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October 22, 2006 Oklahoma City to Host Regional
Forum OKLAHOMA CITY — The Archdiocese of Oklahoma City will kick off the coming new year by hosting the 45th annual South-west Liturgical Conference Study Week. The gathering will take place Jan. 17-20 at the Cox Center in downtown Oklahoma City. Planners expect liturgists from Oklahoma, Texas, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah and Wyoming to attend. The theme of the 2007 Study Week is “Dies Domini: Sunday the Day of the Lord.” A lineup of world-renowned speakers and top-notch workshop presenters is scheduled. “The purpose of study week is for liturgists to stay abreast of the new things happening in liturgy,” said Robert Nobel, music director for St. John Nepomuk Church in Yukon. “Those in ministry, who can, should attend all of study week. If they can’t get off from work for the whole thing, they should try to come for at least one day. It would be an excellent opportunity for anyone who ministers in the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City.” Father Stephen Bird, archdiocesan director of Spiritual Life, said the talks given at the general sessions should appeal to all Catholics. “Each of us is called to ‘Keep holy the Lord’s day.’ In the United States, a large segment of the Catholic population is good at keeping the ‘hour’ of the Lord (by attending Mass). But many of us find it increasingly difficult to keep the ‘day’ of the Lord. We hope the five major talks will give us some better insight into the reason for keeping Sunday holy, as well as how we might reshape our observance of this special day.” While study week’s five general session speeches will be geared to everyone, the 44 study week workshops “will especially appeal to different groups,” Father Bird said. “Some workshops are focused on priests and deacons; other presentations look at family celebrations and prayer with children. RCIA is also an important aspect of parish life and will be explored. Additional workshops will deal with parish liturgy committees, Confirmation, church environment, Liturgy of the Hours and adolescents in the liturgy. This will be an opportunity for all of us to deepen our faith.” During study week, an exhibit area will be open at the Cox Center for several hours each day. Numerous Catholic music and book publishers are numbered among the vendors exhibiting resources to help Catholic worshiping communities. On Wednesday, January 17, 2007, before the official opening of Study Week, buses will leave for an optional tour of Saint Patrick’s Church in Oklahoma City. This church is reported to have received “more awards than any other parish church in the United States”. Dedicated in 1962, it was built over several years by the parishioners themselves. Later Wednesday afternoon, buses will begin ferrying Study-Week participants to the State Capitol Building for sightseeing and a complimentary dinner buffet. Two thousand seven is Oklahoma’s Centennial Year. Before and after dinner, visitors will have the opportunity to tour the Capitol Building and the Statehouse grounds. Inside, dinner guests will be able to view artwork in the rotunda depicting scenes from Oklahoma history. Outside, they will see the new Capitol dome, a working oil well, and the statue, “As Long as the River Flows”. Buses will return dinner guests to the Cox Center in time Study Week’s Opening Prayer at 7:30 p.m. and Reverend Paul Holmes’ address at 8:00 p.m. Refreshments will be available in the Exhibit Area at 9:00 p.m. On Thursday afternoon, buses will transport conference goers to and from the 5:15 p.m. Mass at Saint Mark’s Church in Norman. The remainder of the evening will be open. Study-Week participants will be free to check out the stores, restaurants, and entertainment venues in Bricktown and Downtown. David Anderson will lead an evening of sung meditation in the style of Taize, France, at 10:00 p.m. Friday morning, shuttle buses will leave the Cox Center at 7:00 a.m. for the 7:15 a.m. Mass as Saint Joseph’s Old Cathedral, six blocks away. During the lunch break, the Saint Francis Children’s Choir of Grapevine, Texas, under the direction of Kevin Keil, will perform a children’s musical, “The Christmas Solo”. On Friday evening, refreshments will be available in the Cox Center at 6:30 p.m., followed by the Study-Week banquet at 7:00 p.m. Catholic recording artist, singer, and songwriter Michael John Poirier from Edmond, Oklahoma, will lead a meditation at 9:30 p.m. The liturgical Study Week will end at 12:45 p.m. Saturday afternoon, January 20, 2007, with the Closing Prayer, which will follow the final General-Session’s speech by Bill Huebsch. Early registration for all of Study Week and the banquet is $115, to be paid by December 8, 2006. After December 8th, the cost will jump to $130. A single day’s registration is $35. There is a $10 fee for the bus for the optional tour of Saint Patrick’s Church. Additional banquet tickets are available for $45 each. Hotel rooms are available at the special rate of $119 per night. This price purchases a room for one night for between 1-4 persons at the Courtyard by Marriott or the Renaissance Oklahoma City. Rooms for one night for 1-2 people are available at the Oklahoma City Sheraton for the same price. Study-Week hotels are located directly across the street from the Cox Convention Center within walking distance of Bricktown and Downtown. Registering early will guarantee the best room selection. DO NOT CONTACT HOTELS DIRECTLY FOR ROOMS!!! To receive the special Study-Week hotel rate, reserve a room at www.SWLC.org or fill out and submit an official registration form. Official registration forms may also be submitted for registration for Study Week. Confirmation for mail-ins will be by U.S. mail. To register online for Study Week and/or for a hotel room, go to www.SWLC.org. Confirmation will be by e-mail. Payment may be made by credit card. Credit-card billing will be listed through affiliate, “Winner’s Circle”. A limited number of registration-only scholarships (hotel and transportation are not included) are available from the Southwest Liturgical Conference. Contact Mary Fahy at the Office of Worship and Spiritual Life at (405) 721-5651, Ext. 158 for more information, brochures, or details and applications for registration-only scholarships. |
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