Virtual Workshop Series
Join us on a journey! You're invited to participate in one or all three of these virtual “mini workshops” that will focus on the theme “In the Breaking of the Bread: Journeying Together.”
This series of input and conversation will explore how Eucharist and Synodality intersect for the good of the Church and the world.
Sessions will take place on Thursdays from 1:00-3:30pm central time on the dates identified below.
Series offered in partnership with the Asociación de Hermanas Latinas Misioneras en América (AHLMA). There is no fee to participate but registration is required. Register for one, two, or all three offerings below.
Session I: February 1, 2024 – Bread to be Broken, Blood to be Shed, Life to be Given
Sister Giselle Gómez Guillén, STJ
Offered in Spanish with an English Interpreter
Giselle Gómez Guillén, STJ, is Nicaraguan and a religious of the Society of St. Teresa of Jesus (Teresian of Enrique de Osso). As she describes herself, she is shaped by knowing that she is a woman in the concrete spaces in which life places her, and to feel deeply Teresian. She accepts this history as the place where the mysterious Presence of God manifests itself daily and is grateful for the sprouts of life, strong, although fragile, amid the precariousness and hardness of life. Being a psychologist, educator, and theologian has given her the tools to approach the depth of people and value their "dignity and beauty" as Teresa of Jesus says. Sr. Giselle believes in the ability of people to rebuild themselves inside and stand up. The fact of having lived in different cultures: Central America, United States, Europe and to know others, has widened her personal horizon and pushes her to live as part of a large human family in which we are all brothers and sisters.
Session II: March 21, 2024 – Accept these Gifts
Sister Patricia Harvat, OP
Offered in Spanish with an English Interpreter
The theology and spirituality of the Eucharist evokes wonder more than an explanation. Wonder is an important aspect of theology and of spirituality. “Awe is a sense for the transcendence. It enables us to perceive in the world intimations of the divine. Awe is more than an emotion; it is a way of understanding, insight into a meaning greater than ourselves.” (Abraham Joshua Heschel)
The scope of this presentation will engage the participants in three areas of reflection: reference to the Constitution on Sacred Liturgy, Scriptural references, and reflection on the sacred text of one’s life. As we pray at each Eucharist, “Accept these gifts,” Jesus speaks those same words to us as we receive the Body and Blood of Christ. How aware of this “Holy Communion” are we through our encounters with the holy in our ordinary lives? “Take and eat,” words of radical amazement, impel us to love not only the Divine Mystery, but to love ourselves, our neighbor and the stranger among us.
Patricia Harvat, OP, served as a General Councilor for the Adrian Dominican Sisters from 2016-2022. Prior to that, she was in pastoral ministry in five mission chapels in Puerto Rico and taught in the Head Start program. She also ministered in Peru and later in the Dominican Republic teaching theology to young women leaders. Ministries in the United States included serving as Director of Lay Ministry Formation for the Hispanic Ministry Office of the Diocese of Cleveland, Vice President of Dominican Catholic Identity at St. Mary’s Dominican High School in New Orleans, and Director of Formation for the Adrian Dominican Congregation.
Click to Register for Session II
Session III: September 5, 2024 – Synodal Journey in Religious Life
Sister Jung Eun Sophia Park, SNJM
Offered in English with a Spanish Interpreter
The Synod, which created a way of decision-making by listening to one another, would orient our way of being religious in this world. This form of dialogue emerges from the community ethics of Israel, sharing the bread and learning how to live their covenant. This workshop explores the theological meaning of the Synod and its implication or application to current religious life, which is more culturally diverse and different in terms of global ministry and formation. We reflect on the Acts as an indicator of discerning community through listening and sharing meals in the Holy Spirit.
Jung Eun Sophia Park, SNJM is an Emerita Professor of Christian spirituality and a global educator/ learner. She offers classes, workshops, and spiritual directions globally and locally. She published many books and articles, including Conversations at the Well: Emerging Religious Life in the Global 21st Century, An Asian Woman's Religious Journey with Thomas Merton, and Border Crossing Spirituality. Also, she continuously engages with women religious and dreams of global sisterhood in the spirit of mutuality and equality.