St. Meinrad Fall Workshops Focus on Ministry Topics

St. Meinrad - Workshops for those working in ministry have been scheduled by the Continuing Formation office of Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology, St. Meinrad, IN. The workshops will be held on the Saint Meinrad campus.

“Catholic Campus Ministry” is the topic of a workshop scheduled for October 7 and 8. Dr. Karen Shadle will be the presenter. The workshop begins Thursday evening and continues from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Central Time on Friday.

The workshop will provide an overview of the history and context of campus ministry, with particular attention to two Church documents that guide higher education ministry, Empowered by the Spirit and Ex Corde Ecclesiae.

Participants will assess the principles in these documents in light of more recent writings of Pope Francis and contemporary challenges to campus ministry, such as relativism, utilitarianism, and increasing costs of higher education. Instructors and participants will share best practices of campus ministry programs.

Shadle is the director of the Office of Worship in the Archdiocese of Louisville. She previously was the campus minister and director of Our Lady of the Woods Chapel at Bellarmine University.

A second workshop, “Precious Lord, Take My Hand: Walking with God into Eternity,” will be held on Friday, October 15, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mary Ortwein is the presenter.

Like other major transitions through life – marriage, parenting, retirement – the movement into eternity with God works best when planned for and embraced.

During this interactive workshop, participants will explore an outline of what the Catholic Church teaches about the care of our bodies and our souls as the end of life nears. Topics include:

What are the foundations of Church teaching about end-of-life decisions? How do those foundations offer a guide to working with complex medical care systems? How can you decide if a suggested medical procedure is “ordinary” or “extraordinary” or “burdensome”?

What conversations should you have with your family and doctors about end-of-life matters before they are needed? What legal precautions should you take to make sure your preferences are followed? The workshop will provide a blueprint for the task, including sample copies of needed documents, summaries of Church teaching, and a summary outline of tasks and resources.

Ortwein, a graduate of Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology, created the workshop from her experiences as a catechist helping families through illness and death.

The registration fee for each workshop is $100. For full descriptions of the workshops and to register, visit www.saintmeinrad.edu/continuing-formation/pastoral-formation-workshop/ or call the Office of Continuing Formation at (812) 357-6341.