Bio

Bonnie Annicchiarico is a wife, mother of three and grandmother of 10. As a retired Catholic educator, Bonnie has been a principal, superintendent and more recently the executive director of GrACE (Grateful Advocates for Catholic Education). For the past three years she has served as chair of the Diocesan advisory and leadership teams with a focus on the synod and pastoral renewal. Bonnie’s passion for her faith has led her to a PhD in Catholic School leadership and currently to volunteer work on the Board of Governors for St Mary’s University and vice-chair of NET Canada. Making her home in Brooks, Bonnie serves in music ministry in her home parish of St Mary’s. She continues to prayerfully respond to God’s call for her life.

Bio

Fr. Tim Boyle was ordained in 1974 and served in parishes mostly in Southern Alberta. He sees his
vocation as “rooted in service to others”. Indeed, that notion of service nurtured his calling to the
priesthood. He had an uncle who served as a missionary priest. As well, his dad and five siblings pulled together to care for Father Tim’s mother after she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Volunteering at the old children’s hospital gave him additional frontline experience with service. “Those were some pretty formative experiences. And then I discovered that words have power, and I learned I had some ability to take ideas and give them expression in a way that helped people.” That knowledge, combined with a lifetime of faith practice nourished in his family, brought him into the priesthood. Father Tim was ordained at the age of 24.

His role in the Church changed in 2018. Stepping back from the role of the parish priest, he now serves as the Bishop’s Delegate to a Diocesan committee that follows up allegations of sexual abuse and misconduct by clergy. Also, he is the Vicar for Clergy, where he assists Bishop McGrattan with priest assignments. These are dramatically different roles for the long-time parish priest, but he accepts the challenges with the heart of a willing servant who believes the grace of Christ means “there will always be this core of love to keep His Church alive.”

His most recent role is his appointment by Bishop McGrattan to be a member of the Diocesan Renewal
Leadership Team.

Forming Missionary Disciples in Christ. He is interested in those “seeking” to know Jesus and those waning to return to church. “Finding the Real Presence of God outside the Church.” How we can welcome and relate to them.

Bio

Dr. Peter Baltutis is an associate professor of history and religious studies at St. Mary's University in Calgary, where he also holds the Catholic Women's League (CWL) endowed Chair for Catholic Studies.  He earned his doctorate in theology from Regis St. Michael’s Faculty of Theology in the University of Toronto, with a specialization in the history of Christianity.  His research focuses on the historical and theological development of the Catholic social tradition in Canada.  Outside of the university, he enjoys camping with his family and long-distance running in the Rocky Mountains.  He is also a professed lay member of the Order of Preachers (the Dominicans).

He will speak about "Church as a Potluck Dinner: New Models of Being a Church of Encounter and Witness".
The Diocese of Calgary's Pastoral Renewal calls upon Catholics to "be a Church of encounter of witness."  This presentation uses the metaphor of a potluck dinner as a model for how to live out this mandate.  Potluck dinners are informal meals where guests bring different dishes that are then shared with other guests.  So too, our Churches must become communities where everyone is encouraged to share their gifts with one another.  Instead of parishioners as passive recipients, we must re-imagine our parishes to be communities where the baptized are seen as active partners in mission.