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| September 2004 |
| Second Ministry Day called “big
success” by those who attended |
Gene Young
Managing Editor |
For the 900 or so people who attended
the second Ministry Day in August, it proved again to be a hit.
This year, Ministry Day was a one day event instead of two days
and was hosted at the Ramkota Hotel.
“I thought this was a good opportunity to get everybody
back together and focus on our mission before we start all of
the nuts and bolts,” said Joan Mahoney, an assistant principal
at O’Gorman High school.
O’Gorman religion teacher Michelle Shields said, “I
think this is a good day for us to get together as a community
and to develop some strategies for spreading the faith in the
classroom and for our own faith formation.”
There were workshops scheduled in four different rounds so participants
in attendance could get to the sessions they really wanted to
attend without missing others that held equal value for them.
Diocesan vice chancellor Nancy Werner, who coordinated the planning
for Ministry Day, was pleased with the crowd and how things
went. “I thought it went very well,” she said. “One
of the biggest and best changes we saw were the facilities.
It was very nice to be there where we just had to worry about
the program.”
The facilities staff at the Ramkota took care of all the other
needs and logistics.
The day is designed as an opportunity for people to come together
to experience a day of prayer, education and community building.
One of the workshops that was good for many participants focused
on special education. “They had a lot of really great
ideas there. I think it was great,” said Tammy Richards,
a band instructor for Sioux Falls Catholic Schools.
This year’s Ministry Day also explored how the Diocese
of Sioux Falls functions as a rural church and what that means
for the diocese and its people.
“We wanted to give our teachers and ministers an opportunity
for some continuing education that will help them in their work
and spiritual journey,” said Nancy Werner.
The day’s program covered a wide range of topics that
aimed to appeal to everyone in attendance.
“I attended a workshop on stewardship,” said Alfredo
Cruz, who works at Holy Spirit Parish, Sioux Falls. “It
was interesting just to see that there’s a great impact
on the people in giving their time and talent. I thought that
was very interesting.”
Bishop Robert Carlson’s workshops were a big draw. The
bishop spoke about Broom Tree Farm Retreat Center, held an open
forum and then spoke about “discerning our spiritual journey.”
“I really had a good day,” said Tim Raml, who works
for Immaculate Conception Parish, Watertown. “I thought
the bishop’s presentation on Broom Tree was informative.”
Father Andrew Swietochowski, pastor at Holy Spirit Parish in
Mitchell, thought the day held value. “It’s always
a great experience to be able to see the people and be with
the crowd,” he said. “The spirit of the group is
an uplifting thing and the information is good.”
The feedback from the people in the form of evaluations was
again positive. The information and comments submitted with
the evaluations will be incorporated into the planning process
and execution of next year’s Ministry Day plans.
Next year’s Ministry Day is already in the planning stages.
It is set for August 18, 2005 back at the Ramkota Inn and Convention
Center in Sioux Falls. |
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