Breaking Out

Janell, Alain, Bridget & Tim @ Northwest Catholic Family Education Conference

Bridget, Renee, Karen, Janell & Robin

Sometimes you just have to get away. 

This opportunity was too good to be passed up,

and we are so grateful to Renee for giving us the details for registration.

"Celebrating Families: Recognizing the Power of Relationships"

was the them for this year's Northwest Catholic Family Education Conference.

The keynote speaker, Bishop Vasa, from Baker, Oregon, encouraged us in our primary vocation of

personal holiness and the salvation of souls (as in leading souls to Christ, who won our salvation). 
As Catholic parents and homeschool teachers, we should strive to become reservoirs of holiness,
rather than conduits.

He highly recommended The Soul of the Apostolate by Jean-Baptiste Chautard (which I just ordered for $10 through half.com).

Bishop Vasa encouraged us to be marriage centered families,

rather than child centered, which leads to disorder.

He compelled us to constantly grow in virtue, citing scientific evidence that parents' virtuous behavior has actual positive physical effects in the development of our children's brains. 

And visa versa to the detrimental effects on their brains for poor parental (sinful) behavior.

Yikes.  That's one of those "I wish I had known sooner!" tidbits of information ~

though it seems quite intuitive, doesn't it?

We also heard a fun presentation on Flexing our Communication Muscles.

Each of us felt the hot seat when our type of communication style (direct, narrative, logical, or empathetic) was outlined for it's strengths and weaknesses.  Our goal as parents/home educators is to teach our children (and learn ourselves) how to strengthen our weaker styles of communication, and understand each other's styles so as to communicate most effectively in our families.  Great stuff.

The conference was super inspiring, and the fellowship with our comrades in this journey was equally fulfilling.  Add in the bonus of time away with Tim, and it was a get-away for the record books.

The Lord's bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.

~2 Timothy 2: 24-26