Celebrate the Year of Consecrated Life

Gain a special understanding and appreciation for the men and women devoted to the consecrated life during a conference on April 25.

The public is invited to celebrate the Year of Consecrated Life at the McDowell Activity Center on the University of Mary campus south of Bismarck. The event, sponsored by the diocese, Annunciation Monastery, Sacred Heart Monastery and Assumption Abbey, is free and open to everyone. The schedule will feature two keynote speakers and six breakout sessions with three in the morning and three in the afternoon. Mass will be celebrated at the close of the day.

Keynote speakers
Sister Anna Laura Karp, O.P., a member of the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia Congregation of Nashville, Tenn., will be the day’s first speaker at 9 a.m.

Sister Anna Laura grew up in Little Rock, Ark.; and attended the University of Dallas majoring in English. She lived in Rome for a semester, and taught English as a second language to Mexican girls after graduation. Two years after graduation, she entered the convent. Over the past 18 years in the convent, she has primarily taught high school English and theology. Currently, Sister is among the founding faculty of Frassati Catholic High School in Spring, Texas, the newest Catholic high school in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, which is now in its second year. Sister Anna Laura chairs the English, theology, and ethics and culture departments.

The afternoon keynote speaker, Fr. Roger Landry who is a priest of the Diocese of Fall River, Mass., will begin at 1 p.m.

Fr. Landry, since his 1999 ordination, has served as a pastor, diocesan newspaper editor and high school chaplain. In March, he began working at the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations. He writes for many Catholic publications and preaches several retreats a year for diocesan presbyterates, permanent deacons, seminaries, religious institutes and lay people. He was an on-site commentator with Raymond Arroyo for EWTN’s coverage of the conclave that elected Pope Francis and is national chaplain of Catholic Voices USA.

Breakout sessions
The breakout sessions will be a three-person panel consisting of a religious sister, brother or priest, and layperson. Topics are: poverty and property; chastity and relationships; obedience and authority; prayer and work; stewardship and social justice; and vocations.

Register online
Registration is available online at bismarckdiocese.com/consecrated-life. The day begins at 9 a.m. and conclude with Mass at 3:30 p.m. Lunch will be served, and pre-registration is requested in order to provide an accurate meal count.