Religious congress enlivens and challenges participants

Friday, Mar. 10, 2017

LOS ANGELES — For four days the Catholic population of Anaheim, Calif. swelled by more than 40,000 as people from all 50 states and 20 countries attended the annual Los Angeles Religious Education Congress. Growing from a local gathering of 500 Los Angeles area catechists in 1956, the Congress has become one of the premier catechetical events in the United States.

At first glance, the Congress appears to be much like any other large convention. There are keynote addresses, workshops and an exhibit hall filled with vendors. A close examination reveals significant differences. The keynotes and workshops are focused on the spiritual life and the vendors are as likely to be promoting a lifelong vocation in a religious order as they are to be selling a product.

Beyond the usual conference events, the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress offered spiritual support for the participants. The third floor of the Anaheim Convention Center hosted makeshift confessionals, a prayer and meditation labyrinth, and an adoration chapel which saw heavy use throughout the Congress.

The event began on Feb. 23 with Youth Day before opening to participants of all ages. Among the hundreds of presenters and featured speakers were Catholic luminaries like Rev. Ron Rolheiser, Paulist Fr. Dave Dwyer, Msgr. Ray East, Franciscan Fr. Dan Horan and Bishop Robert Barron. Focusing on the conference theme of “Embrace Trust,” all of the presenters encouraged the participants to develop a closer, more dependent relationship with Christ.

Speaking to a packed arena, Bishop Barron talked of the need to engage with the millennial generation who are leaving the Catholic Church in large numbers. “We have a crisis and we’re not talking about it enough,” he said. “If a business had stats like this – for every new member, six leave – we’d panic.”

Bishop Barron explored the millennials reasons for leaving the Church and provided helpful responses. “We have to use the true and the beautiful and the good to reach them,” he said.

Msgr. Ray East of the Diocese of Washington D.C. used his keynote address to encourage participants to “Embrace the Embraceable God.” He pointed out that the Bible often says that trust is counted as righteousness and that God shouldn’t be frightening. “If you want to know what God looks like,” he said, “look at the Divine Mercy.”

As a special event for Congress participants, the Busted Halo Show from Sirius XM radio broadcast live from the exhibit hall on Saturday. In addition to watching host Fr. Dave Dwyer interview several of the Congress presenters, participants were given the opportunity ask questions of Fr. Dave live.

Concerts and art exhibits provided a break from the more academic content of the Congress. The Congress also offered numerous opportunities for prayer and reflection with multiple rosaries, liturgy of the hours and Eucharistic liturgies each day.

Recordings of many of the conference sessions and workshops are available for purchase from the Congress website at http://www.recongress.org/. The 2018 Los Angeles Religious Education Congress is scheduled for March 16-18, 2018.