Sursum Corda! An Agape 2003 |
October 5-8, 2003
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Conference Events and Sessions |
Go to http://www.am-cath.org/Sursum.htm for updates and other details. Linking to this document is encouraged! Please tell someone else who might be interested in hearing about Sursum Corda. |
Events |
| Sunday, October 5: | Gathering, 7-10:00 PM, in designated classroom |
| Monday, October 6: | Opening remarks and prayer at breakfast, 8:00
AM Lunch, 12:00 PM Keynote address from Bp. André Queen at evening meal, 6:00 PM Vespers 9:00 PM |
| Tuesday, October 7: | Morning prayers, 7:00AM Breakfast, 8:00 AM Lunch, 12:00 PM Evening meal, 6:00 PM Vespers 9:00 PM |
| Wednesday, October 8: | Morning prayers, 7:00 AM Breakfast, 8:00 AM Lunch, 12:00 PM Closing assembly 4:30 PM |
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Chapel locations for prayer and liturgies have not yet been set, and will be announced at the beginning of the conference or on this Web page. Additional events may be scheduled before the conference date, and the times shown may change. Again, please check back to this Web page on a regular basis for updates! Keynote SpeakerOur keynote speaker for Sursum Corda 2003 is Bishop André J.W. Queen, SCR, Provincial Ordinary of the Western United States, for The Old Catholic Church of the United States. Bp. Queen is pastor of St. Peter's Old Catholic Church in Chicago and was the founder of the Sursum Corda Conferences in 1999. His address will be given after dinner on Tuesday evening, October 7. For information on Bishop Queen and the Old Catholic Church of the United States, see the jurisdiction's Web site at http://www.oldcatholic.com. |
Presenter Name |
Day |
Time |
Room |
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Rev. Mary T. Ramsden |
Monday |
9:00 AM |
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What would happen if on Thanksgiving Day you sat your family and friends at the formal table, then started yanking Big Macs, fries and super-sized drinks out of a paper bag? Would your guests be offended? Would they feel cheated? Would something be missing? Of course. Thanksgiving dinner is more than simply handing out food, and Catholic, sacramental ritual has more dimensions than simply muttering words out of a book. This session will explore the art of celebrating liturgy well and how prayer, practice, planning, and excellent "stage presence" are essential elements in opening the doors to the sacred. Handling sacred objects, moving from place to place gracefully, voice cadence/synapse and many other practical aspects of leading worship will be explored. The Rev. Mary will celebrate a "teaching mass" immediately after the session to demonstrate the principles explained in the session. |
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Presenter Name |
Day |
Time |
Room |
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Jeff Duntemann |
Monday |
1:30 PM |
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Most church people are not Web design experts, and most church Web sites show it. As one who first found Old Catholicism on the Web-through a mistake on a search engine-and has furiously gathered Web bookmarks on the movement since then, Jeff has strong feelings about what constitutes a good Web presence for church communities. If a seeker lands in the middle of your Web site from a search engine, can he/she get to the top level? Is your Web site strongly browser-biased? Have you emphasized things that ordinary people (seekers especially) don't understand? Come and take notes on how your Web site may better help you become "fishers of men" instead of being a virtual fish wrapper. |
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Presenter Name |
Day |
Time |
Room |
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Bp. Lucas Graywolf |
Monday |
3:30 PM |
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The Catechism of the Council of Trent says, "Nor is it without reason that the administration of the Sacraments has been, at all times, from the earliest ages of the Church, accompanied with certain solemn ceremonies. There is, in the first place, the greatest propriety in manifesting towards the sacred mysteries such a religious reverence as to appear to handle holy things holily. The ceremonies themselves also display more fully, and place as it were before the eyes, the effects of the Sacraments, and impress more deeply on the minds of the faithful the holiness of these things. They also elevate to the contemplation of sublime things, the minds of the spectators who observe them with attention, and excite within them sentiments of faith and charity." This seminar will deal with the ways and means that clergy accomplish what the Council desired to be done; to create a sense of the sacred within themselves and the laity they serve. |
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Presenter Name |
Day |
Time |
Room |
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Fr. Bill Leaming |
Tuesday |
9:00 AM |
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Fr. Bill will present a comprehensive and workable solution for creating and maintaining a music program for any parish that is not blessed with professional musicians. Utilizing Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) sequences, a suite of inexpensive software, a computer (laptop or desktop), and an inexpensive electronic keyboard, he will demonstrate the possibilities, pitfalls, and benefits such tools can provide to smaller or poorer congregations. Fr. Bill has been involved with music from his earliest years as a vocalist, composer and arranger. Although not skilled in playing any instrument, he has found a modern means whereby his creativity may be expressed in a professional manner. Fr. Bill is the creator of the catholic-hymns.com website and publishes a weekly bulletin featuring the actual musical program used by St. Gregory House, as well as many parishes around the world who subscribe to the "Weekly Service Music Bulletin," which is published each week. |
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Presenter Name |
Day |
Time |
Room |
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Bp. André J. W. Queen |
Tuesday |
10:30 AM |
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Verifying information on clergy candidates has become increasingly difficult. Churches, and the sources they use, are not immune from the Fair Credit Reporting Act with respect to the gathering of information; protect yourself and your Church community. Find various free and low-cost ways to verify background information. Get tips on forms for use, and what they must contain. Learn how to plan ahead in removal of a candidate from formal consideration. Learn when information from a "police buddy" can lead to a lawsuit. Andre' Queen brings nearly twenty years of quasi-public and private law enforcement experience to bear on these important Church issues. |
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Presenter Name |
Day |
Time |
Room |
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Fr. Jason Sanderson |
Tuesday |
1:30 PM |
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From the very beginning of the Church to today art has been a vehicle of choice for Christians to express their devotions and convictions. From the graffiti of the early catacombs to the mosaics of Byzantium, from the icons of the Christian East to the art of the Renaissance and even to today, the Church has relied upon the artist to convey her basic teachings and most sublime mysteries in ways that mere words fail to do. This talk is designed to show the development of Christian Art with the development of the Christian faith. Special attention will be paid to iconography, with a demonstration of iconographic symbols and technique. |
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Facilitators |
Day |
Time |
Room |
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Rev. Mary T. Ramsden |
Tuesday |
3:30 PM |
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Responding to the disaster resulting from the attacks of September 11, 2001 was an experience of a magnitude unparalleled in recent times. This effort required the assistance of numerous public safety and relief agencies from all over the country. One of the response areas that drew heavily from existing service providers was that of spiritual care. Mary+ says: "I was requested to respond to Ground Zero as a supervisory chaplain because of my involvement with police chaplaincy and spent 21 days at Ground Zero from November 12-December 3, 2001. I believe my Catholic background made it easier for me to respond to the needs of the disaster workers (primarily police/fire personnel as well as a large number of construction and iron workers) and the chaplains I supervised." |
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Presenter Name |
Day |
Time |
Room |
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Bp. Samuel Bassett |
Wednesday |
9:00 AM |
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Old Catholic bishops need to act like adults and professionals, not squabbling children. There do exist norms and procedures—some going back to decisions made at Nicea, about how successors of the Apostles should relate to one another. The bottom line is communicating, in a brotherly and collegial fashion. |
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Presenter Name |
Day |
Time |
Room |
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Bp. André Queen & Jeff Duntemann |
Wednesday |
10:30 PM |
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Books on Old Catholicism have a small audience, but there are ways to create such books economically. One approach, used by Bp. Queen, is to use a modern short-run publisher to do layout and manufacturing. The other approach is to be a publisher yourself, bite the bullet, and reap a greater share of sales proceeds. Both approaches have upsides and downsides, so take good notes and decide! |
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Presenter Name |
Day |
Time |
Room |
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Full Conference |
Wednesday |
1:30 PM |
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Almost everyone in the movement agrees that poorly formed and uneducated clergy and gratuitous consecrations have hurt the credibility of all who claim the Old Catholic tradition. This special double session Wednesday afternoon will be an informal discussion of the problem, among conference attendees at large. Everyone at the conference who wishes will have an opportunity to speak, with the only restrictions being those of courtesy and professional demeanor. |
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Note that individual, unstructured discussion among attendees is strongly encouraged. Notice that we have left lots of time between formal sessions, and lots of time in the evening—deliberately. Take time to meet the other attendess, engage those you meet, and listen to them! We have much to learn from one another, both within and outside of formal presentations. Conduct, Courtesy, and Media AttentionClerical garb during the conference is encouraged but not required. Please join us in keeping to the spirit of agape throughout. High-volume conflict, impoliteness, and other unclerical disturbances will not be tolerated. Although not a strict requirement, it is polite to ask permission before photographing others, and it is generally required to ask permission of identifiable persons in a photograph before publishing that photograph in print or on the Web. Note that neither Sursum Corda nor the ACU will endorse any jurisdiction, hierarch, theological or ecclesiological position—we are here solely to facilitate a brotherly meeting of Old/Independent Catholics as equals in service to the Lord and His people. The reverse (regarding endorsements) is also true. The media have been invited, and you may be interviewed by radio, TV or print reporters. Please understand that while we encourage media attention, only general conference chair Jeff Duntemann may speak for the conference itself. We encourage you to speak for your parish, order, or jurisdiction, but again, please refer all questions that impute a position to the Sursum Corda conference back to Jeff. Please Spread the Word!We have an extremely limited budget to promote Sursum Corda, and we invite you to spread the word by whatever means you can. There is no explicit copyright on Sursum Corda materials, and we encourage you to share them with your colleagues, any Internet email lists you may belong to, or anyone else who might have an interest in Independent Catholicism in any of its myriad forms. Please consider linking to this page, or two the general Sursum Corda conference page: http://www.am-cath.org/Sursum.html If you did not receive a copy of the Sursum Corda postal mailing and would like to be added to the Sursum Corda postal mailing list, please email this year's conference chair Jeff Duntemann (who maintains the database) with a full postal address. This list is not divulged to anyone outside of the Sursum Corda committee and under no circumstances will it be rented or used for other purposes beyond promoting the conference itself. Contact information:
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Divine
Word International Conference Center 