Spiritual enrichment seminar open to all

Intermountain Catholic

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Father Philibert will be a guest speaker at a seminar offered to the laity through the Office of Religious Education. Photo courtesy of the Congar Institute

Catholics are called to be a member of the body of Christ, but that charge can be confusing and challenging. To help Utah Catholics develop their faith, the Diocese of Salt Lake Office of Religious Education offers two seminars each year to the laity. This year, the second of these seminars will be presented by Fr. Paul J. Philibert, a friar of the Southern Dominican Province.

Fr. Philibert is an author and scholar who most recently served as the visiting professor in the Chair of Pastoral Theology (French language) at the University of Fribourg in Switzerland. His academic roles include serving as the theologian in residence at Mepkin Abbey in South Carolina, the distinguished visiting professor of church and society at Aquinas Institute of Theology in Missouri and as director of the Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. Among his published titles is The Priesthood of the Faithful, which will be the basis of his upcoming presentation in Salt Lake.

"Father Philibert is a renowned expert on Catholic theology and ministry," said Dominican Father Wayne A. Cavalier, director of the Congar Institute for Ministry Development.

Fr. Philibert is a resource person for the Congar Institute, which has a mission to help dioceses form pastoral leaders.

The Congar Institute has provided the Salt Lake diocese with many resources for its ongoing lay ecclesial ministry program. Fr. Philibert’s presentation is part of this program but also is open to the public.

"What he’s going to talk about from his book is the fact that when everyone is baptized they are given then charisms of priest, prophet and king, and part of our priestly gift – the gift of priesthood to the laity – is serving the Gospel message in society," said Susan Cook Northway, director of religious education for the Salt Lake diocese. "As laity, we’re to go out to evangelize and convert the world."

Fr. Philibert "is in demand around the country and around the world as a speaker," Fr. Wayne said. "He has been an educator for all of his life and very successful at it. He is very skilled at adapting his presentation to the people who are before him."

The presentation should appeal to "any baptized Catholic who really wants to understand how the Church thinks about our role as baptized persons," he added. "In other words, everybody should come."

Those who attend probably will "be inspired to really understanding what it means to be a member of the body of Christ," Fr. Wayne said. "I think you’ll be encouraged in your faith life, enriched in your faith life, and I think challenged to perhaps think about it a little more deeply."

The Congar Institute has been working with the Salt Lake diocese about three years ago. Since then, Fr. Wayne said, he has seen the ministry growing. "We have seen our recommendations for new efforts of collaboration in lay leadership development bear fruit in a much stronger relationship among the programs for Lay Ecclesial Ministry formation, Hispanic lay leadership development, diaconate formation, Catholic school religion teacher formation, and Black Catholics."