On Saturday, April 12, the College of Saint Elizabeth (CSE) held its 16th annual Spirituality Convocation in the Annunciation Center on campus.  Sponsored by the College’s Center for Theological and Spiritual Development, the College welcomed 560 guests in the Dolan Performance Hall. Participants at this year’s Convocation came from all across the tri-state area including New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island.

 

 

  

(l – r), Dr. Baratte, welcomes Dr. Griffth and Mr. Allen with CSE President Sr. Francis Raftery to this year’s annual Spirituality Convocation,

Saturday, April 12, 2008. (Photo by Rob Kneller)

 

This year’s Convocation, “Gateways to the Fullness of Life,” welcomed well-known keynote speakers John L. Allen, Jr., senior correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter and senior Vatican analyst for CNN; Dr. Coleen Griffith, faculty director of Spirituality Studies at Boston College’s Institute of Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry, and adjunct associate professor of Theology; and Edgard R. Beltrán, noted scholar and pastoral ministry educator to campus for the day’s festivities.

 

Both keynote presentations and individual workshops were offered in both English and in Spanish as a way of “reach[ing] out to a community that still holds Spanish as a language of the heart,” said Dr. Linda Baratte, director of the Center for Theological and Spiritual Development at CSE.

 

 

  

On Saturday, April 12, The College welcomed 560 to this year’s 16th Annual Spirituality Convocation. (Photo by Rob Kneller)

 

Participants were able to choose two English-speaking workshops from a menu of 18, focusing on various aspects of prayer, worship, ministry and spirituality, and one of five breakout workshops in Spanish.

 

CSE Women’s College student Sade Green, ’11, had a wonderful time at this year’s event. “It was a great opportunity for me to learn more about the Catholic faith,” she said. “I also enjoyed meeting new people. The workshops were extremely interesting as were the day’s speakers.”

 

Prior to the College’s annual Convocation, the Center hosted a concert featuring renowned composer and pastoral musician Jaime Cortez on Friday, April 11 in Annunciation Center. The concert celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Center in providing special events and academic training for church leadership.

 

The Center is known nationwide for its annual Spirituality Convocation and Summer Institute programs that draw theologians and people of all faiths to the campus in celebration of spirituality and cultural diversity. The Center also offers certificate programs in Religious Education, Parish Life Ministry, Pastoral Administration, Diaconal Ministry, and Youth and Young Adult Ministry, with courses in both English and Spanish.

 

Story written by CSE Women’s College student Carolyn D’Andrea and edited by CSE Office of Communications & Marketing. Article appeared in the April 18, 2008 issue of The Station – the College’s student newspaper.