We look forward to welcoming our Formators and Vocation Directors to our annual Formators Workshop!
This year’s Formators Workshop will be the first of a series of workshops that will address the “Essential Elements” of Religious Life as articulated in Essential Elements in the Church’s Teaching on Religious Life as Applied to Institutes Dedicated to Works of the Apostolate, the 1983 document from the Sacred Congregation for Religious and Secular Institutes that summarized Conciliar and Post-Conciliar teachings on religious life up to that time. These teachings were further developed in subsequent magisterial teachings, particularly in Pope John Paul II’s Apostolic Exhortation Redemptionis Donum (1984) and his Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Vita Consecrata (1996).
The 2026 workshop, The Religious Woman as Sister and Mother: Formation for Community Life and the Apostolate, will focus on two of the essential elements: community life and the apostolate. Mindful that formation seeks to foster the integration of human nature with the gift of grace, the workshop will approach these elements from the perspective of the nature of woman. The workshop will begin with an exploration of the identity of religious women as daughter, bride, sister, and mother, particularly through the lens of Mulieris Dignitatem, Pope John Paul II’s 1988 Apostolic Letter on the Dignity and Vocation of Women. Rooted in identity as daughter of the Father and bride of Christ, the workshop will then focus on formation for being sister in community life and mother in the apostolate.
Meet our speakers:
Mother Mary Christa Nutt, R.S.M.
Sister Mary Madeline Todd, O.P.
Sister Megan Mary Thibodeau, S.O.L.T.
Mother Margaret Mary Waldron, C.K.
In addition to our main speakers, the workshop will include panel presentations by experienced Formators who will address issues related to feminine identity among discerners and those in initial formation and various aspects of formation for community life and the apostolate.
Schedule:
Registration will open at 3:00 p.m. on Monday, April 20. The workshop will begin with Vespers at 5:30 p.m. followed by dinner at 6:00 p.m. and a brief opening session at 7:30 p.m. We encourage you to arrive at the Augustine Institute no later than 5:00 p.m. on Monday, April 20.
Departure will be at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, April 24, following Lauds, Mass, and breakfast.
The schedule will include opportunities for Q&A with presenters, small and large group discussions, networking across communities, and time for prayer, reflection, and recreation.
A full schedule will be provided at a later date.
Registration: The registration fee is $400 per person, which includes single occupancy rooms with private bathrooms and showers and all meals from dinner on Monday, April 20, through breakfast on Friday, April 24. The deadline to register is March 27.
If financial assistance is needed, please contact Sister Mary Bendyna, O.P. at: executivedirector@cmswr.org.
Travel:
If you are traveling by plane, you will fly into St. Louis Lambert International Airport. CMSWR will be providing shuttle bus service to and from the airport.
Shuttle bus pick up at St. Louis Lambert International Airport will be on the hour from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. on Monday, April 20. More information will follow.
Shuttle bus return to St. Louis Lambert International Airport will depart from the Augustine Institute at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, April 24.
Travel time to/from the airport is approximately 20-25 minutes, depending on traffic.
You will have the option to sign up for the airport shuttle on the registration form. The fee for the CMSWR shuttle is $20 each way. All other transportation will be on your own.
If driving, parking is available at the Augustine Institute.
Payment: You may pay by check or credit card. Credit card fees will apply. If paying by check, please mail your payment to:
CMSWR, 415 Michigan Avenue, NE, Suite 420, Washington, DC 20017.
For questions, please call or email Jenny Poudrier at (202) 832-2575 or jpoudrier@cmswr.org.
Please register using the form below. A separate registration is required for each person.
This program is supported in part by the Knights of Columbus.
Registration for the Formators Workshop is now full. If you would like to be put on a waiting list, please contact Jenny Poudrier at jpoudrier@cmswr.org.
