R E A C H	
Newsletter of The Religious Education Association: 
An Association of Professors, Practitioners, and Researchers in Religious Education	Spring 2005	
Contents	
Annual Meeting
Program Schedule
Early Reminders
Call for Proposals	Organizational News
Religious Education Forums Active
	Networking & Resourcing
In Memorium—Maria Harris 
Professional Updates
Position Openings	

ANNUAL MEETING
Religious Education for Peace and Justice
November 4-6, 2005
Delta Chelsea Hotel
Toronto, Canada

Program Schedule 

Friday
8:30-12:00	Board, pre-meetings (denominational meetings, etc.)
9:00-2:00	Registration/Welcome Table
Noon 		Luncheons for Doctoral Students and Religious Education Journal Board
2:00-3:15	Plenary by Forum I
3:30-4:45	Break-outs: RIGs, Workshops, Colloquia
5:00		Time for ritual from one religious tradition
6:30		Banquet with program (address by President-elect)

Saturday
8:30-9:45	Business Meeting
10:00-11:15	Break-outs: RIG, Workshops, Colloquia
11:30-1:00	Women’s and Men’ luncheons
1:15-2:30	Break-outs: RIG, Workshops, Colloquia
2:45-3:30	Plenary by Forum II 
3:45-5:00	Break-outs: RIG, Workshops, Colloquia

OPEN EVENING

Sunday
7:30-8:15	Worship
8:30-9:30	Task Forces
9:45-11:00	Plenary by Forum III
11:15-12:00	Business Meeting
		
Early Reminders
All conference participants who are not Canadian citizens will need passports. Everyone will also need Canadian currency.

Websites of interest:

Delta Chelsea Hotel: http://www4.deltahotels.com/hotels/hotels.php?hotelId=10

The Official City of Toronto Website http://www.city.toronto.on.ca/

CALL FOR PROPOSALS—Religious Education for Peace and Justice
See website (http://www.religiouseducation.net) for full program description

ELIGIBILITY: In order to be eligible to submit a proposal, persons must have their membership fees up to date. Renewal can accompany one’s proposal. If selected, presenters must renew for upcoming membership year as well and register for the meeting. 

PROPOSAL RELATION TO THEME AND RELIGIOUS EDUCATION: Because the annual theme serves as a focus for conversations during a meeting, proposals are encouraged to address the theme. Approaches to the theme might address the following topics (among others). 

•	religious education for peace and justice
•	assessments of the current state of the field and profession of religious education
•	kinds of religious literacy needed in today's (global) context
•	the meaning of peace and justice in a variety of national contexts (e.g. Ireland, Canada, US, Netherlands) 
•	peace, justice and religious education from different religious perspectives (e.g., Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Jewish, or Quaker)
•	peace, justice, religious education and topical issues (eg. gay marriage, AIDS, electoral politics) 
•	strategies for teaching peace and justice in religious education or theology  
•	resources used in educating for peace and justice

However, authors should not force their research to fit the mold of the theme. Papers may be proposed on any theme contributing to religious education. Papers related to the theme of the annual meeting may receive preferential consideration for publication in the conference issue of Religious Education. All proposals and presentations must make clear connection between their topic and the theory or practice of religious education.

CALL FOR PROPOSALS: REA members in good standing are invited to submit a proposal for a presentation in a Research Interest Group, a Colloquium, or a Resourcing Workshop.  See directions below. One presentation per person, please. 

Collaborative/interfaith/interdisciplinary proposals may receive preferential consideration for single or extended time slots.  A chair will be appointed to all presentations to help organize the discussion around issues raised by the presenter(s) and participants.  

Participants are reminded that we have three forums that serve as a guide for our organization. These are (a) Religious Education in Faith Communities, (B) Religious Education in Public Life & Global Community, and (C) Religious Education in Academic Disciplines & Institutions. The varied formats for presentation of research and reflection at our annual meeting attempt to reflect these formats. They are: 

RESEARCH INTEREST GROUPS (RIG) discuss publishable papers among a group of up to 25 members.  All research papers will be posted in a protected area of the REA website prior to the meeting, and included in the REA Annual Meeting Proceedings, distributed at registration. 

COLLOQUIA are less formal than Research Interest Groups but provide a very important arena for sharing emerging research, research-in-progress, or practices and programs that do not readily lend themselves to formal papers.  An outline of ideas or sharing of practices is appropriate in this format.

RESOURCING WORKSHOPS are presentations of scholarly and practical resources or approaches supporting the multiple practices of religious education. These sessions may seek to increase awareness or enhance performance of specific religious education practices. The context for these practices may be settings such as faith communities, higher education, wider public settings, schools, etc. 

INFORMATION ON SUBMITTING PROPOSALS

Applicants must send an abstract of approximately one page (it may be single-spaced) to the Executive Secretary and the members of the Call for Proposals Committee.   Abstracts must be received by June 1, 2005.  Submission by e-mail preferred. Include the following:
a. Title of paper, colloquium, or resourcing workshop
b. Name of author/presenter(s), position and institution
c. The category for which the proposal is submitted (RIG, Colloquia, Workshop)
d. The specific or intended audience, such as grade school teachers, adult educators, congregational/parish educators, or academic faculty 
e. Statement regarding the significance of the presentation for religious education 
f. Indication of whether this presentation addresses the theme Religious Education for Peace and Justice (other proposals will be accepted).  
g. Names of persons who might chair your session. 
h. Three to four line (maximum) description for use in the meeting program
i.  Abstract
For papers, include main points, methodology (e.g. literature-based paper, qualitative or quantitative research, historical, or insights from our community of practice), generally the sources grounding the paper, and the status of the research at the time of the proposal.
For colloquia, include main concepts/issues, methodology for addressing the topic, generally the sources grounding the presentation, and the status of the research at the time of the proposal.
For resourcing workshops, include context, main concepts/issues, practice(s) being addressed, context of those practices (e.g. faith community, higher education, wider community, schools), outline of the workshop (sequence of topics and methods), resources presented and used.   
 
Each proposal will be reviewed by the Call for Proposals Committee.  Presenters selected will be notified on or by June 30, 2005.  Proposals may be paired according to interest and topical relation.

E-mail one copy of proposal to the following five people:  Drs. English, Groome, O’Brien, Vrame, and Smith.

Dr. Leona English
lenglish@stfx.ca [preferred]
902/867-3765 (fax) or
Adult Education Dept.
St. Francis Xavier University
Antigonish, NS, Canada B2G 2W5

	Dr. Thomas Groome 
groomet@bc.edu  [preferred]
617 552-0811 (fax) or
IREPM
Boston College
31 Lawrence Avenue
Chestnut Hill, MA 02167-3931	
Dr. Maureen R. O'Brien
obrien@duq.edu [preferred]
412.396.4904 (fax)
or
Duquesne Univ. - Dept. of Theology
600 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA  15282-2260	Dr. Anton Vrame 
tonyvrame@mac.com [preferred]
510-841-6605 (fax)
or
Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute
2311 Hearst Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94709

Dr. Lawanda Smith
Rea-apprre@cox.net [preferred]
Executive Secretary
or
318.442.4327 (fax)
P.O. Box 12576
Alexandria, LA
71315
 
Please follow these procedures and deadlines!  Your submission of an abstract is your agreement that you will complete the paper, will abide by these deadlines, and will personally present it for discussion at the 2005 Annual Meeting. Failing to follow through with a presentation significantly detracts from the overall program!

Important Additional Information Regarding Research Interest Group Papers

Research Interest Group presenters will receive a copy of the Guidelines for Contributors for the journal Religious Education, and directions for Proceedings layout for the final copy of your paper.  (Presenters of Colloquia and Resourcing Workshops are not required to contribute a paper although they may wish to submit material for posting on the website for participants in their group.)

Completed Research Interest Group papers for the program must be received in both hard copy and in electronic format (“rtf” or “pdf”) by the Executive Secretary no later than September 16, 2005.  Papers not received by that date will not be included in the Proceedings and may be canceled from the Annual Meeting program.  Do not count on extensions!  Unless otherwise requested, all papers will be posted on the website prior to the meeting. Proceedings will be distributed to participants as they register at the meeting.  

By January 13, 2006, Research Interest Group papers that were presented at the meeting may be revised and submitted to the Call for Papers Committee who will act as a peer review jury for the conference issue of Religious Education. Selected papers are recommended for possible publication and sent to the editor of the journal, who then makes the final selection. 
 
ORGANIZATIONAL NEWS

Religious Education Forums Active in REA-APPRRE
The forum Religious Education in Public Life and the Global Community will offer an opportunity for dialogue about the role of religious education in working to create a world of justice, equity and compassion. The group will explore how we engage with people from diverse religious faiths, ethnicities, countries, and regions.  For the November annual meeting of REA-APPRRE in Toronto, this forum will focus on implicit and explicit connections with the theme of Religious Education for Peace and Justice.  

In its plenary focus at the 2005 meeting in Toronto, the Forum Religious Education in Faith Communities will focus on the following:  How are faith communities involved in examining violence on the global and local scenes and its connection?  What models of curricula and what pedagogies in these communities embody peacemaking and justice? What religious education practices are just and peaceful?  This plenary forum focuses on religious education related to this issue in local faith communities and within and by denominational/religious bodies on regional, national, and international levels.  The forum encourages conversation between these faith communities regarding their practice, including models, resources, and specific experiences, related to this issue.

Religious Education in Academic Disciplines and Institutions Forum focuses on “the engagement in and advancement of religious education in academic disciplines and in schools, colleges, universities, and graduate schools of religion and theology.”  The major concern of this forum is to promote the highest level of research, scholarship, teaching, and leadership in religious education through diverse aspects of academic life.  This forum seeks to enhance religious education in several ways by:

1.	acknowledging theology/religion as valid forms of inquiry/knowing
2.	affirming the spirituality of intellectual life
3.	maintaining scholarly integrity of religious education’s constructive/critical analysis of the field
4.	engaging in exploratory inquiry into other disciplines
5.	giving attention to learning, formation, and conversation in the context of religious/theological diversity
6.	encouraging quality publications in religious education
7.	nurturing academic teaching of religion
8.	supporting professional development of academic religious education 

Multiple strategies such as panel presentations, workshops, experiential learning, mentoring, worship and ritual, grant writing seminars, and teaching and writing consultations will be employed to carry out the basic tenants of this forum.  Additionally, the forum may be a vehicle for addressing the annual meeting theme and informing the overall program of the organization through the perspective of the forum. 

This forum will draw upon the gifts and contributions of persons from various academic communities.  By engaging practitioners, theological school professors, Parochial and secondary school teachers, and doctoral/graduate students in a vibrant dialogue and collaborative teaching/learning experience, this forum seeks to empower educators from diverse backgrounds to nurture and transform religious education through academic life.  
NETWORKING AND RESOURCING

In Memorium—Maria Harris
     Maria Harris, a prominent Catholic educator, died on Feb. 1, 2005.  She had been living in Maria Regina Residence, Brentwood, Long Island, since February, 2004.  She was 72 years old.

      Dr. Harris held a master’s degree from Manhattan College and a doctorate in religion and education from Teachers College, Columbia University. She was well known for her work with parish directors of religious education.  While working with parish directors in the Rockville Center Diocese, she wrote The DRE Book (Paulist, 1976) which helped to shape the role of the DRE in the Catholic church.  

      Maria Harris was prominent in ecumenical work.  In 1975 she was the first Roman Catholic to become a full time faculty member at Andover Newton Theological School, Newton, MA.  She was subsequently the first woman appointed to the Howard Chair of Religious Education at that school.  She also worked with the Facing History and Ourselves project on teaching about the Holocaust.  In 1989 she returned to her native New York and taught in the religious education program of Fordham University for six years before becoming an independent consultant, writer and speaker.

    A dynamic speaker who combined a poetic imagination and a brilliant mind, Dr. Harris was in constant demand at conferences, seminars, workshops and summer schools throughout the United States and beyond.  She often taught with her husband, Gabriel Moran, with whom she collaborated on two books, Experiences in Community (Herder and Herder, 1968) and Reshaping Religious Education (Westminster/Knox, 1998), as well as many essays.  Her books, Teaching and Religious Imagination (Harper, 1987),  Women and Teaching (Paulist, 1988) and Fashion Me a People (Westminster, 1989) continue to be widely used. 

     Her books, Dance of the Spirit (Bantam, 1991) on women’s spirituality and Jubilee Time (Bantam,1995) on the spirituality of older women were enthusiastically read and widely discussed by women’s groups.  Of special note was her book Proclaim Jubilee! (Westminster/Knox, 1996) that was used by many Catholic parishes and Protestant congregations in programs related to the millennium.  Her work contributed to the project for the forgiveness of the debts of poor countries in the jubilee year 2000.

      For twenty-three years, Dr. Harris was a member of the Sisters of St. Joseph, a group that she remained closely related to throughout her life.  She was an active member of many national and international organizations, such as the Association of Professors and Researchers in Religious Education and the International Seminar on Religious Education and Values.  She contributed a lively presence and a critical mind to the discussions and publications of these organizations.  She received numerous awards from religious and educational organizations.

      In 2001 she was diagnosed as having Dementia with Lewy Bodies, a disease that can be described as a combination of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.  She dealt with the disease calmly and courageously, fully aware of its devastating effects.  She remained peaceful throughout the ravages of the disease, reflective of her own deep spirituality.  While unable to carry on the writing and speaking she had done for many years, she was an inspiring presence to her many friends throughout the world and especially to people who took care of her in the nursing home.  She was buried with a funeral Mass at St. Lawrence Church in Sayville, Long Island, presided over by the pastor, Fr. John Rowan.  Her body was laid to rest in St. John’s cemetery in Middle Village, New York.
 
Professional Updates
Hope S. Antone, Executive Secretary for Faith, Mission and Unity Christian Conference of Asia, reviewed Karen Marie Yust's book, "REAL KIDS, REAL FAITH: PRACTICES FOR NURTURING CHILDREN’S SPIRITUAL LIVES" for Religious Education journal (summer 2005). She also had a wonderful opportunity to share in an interactive keynote address on "Religious Differences in Religiously Affiliated Schools" at the 4th Conference of the Education and Ethos Network of Europe held in Nijmegen, Netherlands on Jan. 20-22, 2005. Antone is still with the Christian Conference of Asia and occasionally is doing intensive teaching in Christian and Religious Education in some Asian seminaries.  

The Holy Land Democracy Project: The Many Faces of Israel--Judith V. Aronson prepared teachers from seven Catholic high schools to use a 5 part curriculum concerning Modern Israel.  The teachers will travel to Israel to view it personally before they begin to teach the unit.  All students will write an essay as their final project.  They will be entered in a contest with prizes of Israel bonds awarded to the top ten submissions at the Cathedral in Los Angeles.  The program is a project of The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles in cooperation with the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.

Vincent Capodilupo received a Master of Arts in Ministry Degree in May 2004 from the St. John’s Seminary School of Theology, Master of Arts in Ministry Program, Boston Massachusetts.  Presently he is the Director of Catholic Religious Education at St. Julia Parish in Weston and Lincoln Massachusetts.

Terence Copley has just published INDOCTRINATION, EDUCATION AND GOD: THE STRUGGLE FOR THE MIND, LONDON, SPCK ISBN 0 281 05682 X.   It has already been very favorably reviewed in the UK press and has become a news item in several national newspapers.

Professor Faustino Cruz, SM (Boston College, 2001) has successfully completed his permanent contract (tenure) and promotion process and has been appointed Academic Dean of the Franciscan School of Theology at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA. He is currently finishing a book manuscript on Filipino Catholics that will be published by Paulist Press. In January, he taught at the East Asian Pastoral Institute-Ateneo de Manila Jesuit University in the Philippines and participated in a consultation on theological education at Trinity Theological College in Singapore. He has been invited to participate in a collaborative workshop on theology and education at the Divinity School of Chung Chi College, Chinese University of Hong Kong, which is sponsored by the United Board for Christian Higher Education for Asia.  

Burton Everist developed and lead a Consultation on Teaching Religion in Community Colleges last June. Faculty members from Illinois and Iowa community colleges participated and agreed they wanted to create a continuing organization.  Selected consultation participants will gather in April in connection with the Midwest Region of the AAR to form the organization.  The Consultation also stimulated the AAR to develop and administer a nation-wide survey to assess the range and extent of courses offered in community colleges nationwide (whose enrollment is roughly 44% of all undergraduates in the nation.)  After a presentation about the Consultation at the Denver APRRE meeting, June Costin,.encouraged by Lucinda Huffaker that a grant might be possible, developed a similar Consultation  for Kansas community colleges.  Burton will be the facilitator for that event, to be held June 2-3 in Wichita.  

Chuck Foster, Professor of Religion and Education Emeritus, Candler School of Theology, continues to be associated with The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching directing a study on the education of Jewish and Christian clergy in the United States.  Jossey Bass will be publishing the report of the study to be called "Educating Clergy: Teaching Practices and Pastoral Imagination" this fall. 

Peter Gilmour, Associate Professor of Pastoral Studies at Loyola University Institute of Pastoral Studies, recently guest edited the Volume 39, Number 3 issue of "Listening Journal of Religion and Culture"  The theme of this number is "Spiritual Identities in Pluralistic Cultures."  In addition to his own article on "The Culture of the Parliament of the World's Religions," REA/APREE member Mary Hess' article, "Better Off For All That We Let In: Being Catholic While Teaching at a Lutheran Seminary" appears in this issue.  Other articles discuss interfaith education through Common Ground, interfaith service projects through the Interfaith Youth Corps, and the importance of intrafaith dialogue as prelude to interfaith dialogue.  Visit the journal's website: www.listeningjournal.org 

Virginia A. Lee has received a promotion to Associate Professor of Christian Education at Memphis Theological Seminary.

Dr. Maureen O'Brien received tenure and was promoted to Associate Professor of Theology and Director of Pastoral Ministry at Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Evelyn Parker, of Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University, has been promoted to Associate Professor of Christian Education with Tenure.

Bert Roebben reports that although his position as dean of academic affairs at the Faculty of Theology of Tilburg University is demanding (involvement in the Bologna process and the new constellation of Roman-Catholic theology in the Netherlands, to mention only a few activities), he was able to publish a book in Dutch on cultivating spirituality in religious affiliated schools (Bewogenheid in beweging, Brussels: Licap, 2003) and to launch a personal website (www.seekingsense.be) in Dutch (the English pages are under construction) on the 1st of March 2005. Recent publications in English include: 
Exploring, Explaining, Experiencing Differences. Theological Educational Leadership in a Postmodern Faculty of Theology, in M.E. Brinkman, N.F.M. Schreurs, H.M. Vroom and C.J. Wethmar (eds.), Theology between Church, University, and Society (Star series 6), Assen, van Gorcum, 2003, 149-163.

Religious Communication in Modern Culture. The Case of Young Adults, in B. Roebben & L. van der Tuin (eds.), Practical Theology and the Interpretation of Crossing Boundaries. Essays in Honour of Professor M.P.J. van Knippenberg (Theologie Band 52), Münster/Hamburg/London, Lit-Verlag, 2003, 165-186.

New International Perspectives on Religious Education Theory (review article), in Religious Education 99 (2004) 4, 436-441.

The Mirror effect: Reflective Theological Education and Religious Consciousness in Young Adult Ministry, in R. Larsson & C. Gustavsson (eds.), Towards a European Perspective on Religious Education (Bibliotheca Theologiae Practicae 74), Lund, Artos, 2004, 332-343.

Modern Narrative Identities and the Bible. Notes on a Subversive Concept of Religious Education, in H. Lombaerts & D. Pollefeyt (eds.), Hermeneutics and Religious Education (Bibliotheca Ephemeridum Theologicarum Lovaniensium, 180), Leuven, Peeters, 2004, 215-231.

Together with L. van der Tuin, Mapping the Roads of Transcendence. Religious Education in a Multicultural Society, in D. Nauer, R. Nauta & H. Witte (eds.), Religious Leadership and Christian Identity, Münster, Lit-Verlag, 2004, 130-142.

Kieran Scott, of Fordham University, has three chapters in the recently published book, Critical Issues in Religious Education (Dublin; Veritas , 2005), (ed) Oliver Brennan.  The three chapters are: "The School Teachers Dilemma:To Teach Religion or Not to Teach Religion", " Continuity and Change in Religious Education; Building on the Past, Re-imagining the Future"; and, "Practicing the Trinity in the Local Church"; The Symbol as Icon and Lure".

Shouting In the Hush Arbor: Celebrate God in Community, an Afro-centric, intergenerational Vacation Bible School program is available.  Jacquelyn Brown Thorpe wrote the companion Teen Bible Study in this holistic, creative, Bible-based, heritage-rich religious educational resource. This year the teen study is included in the starter kit. See www.africanamericanvbs.cokesbury.com

J. Bradley Wigger was promoted to full professor with tenure at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary (effective last June) and named Editor of the journal "Family Ministry." He has a new book coming out in June (05) "Together We Pray: A Family Prayerbook," (Chalice Press) based on the Psalms.

In 2004, Cassandra Carkuff Williams wrote for two age levels of Bible Quest curriculum materials and edited two other age levels. She also edited two age levels of the Presbyterian curriculum series, We Believe. Williams began as Managing Editor of Judson Press and Resource Coordinator for Discipleship and Education for American Baptist Churches USA in August 2004. She published an article on the Sunday School Movement in the Fall 2004 issue of The Christian Citizen and in January became the managing editor of that periodical publication.

This summer Dennis Williams will retire from the Southern Baptist Seminary after serving as Dean of the School of Leadership and Church Ministry for six years and as Dean of Institutional Assessment for four years. This year Williams returned to the classroom fulltime as Professor of Leadership and Church Ministry, and he has enjoyed the regular interaction with the students. This is something I missed while serving as an administrator.  Williams will continue his role as Executive Administrator for the North American Professors of Christian Education. He plans to teach overseas and will continue involvement in the doctoral program at Southern.

Position Announcements
CHRISTIAN THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY announces a position for an Associate Director of Field Education to begin July 1, 2005. Candidates must have an earned doctorate from an accredited institution.  The successful candidate must be ordained and have had significant pastoral experience in addition to clinical pastoral education, an understanding of and appreciation for a supervised model of learning, and advanced supervisory experience.   Desirables include a commitment to multi-cultural respect; dialogue and community; ability to understand and function comfortably with processes and procedures of multiple judicatories represented in the student body; ability to understand and function comfortably with the criteria of assessment for field education students and teaching sites.  The successful candidate should have experience with, and preference for, collegial/collaborative/team ways of being, working and learning; ability to function comfortably in an academic setting; excellent organizational skills; strong, mature relational skills; self-directed and self-motivated. Priority will be given to applications received by May 20 however the search will remain open until the position is filled. Candidates should submit a letter of application and a CV including the names of three references to Dr. Rebecca Bunton, Christian Theological Seminary, 1000 W. 42nd Street, Indianapolis, Indiana 46208.  E-mail applications are also acceptable and may be sent c/o rbunton@cts.edu.   CTS is a fully accredited ecumenical seminary and is affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).  It offers eight graduate-level degree programs, including theology, ministry and counseling, with specializations in ministries that emphasize the arts and programs for life-long learning. More than 40 denominations are represented among faculty and students.