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FORMATION OPPORTUNITIES: National and statewide events available

By RENEE WEBB, Globe editor
(Email Renee)

In recent years the Catholic Church has stressed the need for adult faith formation.

It’s with that concept in mind that Vera Ludwig, interim director of the Office of Adult and Family Ministries, wants to spread the word about two upcoming opportunities.

National conference
The first is a conference by the National Association of Catholic Family Life Ministers to be held June 25-28 at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn. The theme of the conference is Becoming a Marriage-Building Church: Implementing the U.S. Bishops’ Pastoral Initiative on Marriage.

“It’s not often that we have the opportunity to attend a conference that is being offered so close to home,” said Ludwig.

While the conference is designed for pastors, deacons, parish staff, persons involved in marriage prep programs, NFP providers and those who work in marriage ministries of any kind, all persons interested in preserving marriage or making their own marriages stronger are welcome to attend.

With the recent Iowa Supreme Court decision that rejected a state law restricting marriage to a union between a man and a woman, marriages have taken the spotlight in the media. Given what is happening in the state, she said, it makes the conference focus all the more timely.

“It’s the foundation of who we are as church,” Ludwig said. “The first church is the domestic church.”
Some of the topics to be addressed at the conference are practical tips for marriage ministry, the mystery of love, young adult discernment, natural family planning, community marriage initiatives, pastoral counseling issues and hurting marriages.

Along with the timely and thought-provoking topics, Ludwig said the conference will feature many quality speakers.

For instance, one of the keynote speakers on June 25 will be Barbara Dafoe Whitehead who will deliver a presentation titled State of Our Unions. She is co-director of the National Marriage Project at Rutgers University and has written extensively on the subjects of dating, marriage and parenting.

A two-hour session on the morning of June 26 will feature a bishops’ panel centered on the topic of Marriage-Building: Our Top Priority.

“This is a wonderful opportunity to be able to hear from experts from across the country in the field of marriage,” Ludwig said. “There are workshops, training and networking.”

Persons who are interested in attending this conference may apply for Empowerment Funding through the Diocese of Sioux City. If they apply and qualify for these dollars, she mentioned that it’s possible one-half of the conference fee could be paid. Persons interested in these funds should request an application form as soon as possible as the deadline is fast approaching.

Ministry to families
The second formation opportunity will be a two-day leadership training set for Oct. 8-9 in Newton, Iowa. This statewide effort is sponsored by the four Catholic dioceses in Iowa.

The program is titled Ministry With Families 101: An Introductory Formation Experience for All Whose Ministry Efforts Impact Families. In recent years, NACFLM has offered this formation course that provides insights and skills for participants to live out a vision of ministry with families in both their personal lives and ministerial efforts.

“I would like to have two representatives from each of the deaneries attend,” said Ludwig, who added that ideally these individuals would be willing to continue to work with the Office of Adult and Family Ministries on family programming at the local level. “They would be my support people out in the deaneries – in the parishes and clusters. We would work as a team because obviously, one person cannot do everything.”

She pointed out that participants in the training will be empowered through shared learning, enabling them to support one another in their ministry efforts.

After the leadership training, Ludwig noted that this team would evaluate how best to minister to the families in the parish. She added that insight as to the needs of parishioners is also presently being obtained through the Adult and Family Ministries survey that is currently underway.

More information about this statewide training will be available in the coming months. Contact Ludwig at (712) 233-7532 with questions.