MADISON — Parish Leadership Day will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 21. The event will be a one-day exploration of forgiveness and reconciliation both as a sacrament of the Church and as a practical necessity in the post 9/11 world.
The day will begin at 8 a.m. with registration. Both keynotes will include a question and answer session. The afternoon session will be a panel discussion with Bishop Robert C. Morlino, keynote speakers Bishop Paul J. Swain of the Diocese of Sioux Falls, S.D., and Dr. Robert Enright, Ph.D., of the University of Wisconsin, and others to discuss how the Sacrament of Reconciliation must lead individuals to examine themselves in light of the truth of the Gospel. The day ends at 3 p.m.
The cost for the full day of speakers, break, and lunch, is $10. More information about the day and speakers is available at www.madisondiocese.org. Click on the Parish Leadership Day button located in the upper-left-hand corner. Individuals may also register for the day there.
Bishop Paul J. Swain
The keynote address given by Bishop Swain will reflect on the Sacrament of Reconciliation from the perspective of a convert, a priest, and a bishop. He will also share, in a personal way, the role of the sacrament in his own life and ministry.
Bishop Swain was born, grew up, and attended elementary and high school in Newark, N.Y. He earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Ohio Northern University; his master’s degree in political science in 1967; and a juris doctorate in 1974 from the University of Wisconsin.
From 1967 through 1972 he served in the United States Air Force as an Intelligence Officer, including service in Vietnam where he earned a Bronze Star. He returned to Madison and, after earning his law degree, practiced law in Madison until getting involved in the campaign and administration of Wisconsin governor Lee Sherman Dreyfus, where he served as legal counsel and director of policy.
Intrigued by the Catholic faith and the priesthood, though not Catholic, he began to take his spiritual life more seriously. Reading, private study, and attendance at Mass led to more formal instruction and entrance into the Catholic faith in 1983. Soon thereafter, he found himself accepted as a seminarian and studying at Blessed John XXIII National Seminary, Weston, Mass. He completed his Master of Divinity and was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Madison on May 27, 1988.
He was appointed vicar general by Bishop William H. Bullock in October of 1996 and by Bishop Morlino upon his arrival in 2003. He was named a Prelate of Honor by Pope John Paul II. In 2006, Bishop Swain was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI as the eighth bishop of the Diocese of Sioux Falls, S.D.
Dr. Robert Enright
Dr. Enright, the second keynote speaker, received a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota. He is a licensed psychologist and professor of educational psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is a founding member of the International Forgiveness Institute, Inc. in Madison.
He has authored more than 100 publications, including four books: Exploring Forgiveness, Helping Clients Forgive, Forgiveness Is a Choice, and a children’s book, Rising above the Storm Clouds. He has been a leader in the scientific study of forgiveness and its effects since 1985. His work on the subject has appeared in various newspapers and magazines and he has appeared on television and radio shows.
He is a recent recipient of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Hilldale Award, focused on excellence in research, teaching, and public service. Currently, Dr. Enright is working on forgiveness education programs for primary school children in Milwaukee’s central-city and in Belfast, Northern Ireland.