LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Gracious hospitality during Thomistic Institute conference for priests

Posted

TO THE EDITOR:

Last month, the Thomistic Institute of the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception at the Dominican House of the Studies in Washington, D.C., held its seventh annual “Conference for Priests” at the McVinney Auditorium. This was the second time the Thomistic Institute had co-sponsored the conference along with the Diocese of Providence. Over the four days of the conference, we had a number of engaging lectures crafted to help priests from all over the United States, as well as Mexico and Canada, engage in their ministry more profoundly. This year we took up the theme of “Accompaniment” and the treatment of various groups of people a priest will meet in his apostolate who merit particular attention: those in irregular marriages, those with same-sex attraction, and those in addiction. The talks were recorded and have been posted on the Thomistic Institute’s website: https://soundcloud.com/thomisticinstitute/sets/becoming-a-better-confessor.

As the conference organizer, I wanted to write and thank publically the staff of the McVinney Auditorium as well as the staff of the Vicar General’s Office and the Cathedral for their warm welcome and tireless assistance in running the conference. The Auditorium is an ideal space for any sort of public talks and has ample space for receptions before and after an event. We had three days of talks and used the atrium space to serve breakfast each morning of the conference very comfortably. We count ourselves very fortunate to have been given such a great space to use for the conference.

The Dominican Friars have had a long history of ministerial work in the Diocese of Providence and I am happy to be part of this newest collaboration. Whereas we typically move the conference to a different city every two years, given the warm welcome and ideal situation of the McVinney Auditorium and its proximity to the Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul, we have decided to keep the conference there for another year. We look forward to enjoying the gracious hospitality of the Diocese as we try to support priests in their ministry. Thank you again.

Rev. Austin Dominic Litke, O.P.

Organizer, Conference for Priests, Thomistic Institute, Dominican House of Studies – Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception