Workshops
TUESDAY Workshops
September 18, 2018 | 2:30pm – 3:45pm
SESSION I
Spiritual Pitfalls and Temptations of being a Vocation Director
Fr. Brett Brannen
Fr. Brett Brannen was ordained a priest in 1991 for the Diocese of Savannah, Ga. He graduated from Mount St. Mary’s Seminary with an M.Div and an MA-Theology; Sacred Scripture. He has served as pastor of five different parishes and was diocesan vocation director for 10 years. From 2005-2011, he was the vice rector of Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, MD. Fr. Brannen has preached many diocesan priest retreats around the U.S., as well as retreats for seminaries, discernment retreats for men and parish missions. He has taught a course on the Identity of the Diocesan Priest at The Institute for Priestly Formation in Omaha, NE for the last 11 years and he preaches an annual retreat for priests with the Theology of the Body Institute. He is the author of two books: To Save a Thousand Souls: A Guide for Discerning a Vocation to Diocesan Priesthood (2010) and A Priest in the Family: A Guide for Parents Whose Sons are Considering Priesthood (2014). Fr. Brannen is currently the pastor of Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Savannah, Ga.
SESSION II
Art of Accompaniment; Go out, See, Call
The Holy Father encouraged all those who work in promoting vocations to reflect on three dynamic actions necessary for promoting vocations; go out, see, call. These three simple actions form the foundation for creating moments of vocational awareness and encounter. In this workshop you will find various aspects of what the Holy Father has referred to as the “Art of Accompaniment”.
Fr. Chris Martin
Fr. Martin was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of St. Louis in 2006. He spent his first five years as a parochial vicar at a parish before being named vocation director in 2011. In 2012 he opened and became director of the Kolbe House, a house of discernment for men who are discerning priesthood. In 2016 Archbishop Carlson appointed him as Vice-Rector of Kenrick-Glennon Seminary. He currently serves as a national board member for Life Teen International and as a team member for the Steubenville Youth Conferences. He currently serves as NCDVD President.
SESSION III
Spiritual Fatherhood
As we accompany men through the stages of priestly formation, their growth and obstacles require us to prayerfully adapt to Jesus’ own discipleship of them. The workshop will be an opportunity to discuss how to create a culture of formation, assist a candidate’s generous transparency and manifest the indications for affective maturity from the propaedeutic work of college to his priestly conformation that heralds the call to orders. With best practices for observation and prayerful points for ongoing attention, a vocation director becomes crucial for keeping a seminarian receptive to the liberating activity of the Holy Spirit throughout his seminary experience.
Fr. Paul Hoesing
Fr. Paul Hoesing is a rural native of the Omaha Archdiocese. He attended Saint John Vianney Seminary in St. Paul, MN and continued formation for the priesthood at the North American College. Ordained by Archbishop Elden Francis Curtiss in 2002, Fr. Hoesing returned to complete the licentiate in dogmatic theology at the Gregorian University in Rome and then served five years as a parochial vicar and high school chaplain/ teacher in the urban and rural areas. He has been the Director of Vocations since June 2008. In July 2010 he was able to participate in the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises 30 days’ Silent Retreat at the Institute for Priestly Formation in Creighton University. He now assists as a faculty member for the Institute in the summer.
