by Savanna Kearney
The 34th annual Faith Formation Day was held at Bishop John J. Snyder High School Saturday, Oct. 13. The event began with Mass at 8:30 a.m. celebrated by Bishop Felipe Estévez. Following Mass, the bishop gave the keynote talk, in which he addressed the sexual abuse crisis. He acknowledged to those in attendance that this is a painful time for the church, but, he also examined the positive changes that are happening as a result, including new activity regarding the protection of minors and vulnerable adults in the church, as well as those in authority examining their responsibilities in leadership.
“We are here to be inspired and to be energized in the mission that God entrusts us,” he said.
The bishop also spoke about the best ways for Catholics to evangelize and witness to others, as well as the importance of unity within the church.
“We need to strive for unity of all the believers of our Lord Jesus Christ because he asked for it,” he said. “It is his request and his prayer that all his disciples may be one. And we need to be artisans of that unity in our own community. We cannot be polarized. We cannot be one separated from the other.”
In the afternoon, individual workshops were provided.
Father Tom Willis led a special track for clergy. He spoke about the clergy’s quest for holiness and how it draws the clergy closer to God and his people. Other presenter’s included Barbara Eretto on the role of Catechists in sharing the Gospel, Pat Cook on how to apply Old and New Testaments to daily life, Kevin Dowd on teaching kids to respect others, Dr. Lauri Przbysz on strengthening the “Domestic Church,” and many others.
The event concluded around 3 p.m. with closing prayer.
