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About Fashion Me a People
In January 2011, Fashion Me a People will celebrate its fifth year as an international gathering of leaders for lifelong faith formation.
A Gathering of Leaders for Lifelong Faith Formation
The Fashion Me a People gathering is inspired by the work of Maria Harris in promoting a vision for lifelong faith formation that is rooted in the curriculum of the faith community. In other words, we explore what it means for a community to form the faith of people of all ages through the life and practices of the faith community, who is striving to participate in building the Reign of God. Each year, hundreds of participants gather from throughout the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean islands for this event. The leaders who come to this event are innovators in lifelong faith formation and ministry. Many participants come as individuals, while others come as part of a parish team that includes their pastor.
This gathering
§ Provides a national gathering that presents the most innovative thinking, practices, and resources for faith formation across the entire lifecycle.
§ Presents an inclusive understanding of how faith is nurtured and formed at home and in the parish community through evangelization, catechesis, liturgy and sacraments, justice and service, prayer, and community life.
§ Provides an opportunity for networking so that participants can learn from each other—sharing best practices, models, ministry solutions.
All are Welcome!
Fashion Me a People was created to serve the needs of leaders in catechesis and ministry who promote lifelong faith formation.
· Coordinators
Catechetical, Adult Faith Formation, Youth Ministry, Young Adult Ministry, Family Ministry, Christian Initiation, Sacramental Preparation, and Intergenerational Faith Formation
· Pastoral Teams
Pastors, Associates, Pastoral Assistants, Parish Council members, Liturgists, and Music Directors
A Place to Learn and Grow as Leaders
Fashion Me a People creates a learning environment through keynotes, workshops, networking opportunities, prayer and worship, and hospitality that is marked by these characteristics:
§ Inclusivity. Parish teams—youth ministers, liturgists, pastors, catechetical leaders, and all parish staff members—find learning opportunities to deepen their understanding and implementation of lifelong faith formation.
§ Collaboration. The gathering nurtures conversations among parish teams and ministries, as well as with participants from other parishes.
§ Reflection. The gathering recognizes the dynamic of mystagogy and the ongoing need for reflection.
§ Experiential and Concrete. Learning is inclusive of participant experience and provides practical strategies and methods to apply that which is learned.
§ Affirmation and Challenge. Participants are affirmed yet challenged to see the opportunities for growth in lifelong faith formation in their communities.
§ Responsiveness. The gathering responds to the ministry context of parishes in the United States and Canada, including the need to provide ministry in culturally diverse settings.
§ Hope-Filled and Rooted in the Paschal Mystery.
A Different Kind of Conference
Fashion Me a People is sponsored by the Center for Ministry Development in partnership with Twenty-Third Publications, Catholic Relief Services, OCP, and Our Sunday Visitor – Curriculum Division (formerly Harcourt Religion Publishers). These five Catholic non-profit organizations join together to provide Fashion Me a People as a gathering that is different from other conferences. This gathering strives for excellence and service to parish and diocesan leaders by fostering a relationship between the conference content, the conference participants, and the resources available for parish leaders. The intent is to provide parish leaders with content and resources that flow from a shared vision. The resources that are available at Fashion Me a People are developed from this shared vision and are provided by the five partnering organizations.
