Leaders in parish to gather

The Oct. 30 event will bring together lay and ordained ministers from across the Albany Diocese for a day of leadership formation and development, according to Patricia Mousaw, administrator for the diocesan Pastoral Council, which is co-sponsoring the Convening with the diocesan Office of Pastoral Planning.

Originally designed as a gathering for parish council members, the Parish Convening has been expanded to include anyone who works or volunteers in parish ministry "because there was a need for all people, especially as lay ministry increased, for formation and a chance to be together," Mrs. Mousaw said.

Dolores Leckey, a senior fellow at the Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown University, where she coordinates the Church Leadership Program, is the main keynote speaker. She will discuss what it means to be a Catholic leader as the new millennium approaches and give examples of "prophetic leaders," or people overcoming great difficulties to lead.

The Parish Convening consists of three tracks: leadership, pastoral councils and evangelization/social teaching, each with its own keynote speaker and workshops:

* Rev. Christopher DeGiovine, dean of spiritual life and chaplain at The College of Saint Rose, and a member of the adjunct faculty of St. Bernard's Institute, both in Albany, will give the keynote on leadership.

* Margaret Vamosy, a former agricultural development worker and lay missionary in Honduras, and current member of Sacred Heart Church in Stamford, will give the keynote on pastoral councils.

* Jeanne Schrempf, director of the diocesan Office of Religious Education, and Sister Maureen Joyce, executive director of diocesan Catholic Charities, will be the keynote speakers on evangelization/social teaching.

After the keynotes, 24 simultaneous workshops, led by laypeople, priests and sisters, will take place.

More than 400 people attended the most recent Parish Convening in 1997. Mrs. Mousaw pointed out that such participation allows for networking among like-minded Catholics trying get the most from their work in parishes. "It's for people who take their faith and baptismal call to ministry seriously," she said.

(The Parish Convening, Oct. 30 at LaSalle Institute in Troy, begins with registration at 8:15 a.m., followed by a 9 a.m. prayer service and Mrs. Leckey's keynote address. Individual track keynotes will be given before lunch; workshops will be held in the afternoon. Registration fee is $15 per person or $12 per person in groups of five or more. Brochures will be mailed to parishes by early September. For more information or to register, call 453-6661.)

(08-26-99) [[In-content Ad]]