May 25, 2022

By Darcy Fargo
Editor

LAKE PLACID – After a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the Diocese of Ogdensburg Department of Faith Formation is bringing back its annual LEAD workshop.

“We’re excited to be able to bring everyone together in person again,” said Catherine Russell, Faith Formation Western Regional Center director. “And we’re excited to continue focusing on the Eucharist.”

The two-day event will be held June 6 and 7 in Lake Placid.

The event will open with “Music as Prayer: It’s Role in Celebrating the Eucharist,” with presenter Sister Mary Gregory Munger, a Sister of St. Joseph.

“Enjoy an interactive and lively presentation involving singing, praying and sharing,” the presentation description states. That portion of the event will be held at 7 p.m. at St. Agnes Church in Lake Placid, followed by a social at High Peaks Resort.

Day two of the event “Eucharist: Remember. Celebrate. Believe,” will feature Dr. Timothy O’Malley from Notre Dame University’s Center for Liturgy. That portion of the event will be held starting at 9 a.m. at High Peaks Resort and will conclude with Mass at St. Agnes Church.

Dr. O’Malley researches and teaches at Notre Dame in the areas of liturgical-sacramental theology, marriage and family, catechesis, and spirituality. He is the author of a number of books, most recently “Off the Hook: God, Love, Dating, and Marriage in a Hookup World” (Ave Maria Press, 2018) and “Lift Up Your Hearts: Liturgical Formation in the RCIA” (Liturgical Press, 2019). He is currently working on a multi-volume work on the history of liturgical formation beginning with St. Augustine.

Dr. O’Malley said he hopes to communicate how the Eucharist can transform.

“Lots of people in the Church right now are talking about the Eucharist,” he said. “But how can the Eucharist as a memorial of Christ's sacrifice, the real presence of Love given to us, and a pledge of future glory transform our parishes, schools, families, and neighborhoods? I hope that the presentations start to answer these questions.”
Dr. O’Malley said his presentation will include both art and music.

“We want to contemplate a mystery together,” he said. “And endless words are bad for us. So, expect music. Expect art. Expect an encounter with the Tradition of the Church.”

The visiting professor said he’s excited about the topic, as it’s close to his heart.

“It's important to me because I love the Eucharist,” he said. “The Eucharist makes sense of what it means to be a Catholic, someone called to make a living sacrifice to the Father through our lives. This is the mystery of the Eucharist as it's lived out. We receive infinite Love, so that we can become this infinite Love, and then we can give this infinite Love away.”

While he addresses some of these themes in his books and writings, Dr. O’Malley said those attending the two-day event need not be familiar with his works.

“I never presume pre-knowledge in any presentation,” he said. “It's a fresh introduction to all the themes that matter in my writing and teaching.”

Dr. O'Malley is married and has two children. Originally from Knoxville, Tennessee, Dr. O’Malley said this will be his first visit to the North Country.

“I hope to be able to do some hiking in the area, which I love but can’t do often because I live in a place that’s rather flat,” he noted.

Cost two attend the two-day event is $30, and High Peaks Resort is offering a room discount for anyone interested in staying on-site. Attendees are responsible for their own room reservations.

To register, visit rcdony.org/lead2dayevent.