ, Apostle Immigrant Services
Desde 2017, Las prácticas de las agencias que implementan las leyes migratorias de los EEUU han cambiado con frecuencia y por eso, hay mucha confusión. Hablamos de unos cambios que afectan los que buscan asilo, y DACA, con tiempo para preguntas y dialogo.
Trauma Aware Parishes
Presenter: Dr. Michael Carotta
We have been called to accompany others. What might trauma informed accompaniment look like? Suppose we intentionally developed a trauma informed parish? This session offers a basic understanding of trauma and its impact on us, principles and practices which help restore, and some concrete resources for shaping a trauma informed parish.
Let Us Dream Together – Contemplatives in Action- a Praxis at the Peripheries.
Presenter: Rev. James Manship
Pope Francis writes: “Sometimes, when you think globally, you can be paralyzed: there are so many places of apparently ceaseless conflict, there’s so much suffering and need. I find it helps to focus on concrete situations: you see faces looking for life and love in the reality of each person, of each people. You see hope written in the story of every nation, glorious because it’s a story of sacrifice, of daily struggle, of lives broken in self-sacrifice. So rather than overwhelm you, it invites you to ponder and to respond with hope.”
The Church cannot remain on the sidelines in creating a new society, a civilization of love. Where to start this adventure of a missionary disciple? Right where we are at, and from there, to the peripheries.
The Pope offers an effective methodology: a time to see, to discern the spirits-choosing well, and a time to act for the common good. This presentation will share practical ways parishioners can dream, judge, and act together, as missionary-disciples.
Biased? Who Me?
Presenter: Nicole R. Miller, M.Ed.
This reflective workshop and dialogue centers and focuses on an individual’s identity and the impact the hierarchy of social identity has on the creation and maintenance of various biases.
Participants will be asked to engage in a facilitated conversation developed to guide them through an exploration of their social identities.
Families as Evangelizers and Missionaries
Presenter: Deacon Kevin McCarthy
In this workshop we will look at how to animate families and get them to embrace and live out their identity as missionaries and evangelizers. The time together will be interactive and draw upon the experience and ideas of each participant.
Engaging Young Adults in Service and Social Justice
Presenter: Sr. Jennifer Schaaf
Service and social justice are often an entry point for young adults who are curious about their faith. Learn how to draw on the interests of young adults, form them in Catholic social teaching and engage with them on the continuum of one-off service events to long-term social justice commitments.
Supporting Migrants and Refugees in Our Communities and Across the Globe
Presenters: Terry Steele, Mary O’Brien, Al May, and Ann O’Brien (IRIS)
Today, more than 70 million people worldwide have been forcibly displaced from their homes. Some are living as refugees in other countries, others have sought asylum. Learn about the vulnerabilities they face such as human trafficking, and what you can do to help them in your community or across the globe.