COMMUNITY
tvc.dsj.org | November 6, 2018
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Space is Running Out for Santa Clara Faith Formation 2018
By Liz Sullivan
Building on the success of 2017,
this year’s edition of the Santa Clara
Country Faith Formation Conference
(SCFFC) is expected to draw even larger
crowds, forcing registration for some
sessions to close early.
The conference will be held Novem-
ber 29-December 1 at the Santa Clara
Marriott and Convention Center. This
year’s theme is “Building Bridges of
Hope; Construyendo Puentes de Esper-
anza; Xay Dung Cau hy Vong.”
The Dioceses of Monterey and San
Jose are happy to join together to spon-
sor the conference in partnership with
the Leadership Roundtable and in col-
laboration with the Archdiocese of San
Francisco and the Dioceses of Fresno,
Stockton and Oakland.
Organizers of the conference are
urging hopeful participants to register
now so they can attend the sessions
they want. Some sessions are expected
to surpass capacity before the confer-
ence begins.
“Our additional Thursday
intensive day-long
workshops are headed to
full capacity with less than
a month to go.
With no new dates for rate
changes, I hope everyone
registers ASAP as we
anticipate many workshops
reaching capacity and will
be closed out.”
“Our additional Thursday intensive
day-long workshops are headed to full
capacity with less than a month to go.
With no new dates for rate changes, I
hope everyone registers ASAP as we
anticipate many workshops reaching
capacity and will be closed out,” said
Father John Hurley, CSP, Vicar for
Evangelization for the Diocese of San
Jose. “We are well on our way to being
over 3, 000 for the second year in a row.”
Workshops in English, Spanish,
Vietnamese and Chinese (Cantonese
& Mandarin) will highlight the impor-
tance of faith development at all levels
of Church and society, aimed at adults
to enrich their faith and strengthen
their knowledge and skills to do min-
istry in their church and in the world.
Added for this year are pre-confer-
ence workshops on November 29 at
the Santa Clara Marriott Hotel. Topics
include: Leadership Roundtable (Work-
shop for Bishops and Diocesan Senior
Leaders); The Catechumen’s Journey
– An Experiential Workshop for Chris-
tian Initiation Ministers (LTP-RCIA/
RICA); Dynamics of Disaffi liation in
Young Catholics (SMP); Option for the
Poor and Moving Beyond Charity and
towards Social Justice. Spots are fi lling
up fast. Email [email protected] for Lead-
ership Roundtable registration codes.
“Get onboard to be ‘One of Many’
who, by coming to our Santa Clara
Faith Formation Conference, dem-
onstrate the importance of growing
in your faith,” said Sister Celeste Ar-
buckle, SSS, Director of the Offi ce of
Faith Formation for the Archdiocese
of San Francisco. “I hear ‘the Church
is dead’, ‘the Church is not relevant’ or
‘I just don’t have time.’ I know through
the many national and international
presenters and fi ve languages you will
fi nd a lively, relevant Church that will
be a sign of hope for you. We are 3,000
believing disciples who are strong and
growing,” said Sister.
To register, visit www.SCFFC.org
before it’s too late.
Symposium on Youth & Young Adults Among the Highlights
of the 2018 Santa Clara Faith Formation Conference
By Liz Sullivan
In collaboration with the Santa Clara
Faith Formation Conference (SCFFC),
the Diocese of San Jose Offi ce of Youth
& Young Adults has partnered with
Saint Mary’s Press to host a day and
a half west coast regional symposium
titled, “Dynamics of Disaffi liation in
Young Catholics,” it will commence on
November 29 from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. and on
November 30, from 9-11:45 a.m. held at
the Santa Clara Marriott Hotel.
The symposium will explore in
depth and with extensive dialogue
the research fi ndings of “Going, Go-
ing, Gone” done by St. Mary’s Press
in partnership with CARA (Center for
Applied Research in the Apostolate).
The topic of “nones” and the stag-
gering statistics of disaffi liated youth
and young adults are already known;
however, the reasons why they left
remained unclear. “Going, Going,
Gone” began the qualitative research to
understand better (in their own words)
why youth and young adults have left
the Church. This one-time gathering
will be presented and facilitated by a
Are you a leader in a parish, school, or diocesan offi ce? Do you know at least one youth or young adult who has left the Catholic Church?
If you’ve answered ‘Yes’ to both of these questions, we welcome your presence and participation at an important symposium to under-
stand and dialogue about the “Dynamics of Disaffi liation in Young Catholics” and the implications for the church. For more information and
registration, please go to: https://scffc.org/registration and select “SMP Symposium” option.
research team, which includes the fol-
lowing speakers:
• Elizabeth Dresher, PhD, Profes-
sor of Religious Studies at Santa
Clara University
• Dr. Bob McCarty, DMin, Co-
author of Going, Going, Gone
• John M. Vitek, Co-author of Go-
ing, Going, Gone and president
of St. Mary’s Press
Josh Packard, PhD, Professor
of Sociology at University of
Northern Colorado
The symposium is intended for all
pastoral leaders in parishes, schools,
and diocesan offices who are con-
cerned about the current realities of
youth and young adults and the impli-
•
cations they have for ministry in the
Church. The cost is $100 person, which
includes lunch on Thursday and full
admission to the remaining sessions
of the SCFFC on Friday afternoon and
all-day Saturday.
To register, visit https://scff c.org/
registration and select the “SMP
Young Catholics Symposium” option.