Contemplation is a form of prayer, but it is also a way of being.
The author invites leaders to cultivate a contemplative way of being by becoming more open to the Spirit to develop a welcoming heart and a way to listen to others.
La hermana Amy Taylor, FSPA nos relata su experiencia sinodal al representar a RFC, usando el modelo Espiritual de Conversación para una escucha atenta. Además, nos comparte como la escucha nos involucra, sin embargo, nos aclara que el escuchar para entender requiere de valor, empatía, compasión, curiosidad, disciplina y disposición.
InFormation Bulletins - InFormation 2019 No.1 Spring
"This same idea of spiritual accompaniment finds echo in the spiritual vision of St. Francis of Assisi. Francis models this concept of spiritual accompaniment through his regular visits to special places where he could step back from missionary engagement, and step into an intense experience of listening to the voice of God in the Sacred Scriptures, and in the events of his life and that of his brothers and of his ‘times’. Curiously, Francis never goes into the ‘silence’ of the mountain caves or other places alone; he is always accompanied by several of the friars."
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InFormation Bulletins - InFormation 2019 No.2 Summer
"The only solid basis for such a community life, the life of adult companions in Gospel living, which is based on mutual love, open communication, non-fearful observance of agreed upon goals and behavior, appropriate mutual submission to one another, in other words, that looks like Jesus’ band of friends, is in fact the Gospel-based imitation of Jesus. We cannot get it from or freeze it into rule books, rituals, regulations and so on. Like any form of human life, it must have procedures and rituals and even at times methods of ensuring appropriate behavior. But Jesus says it is essentially and literally a life of universal friendship, which is intrinsically egalitarian even if we need to differentiate roles and responsibilities for the sake of effectiveness in ministry."
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InFormation Bulletins - InFormation 2019 No.3 Fall
"To surrender oneself to the total transformation of mind, heart and soul to which Paul refers is to choose a spiritual journey fraught with growing pains culminating in the incarnation itself. This is not a journey one makes alone. The gifted women and men who accompany one another through the ForMission experience and process remind me of the necessity and importance of bridgebuilders and tradition bearers among us."
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InFormation Bulletins - InFormation 2020 No.4 Winter
"Here are ten counsels for living when we are, in effect, housebound, that is, living in a situation wherein we don’t have a lot of privacy, have to do a lot of living within a very small circle, face long hours wherein we have to struggle to find things that energize us, and wherein we find ourselves for good stretches of time frustrated, bored, impatient, and lethargic."
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InFormation Bulletins - InFormation 2020 No.4 Winter
"Women and men on the front lines are caring for our health as political and spiritual leaders guide us and support us each day, providing human faces of calm and strength to help us move forward. And everywhere, prayer: time for personal prayer and reflection, and time for global prayer all around our world! Even Mother Earth has had a reprieve from the usual insults we unleash on her!"
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InFormation Bulletins - InFormation 2020 No.4 Winter
"This leap of faith and the path of transformation are ancient paths of peril and promise. I, and others, can offer guidance, but the choices are yours to make. Your choices will determine, not only your own future, but will have a hand in determining the eventual fate of Religious Life and of our planet. You could choose to sit on the sideline and wait and see what happens. Or, you could choose to participate as proactive agents of transformation."
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On the way to the deep and full joy that Jesus desires for us, we feel profound anxiety, deep rage, powerful shame, and intense grief in response to the ordinary experience of life that can challenge our faith, shake our hope, and limit our love. This webinar will help participants to deepen awareness of our emotional lives as invitations to transformation, growth, wisdom and peace all opening us to deeper faith and genuine hope. In addition to naming and removing the obstacles that block life giving emotions, this webinar will also discuss ways of expressing emotion that will deepen our intimacy with God and with others.
Ray Dlugos, OSA is an Augustinian friar from the Province of St. Thomas of Villanova in the eastern United States. Originally from the Philadelphia area, Ray was ordained a priest in 1983 and served in secondary education, parish, and vocation ministry before pursuing graduate studies in Counseling Psychology at the University of Albany, State University, New York. After earning his PhD in 1999, Ray joined the clinical staff at Southdown Institute in Aurora, Canada and was appointed Chief Executive Officer in 2003. In August of 2008, Ray became Vice President for Mission and Ministry at Merrimack College in North Andover, MA, a sponsored work of the Augustinians. He currently holds the position of Vice President for Mission and Student Affairs at Merrimack while also serving on the provincial Council of his community. Fr. Ray presented at the 2012 Transformation of Religious Life: An Action-Oriented Initiative together with Luisa Saffiotti, PhD. on the topic of “Engaging Resistance in the Service of Communal Discernment”.
Based on the recently released book, Can You Let Go of a Grudge? Learn to Forgive and Get on with Your Life (Paulist Press, January 2014) Fr. Desiderio will give a brief overview of the spirituality of forgiveness based on five steps:
This webinar will offer practical tools for women and men religious who want to bring peace to persons caught in a web of unreconciled relationships whom they encounter in their various pastoral, administrative, peace and social justice ministries. It will also offer inspiration about living more peaceably with oneself and in community and healing rifts through reconciliation.
Frank Desiderio, C.S.P. has been a parish priest and campus minister (UCLA), a radio and TV producer and, currently, is director of the Paulist Center in Boston. He is the executive producer of the documentary “The Big Question: A Film About Forgiveness” which launched him into a new ministry of forgiveness and reconciliation. Since 2009 he has offered retreats, parish missions and days of recollection on the spirituality of forgiveness. From Victoria, B.C. to Washington D.C. retreatants have said, "this is the best retreat I've ever been on." Participants come away saying; "I have been waiting for this for a long time", "this is exactly the kind of thing the Church should do", "I feel so much lighter", "this is what I needed to heal."
Often older religious comment “No one taught me how to do this time of life.” Called in Baptism to share in the mission of Christ, the spiral of call moves through all the different phases of discipleship. This webinar is designed to offer older religious a spiritual model of aging and support them in their desire to
Sr. Ann Billard, OLM, Ph.D. is a Sister of Charity of Our Lady of Mercy with many years of pastoral ministry experience. She is a certified grief recovery specialist and has graduate degrees in pastoral counseling from Loyola University in Maryland. Currently coordinating Transformative Aging programs, she provides spiritual direction, lectures, workshops, and retreats on grief recovery and the spirituality of aging. She has presented at national conferences and to groups of older adults both nationally and internationally.
This webinar will focus on new legal questions religious congregations encounter today. These include such delicate topics as end of life decisions and issues which newer members who have raised families and/or had long careers before entering religious life may present: concerns about property disposal, inheritance, debts, contracts, and insurance. There will be an opportunity for webinar participants to raise questions and issues of concern to them.
Lynn M. McKenzie, OSB, is a member of the Benedictine Sisters, Sacred Heart Monastery, Cullman, AL. A civil and a canon lawyer, she is currently an ombudsman/mediator for the Department of Labor of the State of Alabama, a judge and defender of the bond for the Tribunal of the Catholic Diocese of Birmingham, AL, and a canonical consultant and advocate for leaders and members of religious communities. Her civil law degree is from the University of Alabama and her licentiate in canon law from the Catholic University of America.
Being resilient in the face of adversity requires us to look inward rather than outward and examine our approach, our expectations, and our reactions to situations. This webinar will focus on the following topics: the definition of resilience, the factors that enhance our ability to be resilient, the distorted scripts that lead to burnout, the difference between healthy vs. unhealthy self-sacrifice, and the importance of establishing a self-care plan.
Eran Talitman, Ph.D., C. Psych. is a registered psychologist in the province of Ontario, Canada. He has provided assessment and treatment services to individuals, couples, and families in both a hospital setting and private practice. He has also been a consultant to individuals diagnosed with HIV, cancer, and traumatic brain injury. For the past 16 years, he has been at the Southdown Institute and has provided individual and group therapy as well as assessment services to religious and clergy. He has provided workshops and presentations on Intimacy, Healthy Sexuality, Developing Healthy Ministerial Boundaries, Keeping Our Soul Alive, Effective Leadership, and Working with Personality Disorders.
This webinar will provide an overview of the immigration processes available for “religious workers.” In immigration law, the term “religious worker” encompasses men and women, both religious and lay, who serve in various capacities in religious organizations. For purposes of this webinar, we will focus our attention on members of religious institutes. We will cover immigration basics, including R-1 status, R-1 visas, and the permanent residency process. This will include a breakdown of the different regulations for the temporarily-professed and the perpetually-professed members of religious communities. We will also briefly discuss the regulations regarding students visa and visitor visas for missionaries. Finally, we will discuss USCIS site visits, as well as record keeping and best practices for maintaining immigration files.
Megan S. Turngren is an attorney in the Religious Immigration Services division of Catholic Legal Immigration Network (“CLINIC”). Ms. Turngren first came to the immigration field in 2003, and in 2005 began practicing immigration law with one of the best known immigration firms in the United States. In July 2012, she joined CLINIC and started working exclusively with foreign-born religious workers. By utilizing her expertise, Ms. Turngren is able to assist her clients in navigating this complex area of law by offering consultations, advice, and preparation of legal filings of immigration petitions and applications. Currently, she represents more than 35 religious entities, including Catholic Archdioceses, Dioceses, and Religious Communities, as well as over 150 foreign-born religious workers.
Every person encounters the mystery of suffering in his or her life and in the lives of loved ones. Those of us who minister in the Church come face to face with this mystery often, as we are called to be present to those who suffer in different ways. Vowed religious are affected by the reality of suffering within religious community. This webinar will address the challenges of talking about God and talking to God in times of suffering. We will draw upon four dimensions from the Judeo-Christian tradition that can serve as resources for us in grappling with the mystery of suffering.
Robin Ryan, CP, PhD is a Passionist priest and theologian who serves as Associate Professor of Systematic Theology and Director of the Master of Arts in Theology Program at Catholic Theological Union. He received his Ph.D. in systematic theology from The Catholic University of America. He is the author of numerous articles and recordings on theological and spiritual topics. He edited and contributed to the book Catholics on Call: Discerning a Life of Service in the Church (Liturgical Press, 2010). He is the author of God and the Mystery of Human Suffering: A Theological Conversation Across the Ages (Paulist Press, 2011). He recorded a series of CDs on the topic of God and the Mystery of Human Suffering for Now You Know Media. He is the author of the forthcoming book Jesus and Salvation (Liturgical Press, April 2015). He is also a contributor to and English-language editor of the forthcoming Diccionario de la Pasión (Madrid, San Pablo).
We live in an increasingly wireless world connected by screens: smart phones, tablets, laptops, TVs, to name a few. There is a potential to be connected to someone at every moment of the day on almost every place on earth. This webinar will address some of the "hidden costs" of connected living, in particular: healthy companionship, creativity and contemplation. This reality, sooner or later, surfaces for us personally and in ministry, but particularly in initial and lifelong formation settings. We will explore ways to navigate and manage the blessing of this technology, as well as what can become an affliction and a hindrance to what and who we hope to be.
Sister Sue Pontz is a member of the Sisters of Saints Cyril and Methodius. Currently, she is a member of the Congregational Leadership Team and a Co-Vocation Director. She ministers at Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, Texas as the Director of Instructional Technology. Sister Sue has an Ed.D. in Instructional Technology, an MA in Theology and has recently completed her training to be a spiritual director.
For members of religious communities retirement is often seen as a signal to be ‘recycled.” How do we respond to the too frequently asked question, “What do you do?” when ‘doing’ no longer fills our days? What is the invitation embedded in this life event we call retirement? We will consider some of the attitudes that impact our response, the ordinary phases that are to be expected, some suggestions on how to move through them and the potential of new life that lies beyond.
Paula Cooney is a member of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary of Monroe, Michigan. Using her background in gerontology, spiritual direction and leadership in her own congregation, she has developed programs and retreats for seniors on a variety of topics that impact the journey of aging. Since the mid 90’s the core of her ministries have been with Elders, most recently as the director of a retirement center for a community of women religious. Paula has been an eldercare consultant with NRRO for the past 12 years.
The impact of living in a digital world which is “always on” 24/7 is felt in all walks of life: consecrated life no less than the others! The questions many of us are asking revolve around how to authentically respond to the call and charism of our Congregations’ ministries, which often require the use and knowledge of social media, welcome new members, many of whom do not remember a time without 24/7 availability to social media, and encourage appropriate use of social media for all members, while striving to faithfully and realistically live a communal life together that implies interconnectedness and intentional, healthy, adult relationships. In this webinar, Sister Sue Pontz, SS.C.M., shares her insights concerning some of the topics around which Congregations need to focus conversations in order to address these key issues regarding the appropriate use of social media today.
Susan Pontz, SS.C.M., of the Sisters of Saints Cyril and Methodius, is a member of her Congregation’s Leadership Team and its Co-Director for Vocations. Sue serves as the Director of Instructional Technology at the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, Texas. Recently trained as a spiritual director, she has an Ed.D. in Instructional Technology and an MA in Theology.
Mindfulness been introduced and accepted into the mainstream of mental health treatment as an important tool in assisting the regulation of emotion, flexibility in responding to life situations, and the development of healthy relationships and self-concept. However, mindfulness has a deep religious context and origin as a spiritual tradition, including the Christian contemplative tradition. In this Advent webinar participants will explore mindfulness, as a Christian discipline and practice that helps us uncover the sacred in our everyday experience.
Benjamin Williams, Ph.D., is on the clinical staff at Southdown in Ontario, Canada. For more than fifty years, Southdown has offered compassionate care to vowed religious and diocesan clergy.
In this webinar, our presenters will explore prayerful contemplation of the visual arts.
Mark Dean, OMI and Glynis Mary McManamon, RGS
Dean describes and demonstrates Visio Divina; Sister Glynis walks participants through the writing of an icon.
In this webinar, Marianne shares her experience and teaching of a practice called Compassionate Listening. The practice grew out of work facilitated by Leah Green (rooted in the work of Quaker Gene Knudsen Hoffman) with reconciliation leaders on the ground in Israel – Palestine beginning in 1991. The reconciliation work in Israel-Palestine was adapted for peace-building in everyday life and the Compassionate Listening Project began in the U.S. in 1999. Marianne has presented the practice to formation personnel participating in the RFC ForMission Program.
Sister Marianne, a member of the Sisters of the Holy Cross, Notre Dame, IN, is Professor of Theology and Philosophy and member of the Core Doctoral Faculty at the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology, Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, CA. Through teaching and professional affiliation, Marianne, is engaged in efforts to address some of the most critical issues facing today’s global communities – ecumenical and interreligious affairs, interfaith dialogue, cross cultural communications, Catholic social teaching, and care of Earth.
In this webinar Marcelline Koch, OP explores the season of Advent through the lenses of incarnation and solidarity.
Sister Marcelline is a Dominican Sister and directs the Office of Justice for the Dominican Sisters of Springfield, IL. In this capacity, she serves as the Justice Promoter, Co-coordinator of the Springfield Dominican Anti-Racism Team, and liaison for the congregation’s Socially Responsible Investing effort. In March of 2014, she was also named the North American Co-Promoter for Justice for the Dominican Family. It was in this capacity that she was part of a delegation to Iraq in January 2015.
Even though hope is essential to human and Christian life, very little has been written about it in comparison to faith and love. Faith sees what already is, while hope sees what is yet to come. Charity loves what already is, but hope puts its trust in what is not yet here.
Living in very dark times, hope is a most important, necessary and rare virtue.
For Christians, for vowed Religious, “hope” is linked to the person of Jesus Christ. Consequently we would do well to give greater attention to the precise nature of Christian hope. What exactly is it? This day will offer a clear understanding of the nature of hope to deepen our capacity to give an account of the hope that is within us (1Peter 3: 15), especially in the face of resistance and indifference.
Rooted in an understanding of the kenosis of God in Christ as the reason for our hope, the presentation will be interspersed with poetic reflections that help express the nature of hope.
Michael Downey, PhD
With a Master of Arts in special education as well as in theology, Dr. Michael Downey is the first layperson to receive the Ph.D. in theology from The Catholic University of America. His abiding theological concern for those who are wounded and marginalized has brought him to serve the church most in need through lectures, conferences and retreats in different parts of the world. Editor of the award-winning New Dictionary of Catholic Spirituality, he is founding North American editor of Spirituality, an international journal of the Christian spiritual life. Author or editor of more than twenty books, as well as journal articles, essays, and book chapters numbering in the dozens, he is the recipient of three honorary doctorates. Two of his better known books are Altogether Gift: A Trinitarian Spirituality (2000) and The Heart of Hope (2009). A member of the editorial board of Cistercian Studies Quarterly, he works extensively with enclosed contemplative communities, and is active in retreat work. Dr. Downey has a particular interest in Trinitarian theology and a theology of hope, both of which are expressed in his Living the Justice of the Triune God [with the late David N. Power] (2012). On March 31, 2005 Pope John Paul II awarded him the Cross Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice.
Fifty years after the close of the Second Vatican Council, its key concepts, most notably, aggiornamento, the Italian term for “bringing up to date”, as well as ressourcement, a critical engagement with the current situation in light of the lessons of the past, continue to capture the imagination of the contemporary disciple in Christ's mission. Our day will be spent in prayerfully exploring Christian world mission in light of the current signs of the times, in an attempt to discern where the Spirit is leading our religious communities.
Particular attention will be paid to the gift of the arts as manifested in the diversity of cultures. Activities include some presentations, quiet prayer time, and small group discussions (which may take place in various languages). Each participant is invited to bring a symbol of her or his religious community's charism.
Eduardo Fernández, SJ, PhD: Other than teaching classes in missiology and Latino theology and ministry at the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University at Berkeley and the Graduate Theological Union, Professor Fernández publishes, gives workshops and retreats, and assists at local parishes. He has also worked in university campus ministry. A native of El Paso, Texas, he earned a Masters in Latin American Studies at the University of Texas at Austin and a doctorate in theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. His two latest books are Mexican American Catholics (Paulist Press, 2007), awarded a 2008 Catholic Press Association Book Award in the category of pastoral ministry, and Culture- Sensitive Ministry: Helpful Strategies for Pastoral Ministers (Paulist Press, 2010) with Kenneth McGuire, CSP and Anne Hansen.
