ForMission 2.0

Navigating Individual and Communal Grief in Initial and Lifelong Formation 

ForMission 2.0

ForMission 2.0 is an opportunity for formators and elected leadership who have participated in Orientation to Formation and/or the ForMission programs to dive deeper into a specific topic, refresh and reinvigorate skills and learnings along the way, connect with other formators, and engage in some peer supervision.

ForMission 2.0 will take place on Zoom. Access to reliable internet is important.

• Tuesdays, February 17 and 24, 2026 | 11:00am - 2:00pm Central (Chicago)

This is a two-day virtual workshop. Participation in both days is strongly encouraged in order to fully receive and engage the information. Given the nature of the workshop, it will not be recorded. The target audience for this virtual workshop is those who have completed Orientation to Formation and/or ForMission. Elected leaders are also welcome to register.  

In this workshop, Mary Pat Garvin, RSM, PhD will explore how members of religious congregations – both those in initial and lifelong formation -- might navigate experiences of grief in a healthy and holy manner. Grief, a most human and natural emotion, follows all types of losses. Many religious congregations, in particular those in the northern hemisphere, are experiencing a series of losses; the passing of beloved members, the closing of valued ministries, the withdrawal from parishes and schools, etc. For other congregations, after much prayer and discernment, the decision to stop accepting new members generates a deep communal experience of grief and loss. Drawing on insights from theology, spirituality, and contemporary psychology we will explore our topic seeking ways to notice God’s graced companionship as we navigate this time in history.

Fee

• Members: $180
• Non-members: $230

Register online

Please see the Conference cancellation policy regarding no-shows and cancellations.  

Presenter  

Since 1994, Mary Pat Garvin, RSM, PhD, has ministered both nationally and internationally in vocation and formation ministry, explicitly focusing on the education and training of vocation and formation ministers. Mary Pat has published numerous articles on vocation discernment and the formative process in Horizon: Journal of the National Religious Vocation Conference published by the National Religious Vocation Conference (NRVC), InFormation magazine, published by the Religious Formation Conference (RFC), Human Development, as well as international journals dedicated to the study of religious life. In 2017 Mary Pat received the Mary Emil Penet, IHM Award from the Religious Formation Conference for her contribution to formation ministry both nationally and internationally. In 2025 she received the Outstanding Leadership Award from the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR). Having served on her congregation’s general leadership team, she currently works with congregations worldwide, teaches in the UISG program for the preparation of formators in Rome, and serves on the board of the InterCongregational Collaborative Novitiate (ICCN) in Chicago, Illinois. Her research interest is the interplay of spirituality and psychology in the promotion of a healthy and holy living of religious life.