Monday, April 30 – Tuesday, May 1
Desmond Hotel and Conference Center, Malvern, PA
for
CEOs, Board Chairs, Senior Staff, Province Leaders
The conference will begin with lunch at noon on Monday, April 30 and conclude at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, May 1.
The conference package fee is $279 for a single and $209 for a double, including the program, lunch and dinner on Monday, hotel room, and breakfast and lunch on Tuesday.
Our Conference Theme for 2007
"Serving as Co-Workers in the Vineyard of the Lord"
This year's leadership conference will focus on the recent document published by the bishops of the United States entitled, Co-Workers in the Vineyard of the Lord. The major themes of personal call, communion and mission will be explored in light of the Cabrini charism to be "bearers of the love of Christ in the world." A practical focus on the opportunities and challenges faced by ministry leaders today such as "compassion fatigue" will also be explored on both personal and organizational levels.
This year's leadership conference will focus on the recent document published by the bishops of the United States entitled, Co-Workers in the Vineyard of the Lord. The major themes of personal call, communion and mission will be explored in light of the Cabrini charism to be "bearers of the love of Christ in the world." A practical focus on the opportunities and challenges faced by ministry leaders today such as "compassion fatigue" will also be explored on both personal and organizational levels.
Monday, April 30, 2007
1:00 Introductions and Opening Prayer: Communion for Mission
1:30 Co-Workers in the Vineyard of the Lord Overview
This session will explore the recent document Co-Workers in the Vineyard of the Lord and its application to the Cabrini ministries. The document expresses at this point in history what the bishops have learned from the experience of lay ecclesial ministry in the United States. It suggests concepts, goals, strategies, resources, and ideas to consider. It invites local adaptation, application, and implementation to achieve consistency where possible and to encourage diversity where appropriate. It calls Church leaders, ordained and lay, to become more intentional and effective in ordering and integrating lay ecclesial ministers within the ministerial life and structures of the Church.
2:30 BREAK
3:00 Communion for Mission: Theological Foundations for Ministry
All ministry finds its place within the communion of the Church and serves the mission of Christ in the Spirit. Thus, communion and mission provide the foundation for understanding and carrying out ministry. This session will focus on the themes of communion and mission and its implications for you personally, your local ministry setting and the Cabrini ministries as a whole.
4:15 Wrap up and Closing Prayer
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
9:00 Prayer: God Calls. We Respond.
9:30 Responding to God’s Call: Yours, Mine and Ours
God calls. We respond. This fundamental, essential pattern in the life of every believer appears throughout salvation history. The Father calls a chosen people, patriarchs, and prophets. Jesus calls his apostles and disciples. The Holy Spirit empowers all with the various gifts and ministries for the building up of the Body of Christ. The pathway to ministry for any individual is as unique as that individual. No typical path exists, only a multitude of examples. Most of the paths are quite circuitous; few are direct. This session will enable participants to reflect on their call to ministry and how to enable others in their ministry settings to do the same.
10:30 BREAK
10:45 Setting the Bar High and Reaching It
“To set high standards,” said Pope John Paul II, “means both to provide a thorough basic training and to keep it constantly updated. This is a fundamental duty, in order to ensure qualified personnel for the Church’s mission.” This involves establishing the requirements for education, formation, and experience for specific ministerial roles and evaluating the extent to which individuals meet these requirements. This may vary by ministry setting, but the competence of those who serve needs to be verified in some way. This session will explore how to assess competence of ministry leaders and accountability in ministry settings.
11:30 Breakout Discussion Groups
12:00 LUNCH
1:00 Too Tired To Care?
Compassion fatigue can be a challenge for all who minister in the health and human service ministries. This is especially true for seasoned ministers or when ministering in times of crisis. This session will explore how to identify this fatigue, and how individual and organizations can actively address it.
1:30 Where the Rubber Hits the Road or for the Ministerial Workplace: Where the Balance Sheet Meets the Gospel
In the ministerial workplace, one finds the special challenge of establishing policies and practices that integrate Gospel values and best organizational practices. This is particularly true as regards the management of human resources. Best organizational practices are consistent with Gospel values. They balance the goals and needs of the organization, its workers and the community in which it is located. They imply respect for persons, justice, integrity, efficient use of resources, successful accomplishment of mission and goals, and an environment in which committed and skilled workers are treated fairly. This session will enable those in leading ministerial workplaces to identify challenges and responses.
2:30 BREAK
3:00 So what does this mean for Cabrini?
This session will invite discussion on how Cabrini ministries will seek to achieve consistency where possible and to encourage diversity where appropriate in moving into the future as bearers of Christ’s love in the world.
3:45 Closing Prayer and Evaluation
4:00 Departure
