The conference presenter will be Anne Walsh, a Redemptorist Associate of St. John's Newfoundland. Anne is currently the Executive Assistant to the Archbishop of St. John's and Director of Adult Faith Formation for the Archdiocese. She is a candidate for the Doctor of Ministry degree from St. Stephen's College, Edmonton. She has presented workshops, courses and retreats in every Canadian province including the territory of Nunavut, and in various places in the United States, England, Ireland and Italy. She has written numerous articles and worked on a number of writing teams for Religious Education resources published by the Canadian Bishops. She was most recently the principal author for the document On Good Soil: Pastoral Planning for Adult Faith Formation, published by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops in May, 2011. In 2009 Anne was a speaker at the Redemptorist General Chapter in Rome.
The ARCAN conference is proving to be a popular gathering for sisters and associates throughout the Atlantic area. As associate groups in individual congregations continue to develop and grow, there is a simultaneous need to build bridges between congregations to share experiences, learn about current trends and issues, and support one another.
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| 2011 conference participants: Vivian Mancini, sc and Linda McNeil A-csm |
The associate movement is a growing phenomenon. It is said to be the fastest growing group within the church. As other groups continue to decline in numbers, associate groups are showing a steep upward trend throughout North America.