BALTIMORE, MD — The first annual Mid-Atlantic Congress for Pastoral Leadership kicked off March 8 with Tucson Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas encouraging the hundreds gathered to be proud of their Catholic faith and the hope that only Jesus Christ can give. 

“We are trying to work in a world that is craving hope, yet seems so far from an encounter with Jesus Christ,” said Bishop Kicanas, chairman of the board of Baltimore-based Catholic Relief Services.

Read more here.

BALTIMORE, MD — A dash of humor and sharp business skills are the prescription for successful parishes, Catholic leaders told hundreds gathered at the first-ever Mid-Atlantic Congress for Pastoral Leadership.

Jesuit Father James Martin, the unofficial chaplain to the “Colbert Report” show with Stephen Colbert on Comedy Central, wooed the crowd March 9 with humor, underscoring the way that humor can be used at church.

“Joy, humor and laughter feed hope,” said Father Martin, a New York-based priest. “(These are) unappreciated ways of showing people our hope. Humor evangelizes; joy shows your faith in that you believe in the resurrection. That is good news.”Read more here.

Meanwhile, Lisa Mladinich blogged the conference on Patheos. In recent to earliest order, they include:

> Mid-Atlantic Congress Starts Tomorrow
> Baltimore is Beautiful
> Reclaiming Religious Education
> A Rousing Close of MAC’s First Day 
> Friday AM Recap 
> Reaching out to Parents
> The Way of the Cross at MAC
> We are Family

Joe Paprocki of Loyola Press posted as well and there was quite a bit of twitter action, too. UPDATED: The National Catholic Reporter had an article as well.

Usually, I draft these CYM News reports piece-by-piece at the end of each day so that when Sunday or Monday comes along, I just edit it all together, declare an Awesome Weekly Experience (AWE), and post it up.

This past week was a combination of real serious busy-ness along with not even cracking open my lap top between Wednesday noon and Sunday noon.

So, here goes…  The week began with a commitment to not allow the week to be all about MAC… so we send out e-mail each day related to our High School Leadership Institute (High-LI), the Youth and Young Adult Pilgrimage, our Annual Recognition Celebration, and our Young Adult Newsletter.

The Annual Recognition Celebration publicity set-up allowed me to be a bearer of good news letting folks know that they are to be recognized.

Wednesday into Saturday was, of course, the set-up and execution of MAC.  It was a great opportunity to collaborate with our office staff, see some old friends, collaborate with others in service the Church, and work-out my own skills related to conferences. That being said, the Awesome Weekly Experience (AWE), however, was the surprise that awaited me at my home on Friday night… and, no, I’m not offering details.

Saturday was the close of the conference and the pack-out and Sunday morning, I was back to the Catholic Center to unpack materials into the offices. The rest of the day was spent with laundry and ironing, reading (0ver 200 posts awaited my on my Google reader) blogging, and mostly relaxing with my feet elevated.

Week six of my medifast diet paired up with a consistent schedule of workouts was complicated by conference week. I actually ate three hot meals of Friday and was sketchy regarding my water intake, but that was surely countered by the very active days of walking and lifting. According to my scale this am, I’m down another 2.5 pounds for a total just over 20.  (Average is supposed to be 3-5 pounds but it gets to be slower going in these later weeks). I am getting ever nearer being only 4 pounds and 3 weeks away from my original goal.