SEventh Annual
THEOLOGY FOR TEACHERS WORKSHOP
October 14, 2022
John Carroll University
Keynote
Become What You Receive
Bishop Michael Woost, Diocese of Cleveland
During this year of Eucharistic revival, join other high school theology teachers as we reflect on the presence of Christ in the Eucharist and in one another.
Ordained to the episcopacy on August 4, Bishop Michael Woost is a native of Cleveland and a proud graduate of St. Ignatius High School. He served at Immaculate Conception Parish in Madison and, for seven years, as co-director of the diocesan vocation office. Since earning a licentiate in sacred theology from the Catholic University of America in 2000, Bishop Woost has taught sacraments and liturgical theology at Saint Mary Seminary.
Break-out Sessions
My Story-Your Story
The Power of Storytelling in the Classroom
The boost your curriculum needs is you. Learn a few ways to incorporate your story into your curriculum to move teaching theology from a required subject to a life-giving encounter.
After working for the Archdiocese of Chicago as the coordinator of Reclaiming Christ in Life Young Adult Ministry, dr. timone davis co-founded PEACE centered WHOLENESS with her husband Orlando, where they blend clinical counseling and spiritual companioning. timone is assistant professor in the Institute of Pastoral Studies at Loyola University Chicago. Her research focuses on intergenerational catechesis, young adult faith formation, and Black Catholicism in the United States.
Food, Hunger, and the Bible
A Model for Experiential Learning
This session will focus on the thematic unit, “Food, Hunger, and the Bible,” as a model for engaging, experiential learning in the high school theology classroom. The theme of food becomes a focal point for reading the Bible in conversation with modern issues, questions, and concerns. By focusing on food and food justice, students find a personal connection, recognize that the biblical authors had concerns similar to their own, and practice experiential reflections on biblical principles of food and food justice. During this session we will discuss how to apply this experiential learning model to a variety of texts, themes, and lessons.
Dr. Lesley DiFransico completed her Ph.D. in Biblical Studies at the Catholic University of America and then went on to teach the Bible and Theology at Loyola University Maryland before transitioning to high school teaching. A graduate of Shaker Heights High School, Lesley and her husband Jake happily relocated back to Ohio where she now teaches at Beaumont School.
Round-Table Sessions
Teaching Scripture, Jesus, Church, Morality
Bring your questions, your challenges, your successes, your lesson plans, your ideas, or just yourself for guided conversation with other teachers who are teaching what you are teaching.
Special Lunch presentation
The Symbols of Sukkot
Teaching Rituals of the Religious Other
Our 2022 workshop coincides with the Jewish holiday of Sukkot—the “Festival of Booths.” Visit a sukkah, learn the meaning of its various symbols, and explore ways to introduce students to the living faith of our Jewish brothers and sisters.
JCU buses will transport participants to nearby Oheb Zedek / Cedar Sinai Synagogue for a tour and lunch under the community sukkah.
Dr. Noah Bickart holds the newly established Mandel Chair in Jewish Studies at John Carroll University. An ordained Rabbi, Noah studied at the University of Chicago, Harvard Divinity School, and the Jewish Theological Seminary. He specializes in early Jewish-Christian interaction, Talmud, and contemporary interreligious studies.
Workshop Schedule
8:00- 8:30 Mass
8:30- 9:00 Gathering (coffee and pastry)
9:00-10:30 Keynote: Bishop Woost, “Become What You Receive”
10:45-11:45 Breakout Session 1 (Food, Hunger, Bible; My Story, Your Story; Round Tables on Scripture/Church)
12:00 Buses Depart for Oheb Zedek Synagogue
Synagogue Tour & Lunch Presentation: The Symbols of Sukkot
1:20 Buses Depart for John Carroll
2:15- 3:15 Breakout Session 2 (Food, Hunger, Bible; My Story, Your Story; Round Tables on Christology/Moral Theology)
3:15- 3:30 Closing, Evaluations, Door Prizes
3:30- 4:00 Reception (beer and wine)
