Image from InFormation 2018 Number 3, Fall

InFormation 2018 No. 3 : Discipleship as a Tool for Formation for Mission, by Patricia Schoelles, SSJ

InFormation Bulletins - InFormation 2018 No.3 Fall

"The concrete gospel imagery of disciples literally being called by and “following after” Jesus offers a symbol by which Christian individuals and communities can focus on and understand their fundamental definition of themselves. According to discipleship imagery, this basic identity is construed in terms of focusing on the person of Jesus and letting one’s own life be shaped and formed by his, by living in companionship with him, by sharing in his mission and serving the inauguration of the kingdom. Religious communities offer a unique setting to undertake these activities and thus adopt this worldview."

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Author: 
Schoelles, Patricia, SSJ
Formation Resources: 
Teaching (Formation)
Mission
Liberation Theology
Missiology
Image from InFormation 2018 Number 4, Winter

InFormation 2018 No. 4 : Pope Francis's Guide to Holiness, by Daniel P. Horan, OFM

InFormation Bulletins - InFormation 2018 No.4 Winter

"Having renewed our understanding of the Communion of Saints as an inclusive community of the baptized that is called to participate in God’s holiness and become friends of God and prophets, and having been given a contemporary guide by Pope Francis for how to live out this vocation, we conclude by looking at what it means for us to become the saints we are."

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Author: 
Horan, Daniel P., OFM
Formation Resources: 
Mission
Charisms
Missiology

WEBINAR | RELIGIOUS LIFE IN AN EVOLVING WORLD

Most of the theological and spiritual tradition that forms us as religious is based on a classical view of a static universe. As science reveals more about the world God created, we have the opportunity to deepen our understanding of God, ourselves, and the reality around us. The focus of this webinar is cosmology and how this new knowledge and consciousness informs the vowed life, lived in communion and for mission.

We will discuss insights from cosmology and its significance for Catholic faith, spirituality, and religious life. Topics will include an exploration of ecological themes in Christian scripture and tradition, the challenge and gift of evolution, the unique role of the human and reading creation as the first book of revelation. 

Linda Gibler
Overwhelmed by the first Hubble Deep Field picture, Linda, a Dominican Sister of Houston, became enchanted with the magnificence of the Universe and intrigued by the image’s significance for a Catholic understanding of God. In 1999, she began formal study of cosmology at the California Institute of Integral Studies where she completed a MA then a PhD in Philosophy and Religion with an emphasis in Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness Before her cosmic epiphany, Linda was the director of social ministry for a parish in Houston where she coordinated direct services, social outreach, and social justice programs and served on a hospital medical ethics board. Linda is the associate academic dean of the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio and an adjunct professor for the Loyola Institute for Ministry. Her book, From the Beginning to Baptism: Scientific and Sacred Stories of Water, Oil, and Fire was published in March 2010 by Liturgical Press.

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Formation Resources: 
Church and Culture
Cosmology
Missiology
Pneumatology

WORKSHOP | PRESERVING PATRIMONY ON THE JOURNEY

Conversations at the Well: Crossing-over to Meet the Other and Oneself

Preserving Patrimony on the Journey

(What do we take? What do we leave behind? What if we haven’t time/opportunity to choose?)

This day will consist of prayer, input, reflection time, and sharing … all in the context of an assumption that those who have gathered are on a communal journey in which many borders have been and will be crossed. Who/what constitutes these borders, with what intent, and from what experience is critical to decisions to move forward or to stay back. Input sessions will explore crossing over in congregational life by engaging current realities through the lens of

Definitional borders: how we might understand ourselves as members of a particular religious congregation; Structural/Cultural Borders: how we organize our understanding of ourselves and how we create formal and informal norms for our common life; Theological Borders: the foundations of meaning which support our religious understanding, the religious meaning supporting structures/cultures, the religious grounding for our choices.

September 23-24, 2016;  Renton (Seattle), WA.

Helen Marie Burns, RSM

Helen Marie Burns, RSM, has served her religious community, the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, in elected leadership both on the congregational and provincial levels. In 1988, she was elected to the presidency of LCWR for a three year term.  Helen Marie’s doctorate is in the History of Religion and Religious Thought; her dissertation studied Active Women Religious in the Iowa Frontier: A Study in Continuity and Disontinuity.

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Formation Resources: 
Biopsychosocial Development
Practices
Missiology
Scripture
Teaching (Theology)

WEBINAR | SURPRISED BY GOD: A LENTEN INVITATION TO REFLECT ON GOD'S SURPRISING NEARNESS

In the middle of this winter’s darkness and social distance, in a period of Lenten renewal, we might find it hard to recognize God in our midst. Refining our skills of theological reflection is one critical way to attune our hearts to God’s presence. In 2014, Pope Francis said, “Our God is a God of surprises...” With this in mind, Dr. Christina Zaker will guide us to reflect on God’s movement in our lives. Drawing from the wisdom of the parables, she will encourage us to recognize God’s surprising nearness, explore what that nearness means and what it demands of us as Christians. Time together will include conversation, reflection and shared wisdom that encourages each of us to ask, as Pope Francis suggests, “Am I open to a God of Surprises?” 

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Formation Resources: 
God
Missiology
Scripture