For: Evangelical Charity Directors, Christian Service, Respect Life, Family Ministry, Grief Ministry, Clergy, Deacons &Wives, Counselors, Interested Laity
Register with wilson.kathleen@aod.org.
“Almighty God could have designed the world in such a fashion that He would have no need of any of us. But in His great love and His great mercy, He designed the world so that He would need us. We would have to be His arms, His legs, His eyes in this world…to be his beating heart in this world, beating with love, and compassion and tenderness and mercy for others.” -John Cardinal O’Connor
8:00am Registration and breakfast
8:30“Into Life” Sr. Mercy Marie S.V. w/ Table Discussion Questions
9:00 Hope and Healing after Abortion w/ Q and A, Sr. Mariana Benedicta, S.V., and Sr. Mercy Marie, S.V.
For many women and men, abortion brings a sense of loss, and deep emotional, spiritual, psychological, and relational pain. Participants are invited to understand the reality of what happens in a person’s heart after the experience of abortion, and how to approach and gently journey with a woman or a man who has suffered this experience. Someone who has experienced abortion needs to be met with mercy, kindness, and solidarity, and given the space to grieve. She often needs to be invited to encounter Jesus, who seeks her with his infinite love and mercy, eager to forgive, heal, and restore.
10:30 Building a Culture of Life: Reflective Listening w/ Q and A, Sr. Therese Marie, S.V.
In this workshop, we will explore the process of listening well and the skill of listening reflectively to another person. Good listening requires empathy, which allows us to listen without applying the filter of our own experience, judgment, values, and needs. Reflective listening aims to help the person to uncover what is really in her heart. Listening well opens a beautiful space for the Holy Spirit to work. In the context of accompanying a pregnant woman in crisis or woman suffering after abortion, one can literally “listen her into life.”
12:05 Mass
