Summer Conference Scholar Program

 The Summer Conference Scholar Program is a program made possible by a generous benefactor of the Conference. Its purpose is to encourage Catholic school staff to participate in the Conference by reducing the fee barrier. This program provides financial assistance to first-time participant scholars and their families. Each selected scholar will pay just $50 and $50 each for up to three additional family members. After a total of four family members, any additional family members pay just $185 per person. There is no charge for children two years and under.  

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Scholar Testimonials
Words from participants who work in education

"Summer Conference combines fun, family, and faith development for all ages. Where else in less than a week can I deepen my faith by listening to Bible scholars and theologians, learn to work with stained glass or do calligraphy, play an intergenerational game of volleyball, and scarf down a root beer float after receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation. As a former teacher in a Catholic high school, I appreciate how Summer Conference creates the kind of atmosphere we strive for in our schools."
- Jo Barsotti – Retired English Teacher, Regis High School, Stayton

"The caliber of speakers and workshop topics - their faith, their example, their gentle nudges and inspiration- at the Summer Conference has been a huge boost to my own faith and understanding of our church and how I can better live that faith “in the hallways and classroom”. Our family gained so much from the “community” feel and spirit that our kids insisted we get the conference on our family’s summer calendar, first thing. Now, as principal at Marist Catholic High School, I see the value of our staff community growing in their personal faith. Our teachers- both those who teach theology and those in other academic areas- touch so many young people each day as both examples of our faith and sources of deeper understanding. The summer conference gives all who attend another great opportunity to cultivate their own faith while spending a great time with family and friends in a wonderful campus setting."
- Jay Conroy – Retired Principal – Marist High School, Eugene, Oregon

"Faith and practice, worship and life, prayer and play. I want so much for my faith experience to be woven into the fabric of my entire life. I so want to provide for my family an experience of faith at the center of our day and lives, seamlessly a part of all we are a part of. Summer Conference is this experience. A short week when a group of good folks gathers to live out loud their faith and create church. I think of it as a bit of heaven on earth."
- Bill Zeulke — Portland, Oregon

"Every year I return inspired and invigorated in my faith and my vocation. I find myself weaving insights and ideas from the conference into my classroom and find it adds a depth and richness for my students that they too find inspiring and invigorating."
- Andrew Oldham - Vice Principal, Past English Teacher, Retreat Moderator - Marist High School, Eugene, Oregon

"Summer Conference is the highlight of our spiritual year. It’s everything in life rolled into a few glorious days: community, sacramental ritual, breaking bread, personal reflection, prayer, play, creating, and even rest... for those of us who can nap. It brings to mind a Teilhard de Chardin quote: Summer Conference reminds us that we are spiritual beings having a physical experience."
- Gerhard Behrens – 2nd and 3rd Grade Teacher - Adams Elementary, Corvallis, Oregon

"Summer Conference has been an opportunity for our children (now grown), along with us, to experience what a faith community can be! It has been an integral part of our faith formation over the years as it supported and reinforced living the faith through family life. Even our young grandchildren are experiencing what it means to be church through this extraordinary event! Summer Conference is a time for all to EAT, PRAY, and PLAY."
- Debbie Barsotti - Retired Staff Member and Past Parent – Central Catholic High School, Portland, Oregon

"I attend the Summer Conference to be moved, again, by the religion I have been apart of since birth. I walk away from each conference with a little bit better understanding of the rich faith tradition we are apart of and with a renewed sense of peace as I continue my faith journey. I fall in love with Christ and the Catholic faith all over again. Amazing speakers invite wonderful dialogue over meals and watching kids play outside. This conference feeds me in ways nothing else throughout the year does."
- Tara (Conroy) Barsotti – St. Paul Grade School, Eugene, Oregon

"Having taught high school Theology for over 15 years now (after 10 years in Youth Ministry), I find the challenge is still helping students connect what they learn in the classroom to their lives and the world outside the school. In my experience there is no better place for this connection to become a reality than at Summer Conference. Its unique blend of family and faith, activity and process, content and discussion is a model experience for those of all ages. The liturgies are inspiring; the keynotes are provocative; the afternoon activities fun and creative. This experience is the renewal I need each year - it reminds me of church as its best and it is the inspiration I draw on throughout the year."
- Michael Danielson – Theology Teacher and Department Chair - Seattle Preparatory High School, Seattle, Washington

"Summer Conference has been an important part of my faith development through the years. I always learn and deepen in my faith through exploring each Summer Conference theme, and experiencing the rhythm of the day balanced between work, prayer, fellowship and play is something I internalize and take back to my life during the school year. My life of faith affects and spills over into my whole life of teaching. Faith and life are like a single piece of fabric with threads that intertwine with each other- there is no separation. Summer Conference is a time to refresh, renew, and deepen the foundation of faith that underlies my life and my teaching."
- Catherine Otto - Monroe Grade School Teacher - Monroe, Oregon

"As a teacher, I am often overwhelmed by the day-to day. I always have papers to correct or students to guide. I have little time to reflect or connect. The Summer Conference pulls me out of my routine of automatic pilot. The keynote speakers help make theological topics accessible and relevant. The themes encourage deeper reflection; they are also a springboard for further discussion with thoughtful people in a casual atmosphere. It is like going to college: the joy of learning but without the papers."
- Cecelia Guinee, Retired English Teacher - Portland Community College, Portland, Oregon

"For 22 years of my life, Summer Conference has been a spiritual retreat, theological classroom, art camp, and recreation haven for me and my family. Embracing and modeling the Benedictine way, the conference is a very holistic and intergenerational in its scope and approach. It is said that the Gospel of John is a book in which “a child can wade and an elephant can swim”. In a very similar way, the Summer Conference entertains and enculturates my grade school child, challenges and inspires my teenage children, while it informs, reforms and transforms my wife and I. Summer Conference is the highlight of our year."
- Mike Hughes – Athletic Director – Jesuit High School, Portland, Oregon

Summer Conference Scholar Program Application
Due July 1st

Directions:
1.  Download the PDF form to the right
2.  Save the file to your desktop, fill out, save and return as an attachment to [email protected] or print form and mail it to our P.O. Box as soon as possible