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May
7, 2007
VOL.
45, NO. 9Oakland,
CA
Convocation
of lay Catholics set for S.F. with Pleasant Hill priest as speaker
A gathering
to reinvigorate lay leadership in the Church by focusing on both ancient
tradition and the teachings of the Second Vatican Council will take place
on June 2 at St. Mary’s Cathedral in San Francisco from 9 a.m. –
3:30 p.m.
Titled “Coming of Age: The First Annual Northern California Lay
Convocation,” the day-long meeting will encourage Catholics of all
spectrums to participate in a “day of raising hard issues and challenges
in a vibrant dialog,” states a Web site established for the event
www.NorcalLayconvocation.org
.
Although the convocation does not carry sponsorship by any official Church
entities, Archbishop George H. Niederauer said he plans to attend. “It
is good for me to have an opportunity to be able to hear what Catholic
laity have to say,” he told Catholic San Francisco, the archdiocesan
weekly newspaper.
Rob Grant, a member-at-large of the steering committee organizing the
event, said, “We want to offer a venue where Catholics of a progressive
or traditional bent, both clerical and lay, can have the opportunity to
talk with one another, share their vision of Church in a reconciliatory,
non-confrontational way.”
The planning group includes Catholics from the archdiocese as well as
the dioceses of Oakland, Santa Rosa, San Jose, Monterey and Sacramento.
Two morning addresses are scheduled. Burlingame Mercy Sister Eloise Rosenblatt,
who holds a doctorate in theology from the Graduate Theological Union
in Berkeley and a law degree, will present a talk titled “Lay Leadership
in the Third Millennium: Reviving An Ancient Tradition.”
Father Brian Joyce, pastor of Christ the King Parish in Pleasant Hill,
will follow with a lecture titled “Vatican II: Shared Baptism/Shared
Leadership.”
After Father Joyce’s talk, Pace e Bene, an organization that facilitates
non-violent communication, will lead participants in understanding how
to create dialogue and conversation in the midst of controversy.
Afternoon “break-out sessions” will center on “lay concerns
and practical suggestions for improving dialogue and lay participation,”
according to the Web site.
The day will begin and end with prayer.
Registration forms and information are available on the Web site. Suggested
registration fee is $15. Each participant is asked to bring a sack lunch.
