The Essentials
Convocation 2024 is set to take place February 27-29 on the campus of St. Edward’s University. We hope to see you there as Convocation is the largest annual gathering of Holy Cross educators from across the country and around the world. At the upcoming Convocation, we expect more than 300 members of the Holy Cross family to gather in Austin and experience the HOPE that inspired Bl. Basile Moreau, the Congregation’s founder. Moreau’s visionary concept “With Hope to Bring” is the theme of Convocation 2024.
As our financial model is changing, we ask for your financial support in the form of a donation so that together we can keep Convocation vibrant and viable long into the future. Please make a donation at the level most comfortable for you, and thank you for your valued support: https://www.givecampus.com/campaigns/37977/donations/new Please note: Because St. Edward’s University hosts Convocation, attendees who are part of St. Edward’s are excluded from this appeal.
While there is no registration fee for Convocation, each guest enjoys several complimentary meals, high-quality Holy Cross programming that supports one’s professional development, prayer services and liturgies that are prepared in advance by trained ministers, and other benefits as well. There are costs associated with all these services, and the Holy Cross Institute has historically absorbed these costs as a gesture of hospitality to our guests.
Schedule
Tuesday Feb. 27 — First Day (Focus on K-8 and High Schools)
9:00 AM Prayer, Acknowledgment Statement and Welcome - JONES AUDITORIUM
9:30 AM Morning Plenary Session
Christian Education: The Foundation of Bringing Hope When Hope Is Fading, Toni West, Moreau Catholic High School
Hope Is Not a Strategy, It Is a Holy Cross Core Value, Julie Barthel and Mark Matthews, Cathedral High School
10:45 AM Breakout Sessions
12:00 PM Optional Mass and Lunch - OUR LADY QUEEN OF PEACE CHAPEL & MABEE BALLROOM
12:30–2 PM HCI Open House - PREMONT HALL 110
2-2:45 PM Afternoon Session 1: K-8/High School Workshops and Affinity Groups for Higher Ed
- Ensuring a Mission Centered School Day, Eric DesOrmeaux, Holy Cross School (New Orleans) - JONES AUDITORIUM
- St Joseph, the Exemplar of Moreau's Christian Education, Richard Vasquez, Holy Cross of San Antonio - BAIN BOARDROOM
- St. André Projects: Junior/Senior Service Capstone Projects, Cole Hepp, Cathedral High School - LUCAS ROOM, RAGS 301
- Hope and Happiness: A Practical Guide to Cultivating Cheer with Today's Teens, Monica Schreck, Notre Dame High School (Sherman Oaks, CA) - RICE ROOM, RAGS 319
- Unlocking the Potential, Joy, and Hope Found in Educating Multilingual Learners, Katy Lichon Ph.D., University of Notre Dame. - WINSTEAD ROOM, RAGS 328
- Holy Cross Associates: Growth, Witness and Mission, Jessica Plaspohl, Holy Cross Associate, and Chris Fahey, Archbishop Hoban High School - MALONEY ROOM, MAIN BUILDING 320
- Using the Holy Cross Charism Initiative: Strategies for Effective Implementation, Meigs Turgeon, The Holy Cross Institute - PREMONT HALL 110
Affinity Groups for Higher Education - MABEE BALLROOM
- Deans and Faculty
- Student Affairs
- Campus Ministry/Mission Officers
2:45 - 3:15 PM Coffee / Tea Break
3:15 - 4:00 PM Afternoon Session 2: K-8/High School Workshops
- Infusing Holy Cross Spirituality into Schools Through Yearly Themes, KC McKenna and Owen Williams, St. Edward High School - LUCAS ROOM, RAGS 301
- Blended Workshop: Habits of Hope: Forming Desire for the Good through Campus Ministry, Amanda Saunders-MacMillan and Dr. Mathew Scruggs, Bishop McNamara High School, BRO - Brothers Reaching Others: Monthly Student Led Evening Retreat, Michael Abbott and Mike Celentano, Notre Dame High School (West Haven, CT) - JONES AUDITORIUM
- Sacrament of Hope: How the Real Presence of Jesus Can Transform Holy Cross Communities, Narciso Bernardo, St. Francis High School - RICE ROOM, RAGS 319
- The Walk to Chateau Gontier: The Foundational Story of Holy Cross, Peter Francis Smith-Shelley, Moreau Catholic High School - MALONEY ROOM, MAIN BUILDING 320
- Integrating Holy Cross Missionary History into Curriculum and Institutional Identity, Michael Jezewak, Holy Cross Mission Center - BAIN BOARDROOM
- Students with Learning Differences: Navigating the Transition from High School to College, Monica Rodriquez and Jennifer Mattes, Archbishop Hoban High School - MABEE BALLROOM
- Using the Holy Cross Charism Initiative: Strategies for Effective Implementation, Meigs Turgeon, The Holy Cross Institute - PREMONT HALL 110
5:00 PM Happy Hour at Southpark Austin Hotel (beverage ticket provided)
6:00 PM Dinner on Your Own
Wednesday, Feb. 28 — Center Day
9:00 AM Prayer, Acknowledgment Statement and Welcome - JONES AUDITORIUM
9:30 AM Morning Plenary Session
Reflections on Hope, Bro. George Schmitz, C.S.C., Notre Dame High School (West Haven, CT)
“Oui, Whee, We”: Leaning Into Hope, Holy Cross Style, Karen Eifler, University of Portland
10:45 AM Breakout Sessions
12:00 PM Lunch/Keynote Followed by Campus Walk - MABEE BALLROOM
"They will shine eternally in the skies like the stars of the heavens." (Christian Education), Brother Prodip Placid Gomes, C.S.C., Second Assistant, Congregation of Holy Cross
Followed by a group photo on the Main Building’s front lawn.
2:00-4:00 PM Afternoon Sessions — Laudato Si' - What Would Moreau Do? (Panel Discussion) - JONES AUDITORIUM
- Laudato Si' - What Would Moreau Do?
- Katie Yohe, Sisters of the Holy Cross
- Br. Adolf Mugume, Congregation of Holy Cross
- Avuni Alfred, John Paul II Justice and Peace Center
- Sarah Kirikumwino, Laudato Youth Initiative
- Nancy Salisbury, St. Edward’s University
- Fabio Marinho Aidar and Joana Procópio França, Colegio Santa Cruz
- Moderator: Kyle Ballarta, St. Edward's University, Trustee and Professor of Innovation and Disruption Management
4:30 PM Eucharist - OUR LADY QUEEN OF PEACE CHAPEL
6:00 PM Cocktail Reception - MUNDAY LIBRARY
7:00 PM Convocation Banquet – Presentation of Awards - MABEE BALLROOM
Thursday Feb. 29 — Final Day (Focus on Higher Education)
9:00 AM Prayer, Acknowledgment Statement and Welcome - JONES AUDITORIUM
9:30 AM Morning Plenary Session
Basil Moreau and Teaching with A.I.: "Not at the Expense of the Heart”, Kris Sloan, St. Edward's University
Authenticity in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, Eric Anctil, University of Portland
10:45 AM Breakout Sessions
12:00 PM Optional Mass and Lunch - OUR LADY QUEEN OF PEACE CHAPEL & MABEE BALLROOM
12:30–2 PM HCI Open House - PREMONT HALL 110
2-2:45 PM Afternoon Session 1: Higher Education and K-8/High School Educators Workshops
- From Hope to Action, Kathleen Wilburn Ph.D., St. Edward's University - WINSTEAD ROOM, RAGS 328
- Contemporary Vocation and Formation Programs in the Congregation of Holy Cross, Brother John Paige CSC, King's College, Congregation of Holy Cross Vocation and Formation Commission, and Matthew Bartek, Assistant Director of Vocations, Congregation of Holy Cross, United States Province of Priests and Brothers - MABEE BALLROOM
- Living Holy Cross, Kevin Piskadlo and Colleen Ford, Stonehill College - BAIN BOARDROOM
- Holy Cross in Texas: Frontiers and Foundations, Mity Myhr and Joseph Howe, St. Edward's University - HERNDON ROOM, RAGS 321
- Embracing Blessed Basile Moreau’s Legacy of Hope: Our Call to Transformative Action in Troubled Times, Sister Elaine Poitras, CSC, Sister of Holy Cross - RICE ROOM, RAGS 319
- “Who do I want to be when I grow up?” Infusing Vocational Identity Exploration into Psychology and Behavioral Neuroscience Curriculum, Catherine Campbell, Katy Goldey, Monique Jiménez-Herrera, Delia Kothmann Paskos, Kadie Rackley, Melissa Vélez, Jeannetta Williams, Department of Psychology & Behavioral Neuroscience, St. Edward’s University - MALONEY ROOM, MAIN BUILDING 320
- Fostering a Spirituality of Communion on an Increasingly Polarized Campus, Nicole Labadie, Saint Mary's College - LUCAS ROOM, RAGS 301
- "Incorporating the Holy Cross Mission into Curriculum to Build Hope for the Future--A Conscious Effort," Tom Sechrest and Glenda Ballard, St. Edward's University - JONES AUDITORIUM
- Using the Holy Cross Charism Initiative: Strategies for Effective Implementation, Meigs Turgeon, The Holy Cross Institute - PREMONT HALL 110
2:45 - 3:15 PM Coffee / Tea Break
3:15 - 4:00 PM Afternoon Session 2: Higher Education and K-8/High School Educators Workshops
All the above workshops will be offered a second time - please select another workshop to attend.
4:30 PM Closing Ceremony, Executive Director’s Address, and Memorial Service - JONES AUDITORIUM
6:00 PM Dinner on Your Own/ Post-Conference Gathering at an Austin Restaurant
