Special Requirements

Communicating with purpose: how parents and children can be heard

Presented by Dolores Madaisky - MA in Family Studies

The number one concern brought up to counselors and educators by parents are issues related to the importance and value of communication between themselves and their children to maintain good relationships, practice effective discipline, and the setting of goals and boundaries. We need to make sure our tool belt is filled with techniques to ensure the effective communication. We will review techniques and ways to avoid falling in the pit of dysfunctional talk and chaotic discussion.

Dolores Madaisky is a mother to three children and two “adopted” children. Dolores and her husband, Patrick, are coming up to their 28th wedding anniversary this May. She has attended the University of British Columbia, where she graduated with both her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and her Master of Arts in Family Studies (now Social Work) where her academic work specialized on power and communication within families. She has taught catechism both at St. Matthews RC Church and St. Nicholas Church for sixteen years and has done many workshops for the church, schools and recently the Archdiocese. She serves on a panel to help inform and provide input to the Marriage and Family Ministry. Dolores has a passion for improving the process of parenting and marriage through increasing skills for communication and compassion.

Engaging students to join Jesus in the transformation of the world

Presented by Tim Gonsalves - Director, Alpha for Youth

We live in a very different world than our grandparents. Somehow, Christianity is no longer at the center of society but has now moved to the fringe. As missionaries in this world, it’s our job to know the culture while maintaining strong ties to the kingdom. Let’s re-envision our approach to student relational ministry in a post-Christian world and discover how this can look.

Tim works as the National Youth Director for Alpha Canada and is passionate about empowering youth workers and students to share the good news of Jesus everywhere they go. He is also a pastor at his local church, Southgate, where he enjoys serving through youth ministry, media, and worship. Tim lives in Langley, BC with his incredible wife Chanel, and their ridiculously cute and energetic daughter Ellie Elizabeth! He’s passionate about Jesus, golf, good coffee, and all things Apple.

Forgiveness and friendship: decolonizing Canada’s past history with Indigenous people

Presented by Deacon Rennie Nahanee - Ministries and Outreach Office, Archdiocese of Vancouver

Attendees of this workshop will participate in the KAIROS Blanket Exercise - an interactive learning experience and teaching tool that shares the Indigenous rights history and the historic and contemporary relationship between the Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada. Participants will take on the roles of Indigenous peoples in Canada and then debrief and discuss afterwards.

Deacon Rennie is a Squamish Nation Elder living in North Vancouver and is currently posted as a Deacon to St. Paul’s Indian Catholic Church. He works as a Coordinator for the Ministries and Outreach Office of the Archdiocese of Vancouver. He is the Chairman of the Canadian Catholic Aboriginal Council - an advisory committee to the Canadian Catholic Conference of Bishops which consists of two Bishops and four Indigenous peoples, He is also a member of the Urban Indigenous People’s Advisory Committee to the City of Vancouver.

The Message of a Missionary

Presented by Amber Zolc - Assisting Western Region Director, Catholic Christian Outreach

We are all called to share in the Great Commission. Let’s demystify the topic of evangelization and understanding more about the who, the why and the how of it all. Grow in practical skills of sharing the Gospel clearly and simply in a way that will engage your audience.

Although Amber has resided in Vancouver for 15 years she will always be a prairie girl at heart! Amber has served for 15 years with Catholic Christian Outreach in various roles- on campus, internationally in Uganda and most recently supporting parishes. She has also been serving with the Archdiocese of Vancouver in the last year, working with parishes to support efforts in Evangelization and Discipleship.

Young Adult Transition Research: helping our youth remain in Christ as they leave high school

Presented by Sid Koop - Executive Director, Truth Matters

Many students disengaged from faith and church during important transitions in life, including the transition from high school to life after high school. In this seminar we will look at the results of the national Young Adult Transition Research, and explore ways we need to respond.

Sid Koop has been involved in full time youth ministry for 20 years. He is the Executive Director of Truth Matters Ministries and the Canadian Youth Worker Conferences. He is currently working on his Doctorate of Ministry in Emerging Generations at Gordon Conwell Seminary while living at Green Bay Bible Camp in Kelowna BC with his two teenage boys Payton and Cole, and his wife Jenn...who just happens to be the Executive Director of the camp.

From surviving to thriving: how to prevent (or restore from) youth ministry burnout

Presented by Heather Khym - Life Restoration

Life in ministry can be so exciting, but what will sustain your ministry through the years and when challenges arise? In this workshop we will expose the major pitfalls that lead to burnout and talk about practical ways to go beyond survival into living the abundant life.

Heather Khym has been sharing the Gospel and leading worship for a variety of audiences throughout North America for over 20 years. Her passion is in journeying with people and creating environments for personal encounters with God. She attended Franciscan University of Steubenville where she studied theology and catechetics. She currently runs a ministry with her husband called Life Restoration (www.liferestoration.ca) and cohosts a weekly podcast called Abiding Together (www.abidingtogetherpodcast.com) with her friends Michelle Benzinger and Sr. Miriam James Heidland, SOLT.

Going into the deep: strengthening your prayer life

Presented by Fr. Rob Allore - Pastor, St. Mark's Parish and Chaplain, UBC

The practice of personal prayer using imagination and reflection are attributes of "Ignitian Prayer," founded by St. Ignatius of Loyola whose life and ministry encouraged persons to develop a personal relationship with God. St. Ignatius' spirituality is the charism of the Society of Jesus (SJ), more commonly known as the Jesuits. In this workshop participants will have the opportunity to learn about Ignatian Prayer for incorporation into their personal prayer life.

Fr. Robert Allore arrived at Saint Mark’s Parish and the University of British Columbia (UBC) in January of 2012 after a decade on the campus of the University of Toronto. His university studies began in biology at the University of Ottawa. Upon completion of his studies in Ottawa, Fr. Rob moved to the University of Toronto where he obtained a PhD in Immunology. After several years of research activity, he joined the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), and was ordained to the priesthood in 2001. Before moving to Vancouver, Fr. Rob assisted the Catholic chaplain at the Newman Center, at the University of Toronto.

The Corporal Works of Mercy and the Synod on Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment

Presented by Sr. Angela Marie Castellani, FSE - Campus Minister, St. Mark's and Corpus Christi Colleges

This year, the Holy Father is encouraging young people to be aware of the present moment – not to be frightened by it or by their self-doubts, but to take courage and be open to accepting the Lord's invitation to engage and to lead in church and in society.
How do we contribute to quenching our young people’s hunger, thirst, loneliness, and homelessness? Practicing the Corporal Works of Mercy is our opportunity to extend the Mercy of God from the heart of the Church to the world, engaging our young people, leading them to be healed and fulfilled by focusing on the needs of others.

Sister Angela Marie Castellani, FSE, is a Franciscan Sister of the Eucharist. A native of Italy, she earned a Judicial Degree and a Master in Law Professions from the University of Perugia, Italy and became a layer. After joining the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist Sister Angela Marie earned a Masters Degree in Theology with a concentration in Morality. She is currently teaching and working in Campus Ministry at Corpus Christi and Saint Mark’s Colleges and is also the PREP Coordinator and Youth Minister at Saint Anthony Parish in West Vancouver.

Bringing Christ to the World of #Hashtags

Presented by Shayne Funcion - Couples for Christ

Come and learn how to promote a culture of encounter to the smartphone generation through utilizing social media as a tool for evangelization. You will learn to maximize your social media presence by using the proper hashtags, appropriate platforms, and posting the right content at the right time.

A lay missionary of Couples for Christ who travels the world to share the great love of God. She is an advocate of social media evangelization who passionately believes that our encounter with Christ can lead to other people’s encounter with Him. One of the ways to do this is to share our daily encounters with God on social media. She was the head of the communication arm of Couples for Christ Youth and currently one of the content managers of CFC Youth social media accounts. Aside from sharing her reflections online, she is also sharing her great adventure with Christ through her blog (www.crysthashayne.com).

So you think you can Matt Maher?

Presented by Jesse and Kathleen LeBlanc - A Guy and A Girl

Matt Maher makes it look so easy. But if you're a worship leader, you know that there can be so many distractions that keep us from truly entering into worship. This workshop will equip you to lead well, while keeping your own heart focused on the Lord.
#LordINeedYou #ToMakeMeABetterWorshipLeader

Jesse and Kathleen LeBlanc met for the first time in the music building at Trinity Western University in 2012. From then on, their musical chemistry took off as they played for community events, youth ministry retreats, summer camps and in local coffee shops. The recently-married couple take great joy in leading people to Jesus through the beauty of music and gift of laughter. Online at www.aguyandagirlmusic.com

Finding stillness in a hyper-busy and over-scheduled world

Presented by Makani Marquis - Communications Office, Archdiocese of Vancouver

How can we find balance in the midst of relentless busyness and tasks? Makani brings his experience of living as a hermit for 8 years and will explore some keys to finding stillness and keeping us anchored in the understanding that while it's important to "do", it's even more important to "be."


Makani is the Senior Director of Communications for the Archdiocese of Vancouver. He is married to wife Lisa and they are proud parents to daughter Rachel.

How to recruit, train, and form youth ministry leaders

Presented by Joe Vogel - Executive Director, NET Canada

Many Youth Coordinators struggle to recruit, train, and form youth leaders. Joe has recruited hundreds of young people, trained them to share their faith, and formed them in the church's teachings. He will help guide you through some of the ways NET has formed, trained, and recruited young people.

Since 2008, Joe has served as the Executive Director of NET Canada and for the past 15 years he has helped grow NET's recruiting, form hundreds of young people, and train teams in retreat, parish, and school ministries. He is on NET Ireland's Board and November 2016 opened NET Canada's Western Office. Joe has worked as a full-time LifeTeen Youth Minister. He has a BA (with honors) in Business from Belmont Abbey and lives in Chilliwack with his wife, Laura and eight children. He loves the outdoors and encouraging leaders.

Leading a Culture of Encounter

Presented by Brett Powell - Archbishop's Delegate for Development and Ministries, Archdiocese of Vancouver

Everything rises and falls on leadership and that includes building a culture of encounter and accompaniment. Come to this workshop to learn skills to become a leader in the renewal of the world.

For the past 25 years, Brett has served in various settings within the Church: in parishes; as an executive with Catholic Christian Outreach (CCO); as Director of the Archdiocese of Vancouver’s Development Office; and currently, as the Archbishop’s Delegate of Development and Ministries. Brett has a Master’s degree in Organizational Leadership from Royal Roads University. He has spoken at various events across Canada, the United States, Europe and Africa. He has been a contributing writer for various publications including the Word Among Us, and now blogs at www.brettpowell.org. Brett and his wife, Andrea, have 8 beautiful kids ranging in age from 8 to 21.

Solidarity: Going Beyond Charity

Presented by Jeremy Laurie - Animator for Development and Peace – Caritas Canada, BC and Yukon region

Catholic Social Teaching encourages us to commit ourselves to the common good, and stand in solidarity against injustice. Effectively addressing global issues requires a deeper understanding of the important relationship between charity and justice. This workshop will provide you with the knowledge and resources needed to integrate elements of Catholic Social Teaching and social justice into your youth and young adult ministry.

After witnessing first-hand the devastation caused by Canadian mining companies in Zambia, Jeremy developed a strong passion for social justice. Since graduating from UBC’s International Relations Program, he has worked as Animator for Development and Peace – Caritas Canada in the B.C. and Yukon region. This ministry has allowed him to share his knowledge of and passion for faith-based responses to global issues, and how we as Canadians can take action. Jeremy was born and raised in the West Kootenay region of British Columbia, and has a strong passion for hiking, music, hockey, travel, and filmmaking.

Well THAT was awkward! The wacky world of preteen ministry

Presented by Daniel Wack - Youth Ministry Coordinator, St. Joseph Parish in Langley

Sometimes pre-teen ministry can be overwhelming! So often the way pre-teens act & think can be so bewildering & foreign to us as adults. In this workshop we examine some of the best tricks to running a successful pre-teen ministry & why it's our job to befriend, not discipline.

Daniel is a youth ministry coordinator with a passion for worship and seeing revival in parishes. Despite being involved in youth ministry during his teen years, he found himself truly awakened to all that the faith had to offer when he experienced an outpouring of the Holy Spirit while serving on a mission year with NET Ministries of Ireland. Now he seeks to lead others into a deep personal relationship with Jesus Christ and an encounter with the Holy Spirit.