From the DOR’s facebook page:
Free and public, two locations: Gathering on Hope with Bishop Matthew Clark
The “Gathering on Hope with Bishop Matthew Clark” will offer an opportunity for participants to reflect on the topic of hope in a quiet, sacred setting and become renewed in the spirit.
The program will be presented in two locations:
§ 7 to 9 p.m. Monday, April 4, at St. Mary Our Mother Catholic Church, 816 W. Broad St., Horseheads, N.Y.
§ 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, April 6, at Sacred Heart Cathedral, 296 Flower City Park, Rochester, N.Y.
Along with reflections from Bishop Matthew Clark on the topic of hope, the evening will include spiritual readings on hope and time for individual and group reflection. Participants will develop individual action plans on the topic of hope to help guide them in daily living. There will also be a question-and-answer period with Bishop Clark [ok everyone – you have over a month to come up with some great stumpers – let the brainstorming begin in the comments] and time for refreshments.
The event is a unique opportunity for women and men to take time away from the pressures of life to reflect and recharge in an evening mini-retreat. The program is free; no advance registration is required.
The evening is sponsored by the Women’s Commission of the Diocese of Rochester [what exactly is this organization? anyone have any info?]. The mission of the Women’s Commission is to lead, educate and voice issues in church and society that impact women and girls. The commission serves as an advisory board to the bishop on issues of concern to women in church and society. There are 18 members, including two college students, from a variety of parishes in the diocese.
For more information, contact:
- Sarita Arden, Women’s Commission leadership team, sarden@rochester.rr.com
- Shannon Loughlin, director of Young Adult and Catholic Ministry, Diocese of Rochester, (585) 328-3228, ext. 1218, loughlin@dor.org
Tags: Events
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This women’s commission has more influence on the bishop that the council of priests.
See here for by-laws and current membership.
That group just sounds like bad news all around.
I predict low participation and a lot of navel-gazing.
The Diocesan Women’s Commission vision is to draw on the passion, spirit & strength of women & to provide opportunities for women to share their gifts. These mini retreats provide women an opportunity to gather outside of their parish for spiritual nourishment on a diocesan level or perhaps in some cases of women who have left the church a way back.
The theme for the April retreats is Hope. The hope that each women carries in her heart in these times when so many people are dealing with unemployment, financial pressures, issues of raising a family, having family members deployed or returning from war. Our society doesn’t always honor these sacrifices; instead we often are made to feel that we need to buck up. We hope that these events will renew our sense of community & provide a place for women to share their stories of Hope. As a poet friend of mine wrote, “Hope is the thing that comes, when we say yes to love, to joy, to gratitude, to reality.” I hope that women who attend these retreats will leave with the yes that they find in the scripture readings, the reflection questions & their personal action plans.
Since the mission of the women’s commission is to lead, educate & voice issues in the church & society that impact women & girls, we have recently completed a period of strategic planning based on that mission & the mission of the Diocese.
Some of our top priorities are to address issues related to the organizational church and a renewed effort to engage young adult women. We are actively looking for ways to connect & solicit diverse stories of Catholic women using social media & other effective vehicles such as short essays in parish bulletins, essays in small newspapers such as the Catholic Courier. Perhaps future gatherings where stories are read, with a prayer & social element; maybe an older women making a special invitation to a younger women for a shared evening on “ How my faith has impacted my life” sort of thing. We have a lot of ideas & great faith that women have many wonderful stories to share and that the sharing provides spiritual substance enriches the quality of our diocesan church.
We welcome any woman in the diocese who would like to participate on one of our subcommittees.
It helps to remember that we have a much greater and more positive impact on the world when we maintain our inner sense of peace and joy.
Sarita,
Thanks for sharing that info. I have a couple of questions:
1) Are these gatherings only for women?
2) Could you expound this?