Married and engaged couples across Middle Tennessee are invited to discover God’s plan for their family at the Together in Holiness Conference, sponsored by the St. John Paul II Foundation and the Diocese of Nashville, from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 18, at the Catholic Pastoral Center.
“My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, strengthening your family as a domestic church is key to growing as a Christian disciple and handing on the faith to future generations,” said Bishop J. Mark Spalding in a message about the conference. “I strongly encourage all engaged and married couples to attend our annual Together in Holiness conference to reflect on the mission of marriage and family life.”
The Together in Holiness conference was established by the St. John Paul II Foundation in 2014 and has since reached hundreds of couples around the country. This is the third consecutive year that the diocese has partnered with the St. John Paul II Foundation to put on the one-day conference, the theme of which is “Family, A Domestic Church.”
“Offering this conference annually provides an opportunity to regularly reflect and continually strengthen the bond between the married couples and their life within the family,” said Kristen Rainey, assistant director of marriage and family for the diocese’s Office of Faith Formation. “It’s a way to refresh and renew the joy of family life and to encourage the couples to continue pursuing holiness in living out the sacrament of their marriage.”
The day will begin at 9:30 a.m. with Mass and a Marriage Blessing celebrated by Bishop Spalding. Following Mass, the day is equally balanced with presentations and prayer time, as well as opportunities for couples to spend time together alone and with other couples at the conference.
The three main talks include “The Holy Eucharist and the Domestic Church” by Larry G. Freeney, director of education and assessments for the Rejoice Counseling Apostolate in Houston, Texas; “Liturgical Living in the Home” by Daniel and Michelle Schachle, parishioners of St. Christopher Church in Dickson; and “The Eucharistic Mission of the Family” by Leonard J. DeLorezeno, Ph.D., director of undergraduate studies at the McGrath Institute for Church Life and professor in the Theology Department at the University of Notre Dame.
The conference is $40 per individual or $64 per couple. On-site childcare for children ages 2-12 is available for $5 per child, but pre-registration is required. Full and partial scholarship opportunities are available.
Exhibitor spots are also available for $95 for a ministry or non-profit table and $165 for a vendor or for-profit table.
For more information or to register, visit https://forlifeandfamily.org/events/th23-nvtn/.
