Year of Vocation Conference on Religious Life and Call

12 Feb 2009

PRESS RELEASE
12 February 2009

Year of Vocation Conference on Religious Life and Call

Disturbed by the Spirit – Called to be Sent

The focus for the Year of Vocation for the month of February is Religious Life.  To mark the celebration of Religious Life a weekend conference will be held in the Stillorgan Park Hotel, Dublin from Friday 13 to Sunday 15 February. The conference which is entitled Disturbed by the Spirit – Called to be Sent will focus on religious life, discipleship and vocations culture.

The keynote speakers at the conference are Anthony J.Gittins, CSSp, Professor of Mission and Culture at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago and Mr John Waters, journalist and columnist.

You are invited to send a photographer/reporter to the opening of the conference. Details as follows:

Time and date:     7.00pm on Friday 13 February
Venue:                 Stillorgan Park Hotel, Stillorgan, Dublin

Notes to Editors:

  • The Year of Vocation was launched by Archbishop Diarmuid Martin on Vocations Sunday – 13 April 2008 and runs until Vocations Sunday 3 May 2009. The aim of the Year of Vocation is to raise awareness of the common vocation that we share through baptism as expressed through witness, love and service.
  • During the past few months the Year of Vocation project has focused on a number of different themes. Some of these have included marriage, pilgrimage, young people and priesthood. The focus for the Year of Vocation for the month of February is Religious Life.
  • Biographies of keynote speakers:
Anthony J. Gittins, CSSp is currently Professor of Mission and Culture at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. Born in Manchester, England, he earned an MA and PhD from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. His pastoral outreach includes ministry in cultures from Africa to the Pacific, and work with Chicago’s disenfranchised, especially homeless women. His is the author of 15 books and numerous articles. His latest book is Called to be Sent: Co-Missioned as Disciples in Today’s World (2008). Fr Gittins also lectures and leads retreats nationally and has worked in some thirty-five countries.
John Waters is a native of Castlerea, co Roscommon. He is a well known Irish journalist and columnist. He is known raising issues of public importance. He has also written on issues of faith and his book Lapsed Agnostic was published in 2007.

Ends

Further information:
Martin Long, Director of Communications (086 172 7678)
Brenda Drumm, Communications Officer (087 233 7797)