Parish Convening to listen to participants on prophecy

By PAT PASTERNAK- | Comments: 0 | Leave a comment

Parish Convening 2000 will be a time of listening, rather than talking.

Sponsored by the diocesan Office of Pastoral Planning and Diocesan Pastoral Council, the event -- with the theme of "Would That All God's People Were Prophets" -- will be held Sept. 30 at LaSalle Institute in Troy. The gathering is presented annually for the enrichment, education and formation of anyone who volunteers, works or ministers in the Albany Diocese.

The convenings began more than ten years ago as a way for parish/pastoral councils to gather new information and insight for use at the parish level. Due to their increasing popularity, convenings have expanded to include Catholics interested in increasing their knowledge of the Church's teachings and their own spirituality.

Listen here

This year's format will be different from those in the past. As the committee considered the curriculum for Convening 2000, their objective was to provide a gathering that would both inspire participants and provide an opportunity for a fresh pastoral perspective.

According to Rev. Christopher DeGiovine, dean of Spiritual Life at The College of Saint Rose in Albany and a member of the planning committee, "Year after year, we have tried to educate those who attend. We have talked to them and 'at' them. With the new millennium here, the committee decided that now is the time to redirect our vision to listen to those who minister in our parishes and, in the listening, help each other develop new ideas for the present and future."

The sponsors hope that the reflections will challenge the participants to reflect on their own spirituality, and that through listening and the group process, all will feel empowered to continue their baptismal call to ministry with new vision.

Discussion guides

Father DeGiovine noted that the people the committee chose to lead the discussions have been recognized because of their prophetic voice and vision within the community, in keeping with the theme of "Would That All God's People Were Prophets":

* Kim Harris is a convert to Catholicism. For more than 25 years, she and her husband Reggie have been writing music, singing and performing throughout the U.S. She considers herself a bridge-builder with her husband in their ministry of music through the often difficult journey towards racial equality and harmony.

"The Spirit comes in unexpected ways, ways we can't always predict," she said. "For me, being a prophet means being able to identify that the Spirit is moving and being ready to respond to that challenge."

* Rev. Robert Roos, a retired priest of the Diocese of Albany, has ministered in several settings, including hospital pastoral care, education, and urban and rural parishes. Over the years, he has worked in the areas of social justice and the environment. He contributed to the development of the Pyramid Life Center in the Adirondacks, where he has been part of a team that facilitates nature-centered retreats for the past 15 years.

"We really can't confine the Spirit to a room, time or place," he said. "The Spirit, as Jesus said, blows like the wind."

* Fred Boehrer and Diana Conroy are a husband-and-wife team who operate Emmaus House, a Catholic Worker home in Albany. With their two children, they share daily life with the poor, depending only upon the generosity of churches and the community to survive. They live the ideals of the Catholic Worker movement, engaging in prayer, study, works of mercy and civil disobedience in order to bring about the nonviolent Gospel message.

"We think that the biggest challenge in being a Christian today is coming to grips with the fact that the values of our culture are so adverse to the teachings of the Gospel," Mr. Boehrer said. "We, as Roman Catholics, have a long way to go to live out the Gospel message. Being a prophet means choosing how to live our lives in a way that gives meaning to the teachings of Jesus Christ."

Chance to talk

Father DeGiovine will facilitate an afternoon "Town Meeting" at the convening.

"During the first part of the day, there will be listening and ritual," he explained. "Afterwards, people will meet in small groups to discuss what they have heard and what challenged them. Later, in the Town Meeting segment, we will examine and discuss one or two issues which arose in the small group discussions that particularly touched people or challenged them -- or just got them thinking.

"We will then attempt to discern what the Holy Spirit is saying to us, and how we can apply it to our lives and our ministries. We will also explore participant's own prophetic insights as they reflect on the morning presentations and reflection groups."

(Registration for the Sept. 30 Parish Convening is required before Sept. 20. Events will be signed for the hearing impaired. One of the discussion groups will be in Spanish, and one will be facilitated by youth for young participants. The fee is $15/person, or $12/person for groups of five or more. The youth fee is $5. Make checks payable to the Diocesan Pastoral Council, 40 N. Main Ave., Albany, NY 12203. For further information, contact the Diocesan Pastoral Council at 453-6661.)

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