Florida Catholic | Conference For Ministers

Conference offers nourishment to all who minister

PEGGY DEKEYSER | FLORIDA CATHOLIC PENSACOLA — TALLAHASSEE BUREAU EDITOR

Published: 01.18.08

PENSACOLA | Prayer and spirituality are key to ministers’ maintaining balance and a fresh perspective in their service to others. To help nourish those who minister, whether lay persons or clerics, the diocesan Department of Christian Formation offers the annual Ministries Conference. This year’s theme is “Sacred Passages: Spirituality for All Who Minister.”

The daylong conference is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 9, at Pensacola Catholic High School beginning at 8:30 a.m. with registration and a continental breakfast. Following the opening prayer service, Richard Johnson will address the topic “Conform Yourself to Christ — Lifelong Spiritual Formation” in the keynote session.

Johnson has a doctorate and is known for his work in maturing-adult faith formation and spiritual gerontology. He has written many articles and 18 books all focused upon God’s expansive grace in the maturing years. His latest book is “Parish Ministry for Maturing Adults: Principles, Plans, and Bold Proposals” (23rd Publications, 2007). Johnson is a practicing Roman Catholic. He and his wife, Sandra, live in St. Louis. They have three grown children and three grandchildren.

Johnson will also present breakout sessions on “How to Establish a Vibrant Maturing-Adult Faith Formation Program for Your Parish” and “The Unique Spirituality of Midlife and of the Later Years: Constructing Parish Programs for Each.”

In addition, Catholic author and editor Kathy Coffey will present breakout sessions on “The Joy of Sacramentality” and “The Arts: Bridge Between Generations, Window on the Gospels.” Quoting St. Augustine, Coffey said, “There is nothing that cannot become a sacramental encounter.”

Coffey is the author of several books, and serves as an editor for Living the Good News Press. She holds seven awards from the Catholic Press Association and is a recipient of the Foley Poetry Award. She lives in Denver with her husband and their four children.

Father Eugene Pathe will present a breakout session on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. Ignatian exercises are meant to strengthen the will, the intellect, the memory and the imagination. “Ignatius and his followers knew that anyone seeking the Lord should not wait for visions, but should seek God with humility and intelligence and in this way find God in all things,” Father Pathe said. In his second breakout session, he will challenge participants to consider the role of the sacrament of reconciliation in the lives of ministers.

Ordained for the Diocese of Leeds in England, Father Pathe taught for nearly 30 years. He is now retired and a permanent resident of the United States.

Additional workshops on spiritual direction, the songs of Taizé, pilgrimage, the spirituality of C.S. Lewis, ministry with the chronically ill or dying, families learning to pray together, praying with icons, the liturgy of the hours and the spirituality of everyday life promise a full and diverse program.

To register, or for more information, contact the diocesan Department of Christian Formation at 850-435-3524 or e-mail christianformation@ptdiocese.org. Registrations are due no later than Feb. 1. The cost of the conference, including workshops, breakfast and lunch is $35 before Feb. 1. On the day of the conference, the registration fee is $40.

Return to Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee Front Page

Conference offers nourishment to all who minister

Other Stories