"A Faith Lift" for Moms Weekend Conference
Introduction | Schedule | Keynote Speakers | Workshops | Location & Hotels | Registration

Choose one workshop from each session (1, 2 and 3).

WORKSHOP SESSION 1: Personal Spirituality

A. Mary the Mother, A Gospel Portrait: Deepening Your Connection

     with Mary

     SPEAKER:  Mary Kaye Medinger

Join lifelong educator and Marian scholar Mary Kaye Medinger for an interactive reflection on three Gospel passages about Mary that can deepen our connection with her as women and as mothers. After a brief consideration of the world in which Mary lived, we will break open the Word and be nourished by Matthew 1:1-17 (Mary and the four other women named as ancestors of Jesus in the genealogy according to Matthew); Luke 1:26-38 ( the Annunciation: Mary’s call to discipleship); Luke 2:41-52 (Mary and Joseph lose and find Jesus). Come explore the contemporary implications of these powerful stories of mothering!

Mary Kaye Medinger has served as founding director of Wisdom Ways Center for Spirituality, a ministry of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet since 1995. She holds degrees in history and in elementary education from the College of St. Catherine, a Master of Arts in Catechetics and Liturgy from the University of St. Thomas, a Certificate in Holistic Health Studies from St. Catherine’s.

Mary Kaye’s lifelong interest in Mary of Nazareth, the Mother of Jesus, has been a particular area of study since 1981 and she has been giving talks, teaching classes, leading workshops and retreats on this topic since 1986.  Mary Kaye is the mother of two adult, married children and became a grandmother in 2002. She lives in St. Paul, Minnesota.

B. You Are Gifted-Discern It!  Finding your Niche in the Maze of 

     Motherhood

     SPEAKER: Mary Gannon Kaufmann

Have you struggled to recognize the supernatural within your ordinary and seemingly routine life as a mom? At times, is it difficult to recognize parenting as a divine mission? This workshop will provide you practical assistance in recognizing spiritual gifts or charisms in yourself and will illustrate discernment as a down to earth living process. In this light, your spiritual charisms become a primary means through which Christ reaches your family and community through you, as well as primary indicator of God's unique call in your life.

Mary Gannon Kaufmann is a Lay Ecclesial Minister and freelance Catholic Educator.  Mary teaches nationally on “Called and Gifted” workshops depicting lay vocation and spiritual gifts discernment.  Mary has an M.A. in Theology from Loras College in Dubuque, IA; an M.S. in Nutrition Science from the University of Minnesota, and a B.S. in Food Technology from Iowa State University. Mary lives in Cedar Rapids, IA with her husband and six children ages 6 to 16 years.

 

C. Who’s That Knocking at My Soul? Hearing God’s Voice:  Spiritual

     Direction: A Tool for Every Woman

     SPEAKER: Jane Leyden Cavanaugh

Sometimes it's difficult to see how God is working in your life. In this interactive workshop learn about spiritual direction and how it can help you become more aware of God's presence in your everyday life.

Experience a guided meditation, journal and contemplate questions such as:  Where am I right now in my spiritual journey? What is my prayer life like? How can I deepen it? How can I include God in a decision I am facing? What is getting between God and me right now? Where do I see God working in my life?

Jane Leyden Cavanaugh   Jane is the founder and director of “The Vineyard”- an organization whose mission is to cultivate the spiritual growth of women through retreats, women’s groups and individual spiritual direction.  Jane has also worked with youth, as a retreat director for Youth Frontiers, Inc., a non-profit organization building the character of young people.  For twelve years she was a professional actor, working in Minneapolis, Chicago, and Los Angeles.  Jane has served as a volunteer working with people living in the slums of Venezuela, and as a chaplain at the University of St. Thomas.  Jane has a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame, a Master’s degree in Theology from the College of St. Catherine and is currently completing her certificate in Spiritual Direction.  Jane lives in the Twin Cities with her husband and 1-year old daughter.

D. What’s Your Story? Honoring Our Stories as Mothers and

     Grandmothers  

“Grandma, can you tell us that story again…?  Do you consider yourself a storyteller?  Jesus, your brother was a storyteller and so are you.  Are you passing on your faith in God’s unconditional love to the next generation?  Yes, you are! You do this everyday with the daily stories and rituals you share as you interact with your children and grandchildren. Learn the power of your stories, and gain some new insights into how they can be even more meaningful in the lives of your children and grandchildren.

Sister Paula Hagen, National Director of MOMS, is a national speaker and author in the area of Family Ministry.  She is also a national retreat director and trainer in lay ministry.

WORKSHOP SESSION 2: Personal Wellness

E. Make the Connection! Stay Connected to Positive Energy

    SPEAKER:  Kate Frederickson

Learn new ways to "balance your emotional energy", listen to your inner voice, and set healthy boundaries for yourself. Integrate stress management body work into your daily schedule as a busy mom. Come and be motivated to make some good choices for yourself and your family, ultimately experiencing greater peace.

Kate Frederickson BSN founded Self Care Strategies as a private practice in 1991, following twelve years of nursing practice that included Scoliosis and Orthopedic rehabilitation and Psychiatric Nursing. Appreciating the psychosocial issues of "need " that play out in behavior, her interest and study in holistic healing concepts evolved into a private practice that integrates three helping models that are strategies to address and balance emotion, body, mind and spirit. Blueprint Energetics assists the process of healing emotional blocks that create self limiting behavior. Acupressure and bodywork techniques release patterns on deeper levels and support the inner connection. Personal products that regenerate and balance the body provide a resource for a wellness lifestyle to help your personal dreams to come true. The bridge is self-love!

 

F. Healing Touch:  Caring For Ourselves and Others

    SPEAKER: Mary Del Vecchio, PsyD, CRC, Pastoral

   Minister

Healing Touch is an energy-based therapeutic approach to healing.  Participants will have an opportunity to learn the basics of Healing Touch.  In addition, each person will practice receiving and giving Healing Touch to another.  This session will be relaxing and energizing.  Come and learn about this ancient tradition that was a part of day to day life in the early Christian church.

Mary Del Vecchio is a Healing Touch Practitioner with a Doctorate degree in Psychology, a Masters degree in Theology, a Pastoral Ministry Certificate from the College of St. Catherine and a Masters Degree in Rehabilitation Counseling. She is an Oblate at the St. Paul Monastery. Mary is the mother of two adult children. She and her husband facilitate marriage preparation called Preparing for Christian Marriage. She specializes in remarriage work. Mary volunteers at Woodwinds Hospital using her Healing Touch skills. She has a private practice.

G. Living Above the Line: Secrets of Success to be a Better YOU!

     SPEAKERS: Tom Cody & Willow Sweeney

We all have the potential to become difference makers, to create meaningful and successful experiences for ourselves and others.  Join Tom and Willow for a lively, upbeat, fun, engaging discussion on how to eliminate negative mental habits, how to "Live above the Line", develop personal (and mothering!) "Star Qualities".  Learn how to master the art of bettering your best, identify and overcome self-destructive habits, and take responsibility for discovering your true self. Guarantee: You will leave this session energized, with practical, easily-adaptable concepts that could make a positive difference in your lives and in the lives of your children.

Tom Cody, co-author of Top 20 Teens: Discovering the Best Kept Thinking, Learning, & Communicating Secrets of Successful Teenagers, speaks locally and nationally on these Top 20 concepts.  He has served as a grade school and high school math teacher since 1974 and has coached several successful athletic teams. A graduate of Colorado State University, Tom and his wife Judy, a fifth grade teacher at Nativity in St. Paul, have three sons, aged 19, 23 and 25.

Willow Sweeney, co-author of Top 20 Teens, also does training for parents, businesses and students. She is a graduate of the University of St. Thomas and taught Top20 and social justice at Cretin-Derham Hall. Her exceptional ability to build instant rapport with people has helped make Top 20 training relevant to their lives.  Willow now lives in St. Cloud with her husband Brian and newly-born son Cooper.

H. Sweet Rolls, Hamburger Buns and Toast: Being Good Bread in an

     Imperfect World

     SPEAKER: Jackie Witter

Through our sharing in the Eucharist, we are called to be bread for the world, a Eucharistic people.  We are called to bring the presence of Christ to our families, communities, and the world.  But what does this mean in the midst of real life? In this workshop we will consider the practical implications of our call to be a Eucharistic people, and we will explore how God can take the raw materials we offer and create nourishing bread for the world.

Jackie Witter frequently leads retreats and speaks on a variety of topics related to ministry, liturgy, adult formation and spirituality.  Jackie has a doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of St. Thomas, a graduate certificate in Organization Development from the University of St. Thomas, a Master’s Degree in Theology from the University of Notre Dame and a Master’s Degree in Religious Education from St. John’s University.

WORKSHOP SESSION 3: Family Relationships

I. Keeping the Faith: Empowering Children to Believe and Belong

   SPEAKER: Kristine Berggren

Helping our children to be good doesn’t mean isolating them from culture or shielding them from others’ beliefs.  It means giving them tools to be who they are, who God created them to be.  We try to prepare the “soil” of their lives in order for them to blossom fully – we make sure they are loved, educated, have opportunities to develop their talents.  Yet their unfolding is a mystery and we don’t control them – instead we nurture them so they may develop their inner authority that is far stronger than any external controls.   Hear Kris speak about how to pass on our beliefs to our sons and daughters so they can become Christ’s light and love in the world.

Kristine Berggren is a columnist and contributor to the National Catholic Reporter and Religion Teachers Journal.  She is the author of Advent and Lenten reflection booklets for families (Bayard Publications),  Strategies for Stay-At-Home Parents (Meadowbrook Press), and a contributor to Twin Cities Parent, The Lawlor Review, and Star Tribune special sections.  

J. Family Rituals: Holy Time Out

    SPEAKER: Joy Biedrzycki

Since the beginning of time, humankind has centered and located itself in the sacred. The elements we find in “mere child play” are often the same we find in rituals of high consciousness. The family is our children’s first experience of the sacred and the holy. Family is the Church of the home. Family and home is a place where our children can grow in faith and experience familiar rituals that will remain with them during their life. These rituals need not be elaborate. This workshop will present ideas for your family to mark the everyday events of daily living as holy. From birth to holidays, to slip-ups, to birthdays, to small successes, ritual helps us move all of these experiences to a higher level.

Joy Biedrzycki is a wife, mother, grandmother and church minister. She is currently employed as the Pastoral Associate for Faith Formation at Our Lady of Peace Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She has worked professionally in church ministry for 40 years.  She has been involved extensively in the area of Family Ministry for most of those years. Joy has contributed to several publications and text books.

 

K. Marriage: The Union of Life and Love

     SPEAKER: Kathy Laird

Marriage is vocation for men and women, creating a civilization of love and a culture of life.  In her down-to-earth and engaging style, Kathy Laird will highlight John Paul II's Theology of the Body and offer practical ideas for building the marriage relationship.

Kathy Laird is a wife and mother.  She is currently the Director of the Office of Family, Laity and Youth at the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. She is a teacher by background, and a graduate of the College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph, Minnesota.  She has been married for 43 years, has 6 children, 18 living grandchildren and two in heaven.  She and her husband Stew were also foster parents of 57 infants over 8 years.

L. The Golden Rule At Home:  Being a Better Christian to Your Family

    SPEAKER: Mary Jo FaustGen

Looking at our own issues is very hard, since it is always easier to look at others' faults. In this workshop we will explore how to respond in a loving, Christian way to people in our family that "drive us crazy!" How do you respond to the husband who won't help around the house, or to the kids that always need reminding?  Come join Mary Jo for helpful advice on anger management, stress management, respectful assertiveness, and implementing the virtues and fruits of the Holy Spirit in families.

Mary Jo Faustgen is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with a clinical practice at MidWest Center in St. Paul. She is listed on the national network of Catholictherapists.com that is often advertised on Relevant Radio. She has been married to her husband, Jim, for 32 years; together, they have worked with engaged and married couples for over thirty years, and have developed a ministry to married couples called "Romance for a Lifetime" Christian Marriage Enrichment Seminars.

Sponsored by: Ministry of Mothers Sharing (MOMS)
An outreach ministry of St. Paul's Monastery