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SUMMER CONFERENCE
2010 Conference “Caring for God’s Creation”

Please mark your calendars for June 10 & 11, 2010.

Take the St. Francis Pledge. Your first step in the right direction to care for creation and the poor:

http://catholicclimatecovenant.org/


 
2010 Conference Schedule

2010 “Caring for God’s Creation” Summer Conference

Wednesday, June 9
     
7:00 pm   Opening Reception    The Black Labrador
4100 Montrose Blvd.
Houston, TX 77006
     
Thursday, June 10
     
8:00 am Registration & Continental Breakfast  Jerabeck 1st Floor    
     
9:00 am Opening Mass St. Basil Chapel
  Most Rev. Daniel Cardinal DiNardo  
     
10:45 am Overview of the Day – Dr. John Francis Burke Scanlan Room
  Director, The Young Institute   
     
  False Prophets: Environmental Controversy, Private Interest Science, and Who Gets Hurt  
  Keynote address by Dr. Kristin Shrader-Frechette, University of Notre Dame. This address explains why most people in the US are misled about environmental pollutants and the harm they cause and how we Catholics can help stop this harm, both to those in the US and to poor nations who will be most hurt by climate change.
     
Noon Lunch Jerabeck 1st Floor
     
1: 15 pm Breakout Sessions  
     
  Session I – Environmental Justice and Children’s Health Room 201
  Dr. Kristin Shrader-Frechette  
  This session provides an overview of how and why thousands of children are needlessly killed annually by pollution, how we can stop this harm, and why Church teaching, esp. of the US Bishops, have put a special emphasis on curbing environmental injustice to children.
     
  Session II – Practical Theology: Creation
and Obligation  
Room 202
  Dr. Sherra Theisen  
  Participants will examine theological evidence revealed in selected texts of the Old and New Testaments that provide guidance on practical human living in the world, in history, toward the fulfillment of our Social Justice obligations to Care for God's Creation.
     
  Session III - Going Green: Conscience Formation & Environmental Stewardship Room 207
  Mark Ciesielski, CCE  
  The session will explore and cultivate ecological strategies formulated by Pope Benedict XVI in order to generate the radical listening to the inner voice of God that is necessary for enacting environmental stewardship, ecological discernment and social justice. 
     
  Session IV – Fostering Yucatec Maya Sustainable
Practices Through Micro-Credits
Room 211
  Dr. Eduardo Garcia-Frapolli  
  Participants will examine how traditional Yucatec Maya activities such as apiculture are playing an active role in conserving the medium tropical forest of the Northeast Yucatan Peninsula, a habitat for many species on the verge of extinction. The session will illustrate how micro-credits have become a trigger mechanism of local sustainable practices for fostering the Yucatec Maya diversified system of production without destabilizing people culturally, socially and productively
     
2:45 pm Roundtable Scanlan Room
  Dr. Kristin Shrader-Frechette, Sherra Theisen, Walt Grazer, Dr. Eduardo
Garcia-Frapolli
  Our panelists will discuss with the audience key themes and issues in environmental justice.
     
     
4:00 pm Closing Liturgy (For the Day) Scanlan Room
     
Friday, June 11
     
8:00 am Registration and Continental Breakfast  Jerabeck 1st Floor
     
9:00 am Morning Prayer Scanlan Room
  Overview of the Day - Dr. John Francis Burke, Director, The Young Institute
     
9:15 am Caring for God’s Creation Scanlan Room
  Keynote address by Walter Grazer, USCCB  
  Protection of the environment is one of the central emerging challenges of the 21st century.  What does the Church have to say about it and what is its contribution to the public discussion?  This keynote address will present a framework of values from Catholic theology and social teaching that offers a distinct approach to developing an ethic of environmental stewardship.
     
10:45 am Breakout Sessions  
     
  Session V – Catholics Going Green Room 201
  Walter Grazer  
  Drawing upon the booklet study guide Catholics Going Green, this workshop will explore avenues for encouraging Catholics to accept their responsibility as stewards of God’s creation and to offer models for engagement in a variety of settings. 
     
  Session VI – Being Good Stewards: Practicing Environmental Justice Room 202
  Deacon Sam Dunning  
  This workshop will survey the practical ways in which we can practice environmental justice in our neighborhoods.  Participants will be acquainted with various local projects and programs funded by the Catholic Campaign for Human Development that are focused on attaining environmental justice.
     
  Session VII – Modern-day Slavery: the Value of the Human Room 207
  Person in Today’s World  
  Morgan Zamora  
  This seminar will familiarize participants with modern forms of human trafficking, explain how we are contributing to it in our everyday lives and offer insight into ways in which it can be eradicated through the empowerment of the individual person.    
     
  Session VIII – Practical Philosophy: Environment and You Room 211
  Dr. Sherra Theisen  
  Participants will examine primary philosophical evidence provided in the tradition of Augustine, Aquinas and Papal Encyclicals that offers guidance on practical human living in the world, in history, toward fulfillment of our obligations as outlined by the Social Justice teachings of the Church.
     
12:00 pm Lunch Jerabeck 1st Floor
     
1:15 pm Roundtable Scanlan Room
     
  Action Session – Federal, State, and Local  
  Catholic Relief Services, Texas Catholic Conference, Catholic Campaign for Human Development, Catholic Charities of Galveston-Houston, Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston
Our panelists will review the advocacy agendas of Catholic Social Justice organizations at the transnational, federal, state, and regional levels.
     
2:30 pm Closing Liturgy and Reflection Scanlan Room
     
3:00 pm Closing Reception Scanlan Room
     

Presenters

Dr. Kristin Shrader-Frechette, Ph.D., University of Notre Dame - O’Neill Family Endowed Professor, Biological Sciences Dept. and Philosophy Dept.
Dr. Sherra Theisen, Ph. D., St. Mary’s University - Visiting Associate Professor of Philosophy; Texas
Nature Project - Co-founder and CEO
Mark Ciesielski, CCE, Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston - Associate Director, Offices of Continuing Christian Education and Youth Ministry
Dr. Eduardo Garcia-Frapolli, Ph. D., National Autonomous University of Mexico Ecosystems Research Center - Researcher
Walter Grazer, USCCB, National Religious Partnership for the Environment - Interim Director; formerly, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops – Director, Environmental Justice Program
Deacon Sam Dunning, Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston – Director, Office of Justice and Peace/Catholic Campaign for Human Development
Morgan Zamora, Students Working Against Trafficking (SWAT) – President
Deacon Joe Rubio, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, Vice-President of Community Relations and Advocacy
Anna Kathryn Webb, Ph. D., Catholic Relief Services Southwest Regional Office – Relationship Manager, Catholic Higher Education
Jennifer Carr-Allmon, Texas Catholic Conference – Associate Director
Rev. Robert T. Kajoh , MSP, St. Philip Neri Catholic Church - Pastor


 
Past Conferences
2009 Conference “Poverty in the USA & Abroad”
Visit our Facebook page to view photos from the Conference

Copies of the keynote speaker’s presentations are available in DVD format ($20 per set). To request a copy please call 713-525-3812 or younginstitute@stthom.edu.

The videos are also available online here.

2008: Conference “Solidarity in an Election Year”
Photo album of the 2008 Conference   

2007: “Health care for All”

2006: "Economic Justice For All"

2005: "Together on the Journey of Hope: Reflections on Welcoming the Stranger & Strangers No Longer"

2004: "Faithful Citizenship: A Catholic Call to Political Responsibility"

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