2018 Fall Chaplains’ Conference
“The Prophets: Speaking to Us in Times of Loss, Trauma, and Injustice”

Speakers Information

Rev. Dale Launderville, OSB is a monk of Saint John’s Abbey, Dean of Saint John’s University School of Theology and Seminary and Professor of Old Testament. He is Vice-President of the Catholic Biblical Association in 2017-18 and is an Associate Editor of Bible Today. He has published a number of books and articles in scholarly and popular publications that deal with the Old Testament prophets. He frequently preaches and does other forms of pastoral work at Saint John’s and the surrounding communities.

Dr. Corrine Carvalho is a professor of Old Testament and Interim Dean of Social Work at the University of St. Thomas. She earned her B.A. in Latin from the University of San Francisco, her M.A. in Old Testament from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley and her Ph.D. from Yale University in Hebrew Bible/Old Testament. She has written numerous books and articles on the prophets, especially Ezekiel and Jeremiah. She has also written for WorkingPreacher.org. She will be co-teaching a course on Health and Religion in the Old Testament in Israel in January, 2019.

Summary of Sessions:

Rev. Dale Launderville will present a living profile of the Biblical prophets, who learn on the job and gain confidence that God has called each of them to a particular mission as they strive to carry it out. They listen to the people they serve but are bold in delivering difficult messages to those who do not want to hear them. Prophets criticize rulers, religious authorities, and other members of the community for not taking God seriously as a player in their lives. Prophets point out the dangers of over-reliance on material goods and human plans for securing individual and communal existence. In the midst of the contingencies of human life, prophets try to move people to act according to conscience and to “think bigger” about God.

Corrine Carvalho will invite us to look at the ways prophetic texts reflect threats to health in the ancient world, some of which continue to plague communities at risk today. These threats include war, disability and social standing, as well as poverty and access to healthy food, water and safety. We will reflect on how these prophetic texts can be used both to inform a biblically based pastoral theology, and how they might also provide religious language for those today who suffer from trauma, disability, mental illness with dwindling resources.

Objectives of Sessions:

• To reflect on the lives and words of the ancient prophets to discover how fidelity, empathy, and compassion draw us into a communal life in which God sustains and challenges us.
• To learn from the ancient prophets how trust in God’s promises of fullness of life can grow in dark times.
• To experience how the prophetic texts reflecting the Fall of Jerusalem give voice to individuals and communities dealing with overwhelming trauma.
• To discover how the prophetic writings reflect some of the elements found in ancient medical texts that use a combination of ritual and physical means to produce a “cure” for a wide variety of illnesses, including, for example, migraines and paranoia.
• To recognize within the narratives about Jeremiah the uneven access to food, water, and safety in the ancient world, in order to reflect on the silencing experienced in our day by many who lack access to healthcare.

Agenda

Participants are invited to bring resource materials you have found helpful from your work or community to share with other participants during the conference.

7.75 Continuing Education Hours have been granted by the National Association of Catholic Chaplains

For more program information, please contact:
Brent Derowitsch: 952-892-2725 (work), bderowi1@fairview.org

Conference Registration (all prices include meals)
Full registration: $135.00
Daily registration: $75.00
Student Full registration: $65.00
Student Daily registration: $35.00
*Students include: CPE and Graduate

Registration Deadline: September 13, 2018
To register online, click here: REGISTER.

Lodging
Overnight lodging is available at the Holiday Inn (320) 763-6577 at a rate of $89.99 (plus tax) per night. When booking your hotel, please specify “North Central Prairie Chaplains” to receive the reduced rate. To receive the Chaplains rate, you must contact the hotel by September 7, 2018. Lodging is the responsibility of the registrant.

Holiday Inn, 5637 Highway 29 S., (Located at the Highway 29 exit on Interstate 94 in Alexandria)

Registration

For registration, you have the option of sending in a completed paper registration form (below), or registering online. To register online, click here: REGISTER.

PLEASE NOTE: Registration will NOT be considered complete until the NACC receives your registration form and fees. All registration fees MUST be received prior to the event in order to participate