Most Rev. Robert Barron, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and founder of Word on Fire Catholic Ministries, will deliver the keynote address at a March 2018 conference called “Cultures of Formation: Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment.” Registration is open for the conference sponsored by the McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame.
The goal of the conference is to examine the cultural influences that form young people today and equip the Church with a renewed missionary creativity. The conference anticipates the 15th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the topic of young people, the faith and vocational discernment in October 2018 in Rome.
“Education, family, technology, parish life are all schools of formation that are critical to shaping a sense of purpose and direction in young people,” said John Cavadini, director of the McGrath Institute for Church Life. “We should carefully examine these cultural influences if the Church is to renew its mission of forming young people for vocational discernment.”
The conference will be held March 5-7, 2018. Paid registrants are guaranteed seating for Barron’s keynote address on March 5 and a lecture by Nicholas Carr on March 6. Carr is an expert on technology and culture and a 2011 Pulitzer Prize finalist.
Registration costs $125. Notre Dame, Saint Mary’s College and Holy Cross College faculty, staff and students are invited to register at no cost but must pay the registration fee to guarantee admission to lectures by Barron and Carr. For more information on registration and admission to the lectures, visit icl.nd.edu/synod.
Filmmaker Joe Campo and Katherine Angulo, director of youth ministry for the Archdiocese of Atlanta, will also speak at the conference. Bishops, pastors, lay leaders and high school and college faculty and administration are invited to attend.
The McGrath Institute is accepting proposals for papers and presentations exploring the cultural influences on young people and ideas, strategies or programs that foster vocational discernment. The deadline for proposals is Oct. 18.
Contact: Brett Robinson, director of communications, McGrath Institute for Church Life, 574-631-6109, brobins6@nd.edu
The McGrath Institute for Church Life at Notre Dame partners with Catholic dioceses, parishes and schools to address pastoral challenges with theological depth and rigor. By connecting the Catholic intellectual life at Notre Dame to the life of the Church, the McGrath Institute for Church Life forms faithful Catholic leaders for service to the Church and the world. Visit icl.nd.edu.
Originally published by at icl.nd.edu on September 06, 2017.