Workshops
WEDNESDAY Workshops
September 16, 2015 | 9:30 AM – 10:45 AM
SESSION I
BATTLE PROVEN TACTICS
Wisdom From the Trenches
Who: Everyone who ever wonders if there’s a better way to get results
Why: “I wish I could hear what is working for others!”
What: Ideas that generate quality results instead of spending time with trial & error
How: Two experienced and well-seasoned Vocations Directors will give their perspectives & offer practical answers to your questions
Rev. Burke Masters
Fr. Burke was born and raised in Joliet, IL. He was not raised Catholic but attended a Catholic high school in order to move closer to his dream of becoming a Major League baseball player. During high school, Fr. Burke fell in love with the Eucharist and the Catholic Church. He became Catholic his senior year in high school in 1985. He went on to play baseball at Mississippi State University, where he played in the College World Series. He later worked as an actuary and then in management for minor league baseball. He attended Mundelein Seminary from 1997-2002. He was ordained on June 1, 2002 out of Mundelein Seminary. He served four years as an associate pastor before becoming vocation director for the Diocese of Joliet in 2006.
Rev. Michael Boehling
Fr. Boehling is a native of Roanoke, Virginia. After graduating in 1991 with a B.A. in history from Hampden–Sydney College, he worked in the telecommunications industry in sales and national sales management. In 2000, he was accepted and entered into priestly formation for the Diocese of Richmond and studied at Theological College at Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. On June 10, 2006, he was ordained to the priesthood at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart. After serving as both Parochial Vicar and Pastor of the Cluster Parishes of Portsmouth and Chesapeake, Fr. Boehling began serving as the Vicar for Vocations in July of 2010.
SESSION II
MAXIMIZING SEMINARY VISITS
Your Seminarians, Your Faculty
Who: Everyone, especially newer Vocation Directors
Why: “I’m just the vocation director, not a member of the seminary faculty. I don’t want to get in the way, step on their toes, overstep my bounds or mis-speak.”
What: Practical examples of how to engage the seminary faculty and your seminarians most fruitfully during your visits. Discover fruitful questions to ask them and key topics to communicate to them. Clarify how to share your goals and how to understand theirs. Cultivate a deeper awareness of your seminarians. Learn how to recommend areas for growth for your seminarians.
Rev. Brian Welter
Fr. Welter has a B.S. in Manufacturing Technology from Bradley University and an S.T.B. and M.Div. from Mundelein Seminary. He was ordained a priest in 2005 for the Archdiocese of Chicago. Fr. Welter was the former Associate Pastor at St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic Church in Orland Hills, IL. He has served as the former Vocation Director for the Archdiocese of Chicago and is an adjunct faculty member with the Institute for Priestly Formation in Omaha. Fr. Welter currently serves as Dean of Formation at Mundelein Seminary in Illinois.
SESSION III
FORMING MISSIONARY DISCIPLES
Who: Everyone
Why: “I know Jesus sends me to preach the Gospel to all nations, but sometimes I wonder if the ways people see me live & hear me speak are often boring and sterile. What can I do to be a better missionary with passion for the Gospel and a contagious example of Gospel-adventure?”
What: What does it take to create a Catholic worldview in today’s young people? At Camp Wojtyla, they believe in Jesus’ words in John 10:10 that he came to bring life—and “life to the full.” Saint John Paul II believed that by taking young people into the outdoors, they could retreat from the confusing and troubled world around them to take stock of their relationships with God, with themselves, with each other,and with the world around them. Through doing this, Fr. Wojtyla changed the lives of many young people—and eventually changed the world!
How: Annie & Scott Powell will share their experience of leading hundreds of young people every summer to live their faith fully alive. Learn how to help form this attitude and aptitude in your seminarians; understanding the methodology of JPII.
Scott and Annie Powell
Scott and Annie Powell are the founders and directors of Camp Wojtyla, a Catholic wilderness adventure camp in the Colorado Rockies. Annie is a professional outdoor educator with a Master’s degree in Adventure Education and Outdoor Programming from Prescott College and has over 10 years of experience running Christian outdoor programs for youth. Scott is a seasoned Scripture professor who has been teaching the Bible to all ages for over a decade. He is the Director of the Aquinas Institute for Catholic Thought at the University of Colorado, Boulder. He has a Master’s degree from the Augustine Institute and is a doctoral candidate studying scripture at Maryvale Institute. They met while serving as missionaries with FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students). Their combined expertise and experience in ministry and education allows them to direct a program which integrates the truths of the Catholic faith with exciting outdoor adventures and incredible wilderness expeditions. They have two children, Lily, age 6 and Samuel, age 4 who live out this mission with them.
