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Who doesn't want to go to Orlando, Florida in January? That is exactly how two of our parishioners felt, so Jyl Dittbenner and Vicki Fontaine attended the Fashion Me a People conference from January 10-12 this year. The music was phenomenal, the speakers were dramatic, and the liturgies were inspiring. Upon arrival we found ourselves at our hotel - and the first thing we saw as we walked the grounds to catch a shuttle to Epcot was an aneole (small chameleon type lizard). They were every where we looked - just hidden in the flower beds and shrubbery. Epcot was beautiful. Our favorite country was Morrocco - where we heard the story of the turtle.
On Thursday the conference began. We felt a little daunted by the idea of 3 hour workshop sessions - but we chose one that sounded interesting and hoped for the best. The topic was Whole Parish Catechesis. Sister Linda Gaupin created a fictitious parish to illustrate her points. At "St. Seperatus," (separate us) - everything was compartmentalized. Sister Linda's point was that we as a parish have so many opportunities to learn together through the liturgy. Through the songs we sing, the prayers we pray, the words proclaimed, and the way that we worship together we can gain a better understanding of God and His plan for us. She also reminded us that parents are not the primary educators of their children - God is. Many of us suffer from "ecclesial amnesia" - that is - we forget why things are the way they are, and how they used to be. She cited the Constitution on the Liturgy #10 to point out that "Liturgy is the fount from which the church's power flows." One of Sister Linda's main points was to show that Sacraments are the most important work of the church. We shared in small groups our memories of each sacrament - aside from baptism - what did each remember about our First Communion, Reconciliation, and Confirmation? It was an interesting exercise which you could try with your family or friends. Do you have positive memories of these milestones in Catholic life? What do you hope for the children of our parish to experience?  Jyl with Father Joe Kempf Also during the liturgy, ValLimar Jensen did some story telling. The way that she called us to sow the seed of God, and water the seeds planted - called us to be full members of the body of Christ. Some of us, she said, plant one seed at a time and wait to see if it will grow. When it doesn't - we snatch it back so it won't be wasted. Her advice was for the sowers to sow their seeds with abandon. The ones with watering cans should water generously, and the ones to cultivate should be ready to bring in a great harvest. Each progressive day of the workshop was more exciting than the last. A frequent theme was the idea of Mystagogy - or reflection. After every segment we deliberately took time to process what we had heard. The theme song throughout the weekend roused us to walk and never tire - that life is a journey and not a destination. We are all called to continue learning in faith - to step forward with Christ and spread the good news to others. To read more, look for the next article "Fashion Me a People. After a refreshing sleep we woke up to the fire alarm at 4:20AM. That was quite an experience - Jyl forgot it was Florida and was trying to zip her coat. Vicki grabbed her purse, shoved in important items, and was ready to run out the door. "What's your problem?" she asked as she headed for the door. I guess some people awaken more alert than others. A few hours later the day began with morning prayer. Sister Catherine Dooley delivered a keynote address entitled "Conversion and Transformation - Liturgy and Catechesis." She inspired us with the description of how she ended each school day by blessing all the children on the forehead. One particular day a student had misbehaved and she forgot to bless him. He came back to her - and asked for his special blessing. Sister Catherine told us that "the liturgy is the priviledged place of catechizing the people of God." She encouraged us to look at the rite of each sacrament for the curriculum focus of sacramental preparation. Most importantly she reminded us that each believer has received faith from others - and should in turn bring it to others. Our next workshop was on Pastoral Care and the Grieving Process - of course presented by Father Joe Kempf. We learned of a whole new series of videos he's been producing about his friend Big Al (a muppet of sorts). He warned us not to use cliches when trying to talk with someone about the grieving process. God does not "take" people from us. Father Joe told us that the best response can be as simple as "I'm sorry." At the end of the workshop he led us through a guided meditation - an encounter with Christ. In the afternoon we attended a music workshop with Timothy Smith. The songs we heard were so filled with the word it was impossible to miss the point. Mr. Smith showed us how songs connect in a way that is a mystery to us. He played a medly of song snippets that many of us could recognize in only a few notes. At this workshop we discovered a few songs that truly touched us, like "Ears to Listen," and "The Voice of Christ." Our evening included a trip to the pool and Hot tub. The weather for our trip included 80 degree days - and no rain until our last afternoon! In the final day of our conference, we have finally mastered the theme song and its accompanying hand motions. Also - we now understand the need and importance of mystagogy. We have experienced it for ourselves. Each new experience brought the opportunity for reflection, something our conference organizers took full advantage of. Each presenter walked us through the process of inner reflection. It is this reflection that cements the learning in our heads - this is the key to changing thoughts. Through reflection - we can process and form new ideas. Our workshop choice today is ValLimar Jansen - a story teller. She uses drama and music to tell the scripture stories. She begins with the creation story - involving the audience in the telling by turning to us and waiting for the response to "And God said: It's good!" She also told the story of the woman washing Jesus' feet, and the woman at the well. We were drawn into the stories in ways we've never heard them before. The afternoon proved to be too tiring for us - we needed a nap. There were so many books and ideas to consider, information to process, not to mention our early wake-up call from the fire alarm. Returning refreshed for the evening liturgy, everything we learned through the workshops was put into practice. Beautiful storytelling, liturgical dance to create a flow, music to touch hearts, (in English as well as Spanish), all of it culminating in the Eucharist. We loved the Fashion Me a People Conference. I hope you enjoyed this narrative of our time there - and consider attending a conference of your own! |
