May 9, 2003

Loyola's Pastoral Life Center to cosponsor dialogue at national conference

Loyola's Pastoral Life Center (LPLC), in partnership with The National Association for Lay Ministry (NALM), is hosting a roundtable discussion, "The Role of Vocation and Collaboration in Ministry," which will focus on the experience of layperson professionals as emerging leaders of local Catholic parish communities. Parish life coordinators and pastoral associates from across the United States are invited to attend. The event will be a prelude to NALM's 27^th annual membership conference in Tampa, Florida, on May 29.

Sr. Amy Hoey, RSM, project coordinator for the U. S. Bishops' Subcommittee on Lay Ministry, will begin the morning session with a discussion on the vocation of parish leadership. Ruth Wallace, Ph.D., author of They Call Her Pastor and They Call Him Pastor, will open the afternoon session with a discussion on collaboration in parish ministry. Throughout the day, there will be discussions on how parish life coordinators and pastoral associates live out their vocation and how they collaborate with clergy and other laypersons for more effective ministry.

Event planners are currently seeking mini-essays of 500 words on lay vocation or collaboration in ministry from lay ecclesial throughout the U.S. These essays will be used during the dialogue and post-conference plans call for a publication of these reflections by NALM. Essays can be sent by participants or even those who cannot attend the event to Jay Gilchrist, 1312 Fifth Avenue N., Nashville, TN 37208 or e-mailed to jgilchrist@glemnary.org, or faxed to (615) 256-1902.

The dialogue will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursday, May 29, at the Waterside Marriott Hotel in Tampa. The registration is $30. Registration materials can be found on the NALM website at www.nalm.org. The NALM Conference, following the roundtable discussion, is scheduled May 29 through June 1.

For more information, contact Reynolds R. Ekstrom, coordinator of LPLC, at 865-3399.