Roundtable Sessions
This year it has been decided to add “roundtable sessions” to the overall RE Congress experience. These “roundtable sessions” are so-called because the talking and sharing takes place around a table that seats 8-10 people. During Congress 09 these roundtable sessions will take place on Saturday, 3 October, during the lunchtime period.
Roundtables are a quick and effective way for RE Congress participants to be exposed to a number of innovative, practical ideas and resources on a variety of catechetical topics. Each roundtable will have a specific topic, depending on the desire of the voluntary facilitators to share their particular projects and experiences. Table facilitators provide some initial input and then engage participants in a process of reflection and discussion.
RE Congress participants are free to attend/not attend any roundtable session during the lunchtime period. If you decide to attend a roundtable session simply sit at the numbered table that corresponds to your choice of roundtable and you will be served lunch. If you decide not to attend a roundtable session then simply sit at an un-numbered table and you will be served lunch. The numbered list of roundtables on offer will appear on the RE Congress website and will be made available during the Congress.
If you have something worthwhile to share with your colleagues in ministry and would like to serve as a roundtable facilitator, please send an email of application to the RE Congress coordinator at brendan.oreilly@iecon.ie. The application should contain (a) your name (b) a title of your proposed roundtable and (c) a short description of the proposed roundtable. Roundtable facilitators will not be eligible for accommodation, stipend etc. This is a service that facilitators provide for the participants.
RE Congress 2009 Roundtable Sessions:
Roundtable 1
Hosted by: Áine Fitzgerald O’Reilly
Title: Prayer Shawls and Crafting for Charities
Description: In a Prayer Shawl Ministry, prayer shawls are made and given to community members who are going through a difficult time. This special expression of love and support lets the recipients know that they are being remembered in prayer in a special way. Prayer shawl patterns will be available. Ideas will also be presented to help a parish community begin a knitting, crocheting, crafting circle of friends. After picking a charity, everyone has fun “knitting/crocheting” for others.
Roundtable 2
Hosted by: Dr. Finola Cunnane, SSL
Title: Spiritual Accompaniment and Pastoral Supervision
Description: What is the role of Spiritual Accompaniment and Pastoral Supervision in Religious Education? Teillard de Chardin tells us that “we are not human beings on a spiritual journey. Rather, we are spiritual beings on a human journey”. Honouring the sacred story of another, spiritual accompaniment is a form of pastoral care that accompanies people on their life’s journey and enables their lived experience to be in conversation with their relationship with God. Training in this area enables participants to minister compassionately and effectively as Spiritual Accompaniers under Supervision. Pastoral Supervision enables accompaniers to promote good practice and to become reflective practitioners. Come along and find out more!
Roundtable 3
Hosted by: Anne Codd pbvm
Title: Can we talk? What might religious education and parish practice be saying to one another?
Description: This is a case of theory and practice and whether and where the twain shall meet...the conversation will proceed from a number of stand-points in turn, depending on the composition of the group: teachers, ordained ministers, pastoral workers, parishioners of any/all ages. Come along and make it happen!
Roundtable 4
Hosted by: Maurice Harmon
Title: “Making a Home of Faith”.
Description: The proposed discussion will be comprised of a model of Faith Sharing for family and community in the use of religious, fiction and non-fiction books in table fellowship as part of an intergenerational setting. It will focus both on the domestic church as well as the community church. The participants will be encouraged to incorporate the creative methods used during the discussion in Religious Education programmes for children and their families as they endeavour to give them a sense of their faith identity.
Roundtable 5
Hosted by: Marie Moriarty (Trócaire)
Title: Catholic Face - Prophetic Space?
Description: Through a short but challenging presentation by Trócaire, participants would be invited to reflect deeply on their own understanding of the role of the prophetic space in their own lives as educators and in terms of their classrooms and schools. Participants would be asked to share with one another around the challenges of same and the good things that are already happening in schools that make the connection for staff and students alike between Catholic ‘face’ and prophetic ‘space’.
Roundtable 6
Hosted by: Vince Murray
Title: Religious Education through Inter-faith Encounter.
Description: Vince will briefly share his experiences of personal and professional learning through engaging in and facilitating interfaith encounters in educational contexts and then invite the participants to share their own experiences of and insights into the possibilities for Religious Education and Faith Development provided by interfaith encounters in the emerging Irish context.
Roundtable 7
Hosted by: Paul Faller (Catholic Institute of Education, Johannesburg)
Title: Confirmation: The Church-Leaving Certificate?
Description: We are often perplexed at the phenomenal drift way from the (Catholic) Church of young people soon after Confirmation. Some join other more vibrant and – to them – more relevant churches, while others put formal religion behind them as a statement of independence or disinterest. Is the Church failing the youth? If so, in what respects? Perhaps we need a radical re-visitation of our theology and practice of Christian initiation.
Roundtable 8
CANCELLED
Hosted by: Sr. Joan Roddy (Refugee and Migrant Project)
Title: Widening the Space of our Tent.
Description: How can catechesis at all levels take account of the changing population in Church and in society in general in Ireland? What are the opportunities and the challenges offered to the Christian community by people who come to this country as migrants or seekers of asylum?
Roundtable 9
Hosted by: Lucinda Dillon
Title: “A Picture Speaks a Thousand Words”: Powerful PowerPoints for Schools and Parishes
Description: This roundtable session should be of interest to those who wish to find out more on transmitting messages, stories, scripture passages and reflections via technology. Many samples of my own work will be shown as well as others I have sourced online. This session will also show how to make a PowerPoint from an empty presentation. I shall have my laptop with me and will be delighted to give you a demonstration. Bring your memory stick to obtain a copy of all work shown!
Roundtable 10
Hosted by: Nicola Rooney
Title: Catholic Social Teaching: Challenge and Opportunity
Description: The Irish Commission for Justice and Social Affairs is a Commission of the Irish Episcopal Conference. A key element of its role is to promote the Social Teaching of the Church. In this session we will explore possibilities for developing engagement with Catholic Social Teaching in the classroom, and what benefits this might bring to teachers in their work. We will also discuss the challenges teachers currently face in communicating this aspect of the Church’s teaching – such as lack of understanding of what ‘Catholic Social Teaching’ actually means and negative perceptions of the Church’s teaching, or its role in key social justice issues – highlighting resources that are currently available that may be of help and assessing what other types of support might be required.
Roundtable 11
Hosted by: Martin McMullan
Title: Gospel Nonviolence- An indispensible Truth
Description: The proposed discussion will entail a critical analysis of how Christianity has for 1700 years institutionally distorted the commandment of Jesus to his followers of nonviolent love of friends and enemies leading to a malaise within the Church that has rendered Christians who preach and practice nonviolence marginalised and ridiculed as a tiny Utopian minority. How this has happened and the tragic results of the false and anti-Christian theory of just-war can be demonstrated throughout the history of the Church and how when Jesus says "Love your enemies", "Take up your cross and follow me", "Blessed are the peacemakers" etc, he really actually meant what he said!! The implications of such a faithful following of Christianity in modern times can be surmised and practical steps to implement such teachings of indispensible truth can be explored. Resources will be provided.
Roundtable 12
Hosted by: Anna Gethings (AG Education Services).
Title: Exploring Religious Education in our time.
Description: How do we share our experiences in schools and what methods of communication might assist us in doing this? In today’s economic and social turmoil, it is more critical than ever to promote and build on the sustainable and timeless values that Christian education provides. Our educators have a direct influence on our young people as they engage with them on personal matters, community life and broader civil and social issues. How best can we create a focal point and channel for communication and dialogue with our religious, civil and social educators in a manner that is responsive to today’s needs.