The Catholic Charities Department of Social Concerns will host its annual parish social ministry gathering with this year’s theme, “Empathy and Social Discourse: What our Faith says about Speaking and Listening in a Divided Time,” on Oct. 3. The virtual event is from 8:30 a.m. to noon and is free, but registration is required.
This event will discuss the realities of this challenging time in history and how parish leaders and community members can help encourage conversations in a divided climate.
To begin the morning, keynote speaker Laura Kelly Fanucci will present, “Tough but True: What Theology and Today’s Communities Can Teach Us about Thorny Conversations.”

Fanucci is a writer and speaker who has worked for more than 10 years on the theology of vocation and Christian living. She earned her master of divinity degree from St. John’s School of Theology and Seminary in Collegeville, interning with the social concerns department at Catholic Charities.
Fanucci also will present a second talk, “Questions, Stories, and Change: How to Converse with Humility, Hope, and the Holy Spirit.”
Other interactive sessions include “Managing Stress and Anxiety in Trying Times” and “Racial Reconciliation: How Our Faith Calls Us to Healing through Discomfort.”
The platform used for this event will be Microsoft Teams. After registering, participants will receive an email from Social Concerns with links and other information needed to access the sessions. To register, visit: https://bit.ly/2Hk1EMj.