Special Events
The Office of Lay Ministry and the Committee for Priest’s Continuing Education are pleased to announce a Symposium:
One Call, Many Callings:
The Theology of Vocation Today
Join us Oct. 13/14th, 2008 as Dr. Ed Hahnenberg leads us through a two day interactive exploration of the History and Theology of Vocation and Laity’s Role in the life of the Church at the Sandhills Convention Center in North Platte, NE.
Dr. Hahnenberg is associate professor of theology at Xavier University, Cincinnati, where he teaches courses in theological method, ecclesiology, liturgy, and contemporary Catholicism. He received his PH.D. from the University of Notre Dame in 2002. He is also the author of two books—Ministries: A Relational Approach (Crossroad, 2003) and A Concise Guide to the Documents of Vatican II (St. Anthony Messenger Press, 2007) and numerous articles in academic and pastoral journals. He served as a consultant to the U.S. Bishops’ Subcommittee on Lay Ministry in its preparation of the document Co-Workers in the Vineyard of the Lord. A native of northern Michigan, he and his family now live in Loveland, Ohio.
Presentations Include:
The Christian Call in a Consumer Culture
Our culture celebrates the virtue of “choice.” On the one hand, this emphasizes human freedom and responsibility. On the other, it can easily lead to an empty consumerist mentality. The Christian notion of vocation—the idea that our lives are to be lived as a response to a call from God—offers another way forward.
The Theology of Vocation: Then and Now
How have we as a church talked about God’s call? How have we understood vocation? Over the centuries, vocation became reserved to a special few. The ordained and religious “had a vocation.” With Vatican II’s affirmation of the universal call to holiness, we have come to embrace a broader and more biblical vision for the church today.
The Diversity of Vocations in the Church and in the World
The one call to follow Christ takes shape in a diversity of vocations. Together we form the body of Christ. And together we serve Christ’s mission in the world. What is the role of the laity in serving this mission? What is the role of the clergy?
Many Ministries Serving One Mission
Recent years have seen an explosion of new forms of ministry within the Catholic Church. What are the ways in which volunteers, lay ecclesial ministers, deacons, and priests serve to build up the body of Christ for its mission in the world? What might this mean for the church of Grand Island?
Contact Cindy at 1-800-252-9325 or cmuenchrath@gidiocese.org for more information and to register