By Dan Sullivan
Catholic Herald

Fall institute held

RICE LAKE -- Heritage and Hope Connected to Prayer and Response to the Church was the theme of the Annual Fall Teacher and Catechist Institute.

The event, held at St. Joseph Church and School in Rice Lake, Oct. 7, was sponsored by the Diocese of Superior and attracted 420 Catholic school teachers, parish catechists, priests and religious of the diocese.

At a liturgy to open the day banners from each of the 16 Catholic schools in the diocese were carried in. Dressed in their bright red school shirts, the chorus and band from St. Francis de Sales School, Spooner, provided the music for the Mass. At both the opening and closing of this service, Bishop Raphael M. Fliss encouraged applause for the young musicians.

Fliss thanked the teachers and catechists in his homily. "Thank you for all your talent, skill and the excitement that you bring to the educational endeavor," he said. "As bishop I have respect for our Catholic schools and religious education programs."

Fliss said, in his role as bishop, he wished he could do more writing and other forms of teaching.

"I wish I could spend more time in the classroom and at the pulpit," he said.

He instructed the teachers and catechists to "tell your students to love Jesus Christ."

Following the Mass three teachers and catechist awards were presented. (See photos on page 9.)

After the award presentations, Amy Welborn, a noted writer and speaker from Fort Wayne, Ind., gave the keynote address. It was entitled 'Teach us to pray: Deepening Our Students' Faith Through Prayer."

As a parent of four, with another baby on the way, Welborn knows a thing or two about praying. In her role as a mother, Welborn said, "I pray a lot."

Besides being a mom, Welborn is a former Catholic school teacher and parish director of religious education.

Welborn intertwined all these experiences together in her talk. She reminded the audience that with any prayer a person's heart and mind should be focused on God.

"When we teach kids to pray, we are teaching in a way that connects them to God," she said.

Welborn talked about the traditional prayers of the Catholic Church, such as the Liturgy of the Hours. "Traditional prayers express what's in our heart better than we can," she said. "They also direct us so we don't get lost in our own needs."

She also called praying the psalms awesome. "The psalms are the most ancient prayers for Christians and Jews," Welborn said. "They are tried, true and tested."

She reminded participants of the the importance of the saints.

"When we enter in the communion of saints, we are not alone," Welborn said. "We are gathered with every believer that ever lived."

Welborn shared some of her personal experiences as a mother, including when her oldest son left home.

"I asked myself, how can I help him?" Welborn questioned. "The answer is in prayer. I can't hold the plane up, but I can pray. They are on their own journey and I have to trust that I did my best."

She also stressed that parents should be an example to their children and not just drop them off at religion classes and Mass, but they should also take part.

"Parents need to be that example and witness about Christ," Welborn said.

Irene DeNucci, a grandmother of 28 and member of St. Anthony Abbot Parish in Cumberland, said she found Welborn's presentation inspiring.

"I enjoyed her approach from the traditional points and her appreciation for the Liturgy of the Hours," DeNucci said. "We have Liturgy of the Hours when (a priest) is not available for Mass."

Besides being the key presenter, Welborn gave two workshops during the break out sessions. One, entitled "Saints Alive," gave participants examples of the lives of holy men and women as illustrations to teach virtues to young people. Her second discussion was "Am I saved?" and it gave tips on how catechists can help young people answer the questions they are asked about being Catholic.

Welborn's current ministry is as a freelance writer and speaker. She used to write the Coming of Age column that appeared in the Catholic Herald.

Welborn is the author of many books including: "Prove It!" (Our Sunday Visitor), a series of apologetics books for young people; the "Loyola Books of Saints," the "Loyola Kids' Book of Heroes" (Loyola Press), "De-Coding the Da Vinci Code: The Facts Behind the Fiction of the Da Vinci Code" (Our Sunday Visitor), "Praying the Rosary" (Our Sunday Visitor) and "The Words We Pray: Discovering the Richness of the Traditional Catholic Prayers" (Loyola Press).

Welborn said her goal as a writer is to "help the modern believer be nourished by tradition and see it as a living presence of God."

Deacon Roger Cadotte, director of the Bishop George Hammes Center for Religious Education and Youth Ministry in Haugen, said this was his 14th year attending the conference.

"It's a great day because you get both the Catholic school teachers and parish catechists who come together for a day," Cadotte said. "They get some learning in, can view new material and have a chance to network."

Phyllis Schlagel, diocesan superintendent of schools, viewed the day as a success. "The participants seem to feel good about it," she said. "This is the largest gathering of its type in the diocese. It was a chance to gather all the different dimensions of ministry. The bishop was here, pastors, priests, deacons, catechists, school principals and teachers. It's a great way to build community."

Editor's note: Additional information on Welborn can be found on the Web at www.amywelborn.com

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© Superior Catholic Herald, 2004