There is a movement afoot in the REA to capture the wisdom of senior members by establishing a Senior REA Think Tank.
We hope by the middle of February 2014 to nominate key topics to begin the deliberations of this Think Tank and then by the summer of 2014, to sketch out the structure of this endeavor. Twenty-one REA members met in Boston on November 9 and outlined a list of possible topics. Here you will find the initial proposal for this Think Tank as well as the deliberations of the November 9 meeting in Boston. Here is the link to the discussion you are invited to participate in between now and February 15 in establishing the key topic(s) to begin the deliberations of the Think Tank. Log on to: https://religiouseducation.net/sr/
I am guiding the launching of this Think Tank and would be happy to answer any questions you have about participating.
Bob O’Gorman
rogorma [at] luc [dot] edu
The website discussion is now open for participation!
About Durante, Dr. Mary Ellen
Mary Ellen Durante, Ph.D. is a graduate of the Fordham University Graduate School of Religion and Religious Education. Her dissertation: “Teaching Children How to Pray: An Essential Dimension of Religious Education in a Postmodern Age,” provides a template for her catechetical ministry with religious educators, parents, and children.
Born in Rochester, New York, Mary Ellen chose a career in music performance that included her husband and children. In 1999 she relocated in Florida to attend the Florida School of Massage and has been a massage therapist since that time. In 2009 Mary Ellen began her studies at Fordham University with a concentration in family, church and community.
With an extensive background in curriculum development, music, and the arts Mary Ellen excels in integrating faith with creative educational programs that focus on performance, artistic production and assisting children and young people to realize their own creativity and potential. The underlining theme of her work is to show how quality religious educational programs and activities can provoke thoughtfulness, reflection, and spiritual awareness in serving others.