Light the Match is a two-day conference designed to kick-start your ministry and energize your evangelization team for the year ahead. Each day features a dynamic keynote, a variety of breakout sessions, and, of course, great food and meaningful fellowship. This year’s theme is the voice of God.
Keynote Talks
Keynote #1 Monday – Hearing God’s Voice, part 1
Speaker: Dcn. Russ Feldkamp
- Why it’s important to consistently hear the voice of God
- Practical ways to cultivate listening to God
- How to distinguish God’s voice from others
Keynote #2 Tuesday – Hearing God’s Voice, part 2
Speaker: Brad Bursa
- How hearing God’s voice at work is different from our personal lives
- How to discern God’s voice within a team
- Practical ways to start integrating practices into work
Breakout Sessions
Monday
Breakout Session 1
Breakout #1a – Discernment & the Eucharist
- Speaker: Nicholas Hardesty, CNE
- Discernment is always in partnership with Jesus
- How to engage the Eucharist as part of a discernment process
- Model a mini-discernment process
Breakout #1b – Theological Imagination
- Speaker: Dr. Martin Madar, Xavier University
- The differences between catechesis & theology
- How to have an imagination for theology
- Practical ways to start “doing” theology
Breakout #1c – The Cult of Busyness
- Speaker: TBD
- The role of busyness in the modern American experience
- We were created for leisure
- Practical ways to work against busyness and take advantage of leisure
Breakout Session 2
Breakout #2a – The Theology of Belonging
- Speaker: Ana Ramirez, CNE
- The role of belonging in evangelization
- The theological underpinnings of belonging
- How to start cultivating a culture of belonging
Breakout #2b – Well-Ordered Life
- Speaker: Paco Patag, CNE
- A model of a well-ordered life
- The role of the interior life
- Practical ways to move from disorder to order
Breakout #2c – Mental Illness & the Church
- Speaker: TBD
- How the Church understands mental illness theologically
- How mental illness impacts the experience of the divine
- Practical ways to minister to those will mental illness (with testimony)
Tuesday
Breakout Session 3
Breakout #3a – How to Form & Manage Your Team
- Speaker: Shane Legg, CPV
- Hiring the right people
- Setting your meeting schedule
- Helping balance vocation & work
Breakout #3b – Catholic Anthropology
- Speaker: Courtney Brown, Ruah Woods
- The “Ruah Way”
- How good Catholic anthropology informs good ministry
- Practical ways to integrate Catholic anthropology into ministry
Breakout #3c – Making Events Kerygmatic
- Speaker: Brad Bursa, Stella Maris
- You aren’t ready to overhaul ministries or institute a discipleship pathway
- Why events should be kerygmatic
- Practice ways to start making one event kerygmatic
Breakout Session 4
Breakout #4a – Year-Round Initiation Ministry
- Speaker: Tyler Castrucci, St. Gertrude
- Why initiation ministry should be year round
- First steps for implementation and roadblocks
- Consider children’s initiation ministry
Breakout #4b – How to Teach Ignatian Discernment
- Speaker: Samuel Vasquez, CNE
- Brief overview of Ignatian Discernment and when to use it
- How to teach it to others
- Best resources for implementation in a parish
Breakout #4c – Parents are not the Enemy
- Speaker: Renee Piekutowski, St. Francis of Assisi
- The importance of being relational with parents
- How to get started; practical first steps
- Testimony about the impact & fruits
