Media accounts that about politics and price tags forget about the exclusive climaxes that come out of the annual event, say attendees.
What do efforts to bring relational ministry to Catholic parishes, the selection of schools for families in Georgia, and clean water for other Guatemalans have in common?
According to his supporters, those are all projects that benefited from participation in the summer convention organized through the Napa Institute, a Catholic organization committed to Catholics facing new demanding situations in the United States.
But you probably wouldn’t know if your only impression of the annual event, which took place this year from July 27-31 in Napa, California, was formed through critical media reports.
Whether it was media outlets outside of Catholic media like Church Militant and National Catholic Reporter, or secular publications like the Santa Rosa-based Press Democrat, those accounts tended to paint convention exclusively through the lens of money and politics.
According to the convention organizers and, more importantly, those who attended the convention, characterizations like those lose their target and reveal more about the agendas and considerations of the publications in question than about the Convention of the Napa Institute and its attendees. In particular, none of the accounts mentioned above included cash reports within the event, nor interviews with attendees, depending on selective reviews of the convention program and presentations from afar.
A more accurate representation, registry participants said, would have focused on what the Napa Institute’s summer convention offers in an exclusive way: an opportunity for Catholics to pave the way for evangelism, ministry and advocacy to blend with those in the media. to them, all in a context of cultured formation, of non-secular renewal and of old and elegant Catholic fraternity.
“There’s a philosophy of fraternity, of communio, at the convention that pleasantly surprised me,” said Jason Simon, president of The Evangelical Catholic, a service that equips parishes and other ministries for evangelization. very intelligent intentions that seek to bond with more people in the Church. “
Simon’s descriptions of the conference conform to those provided by John Meyer, executive director of the Napa Institute. funding store, support, [and] for the exchange of ideas. “
“We need to build a network of like-minded, mission-aligned Catholics who need to faint and replace culture,” Meyer told the Register. leaders with wonderful concepts and bishops who can offer their ecclesial matrix but also those who have the financial means for them.
To that end, the Napa Institute aims to make the summer convention an engaging and fun event. It is located at the Meritage Resort and Spa, an asset owned by the real estate organization of Catholic business leader Tim Busch, co-founder of the institute and board member of EWTN, the parent company of the registry. The four-day convention includes your fair share of food, drinks and even the occasional cigarette.
The organizers also don’t skimp on the list of speakers they bring. This year’s convention included celebrity evangelists like Chris Stefanick and Jeff Cavins, thought leaders like Center for Ethics and Public Policy President Ryan Anderson and Harvard professor Arthur Brooks, and Catholic public servants. former U. S. Representative Dan Lipinski and Bill Barr, the Trump administration’s attorney general.
Prayer and liturgical life are also a priority, as more than a hundred Masses are celebrated in the conference complex, while mini-retreats, confession and organizational prayer occasions are also frequent.
The expansion of the Napa convention over the years is an indication that its formula for bringing together different Catholic actors is working. Meyer says attendance increased from 150 at the inaugural convention in the summer of 2011 to 800 attendees in this year’s portion. told the registry that the Napa Institute does little exposure for the occasion because word of mouth is sufficient for attendance at full capacity.
The total value of participation is higher: $2,700 according to the user, but convention attendees like Simon say it’s a profitable investment, as the beautiful backdrop creates the opportunity for attendees to relax, triumph over similar functions, and “become friends, interested in others. “work, and interested in continuing the conversation. “
David Adams, vice president of projects for Cross Catholic Outreach, an apostolate whose project is to “mobilize the global Catholic Church to materially and spiritually reshape the deficient and their communities,” first attended the Napa Institute convention and also described it. as a fruitful experience, “it’s not cheap. “
Cross Catholic Outreach paid to be among the keynote speakers, posting a compelling video of their paintings to bring clean water to the deficient in Guatemala, and also hosted a work session. Adams told the Registry that the organization’s technique for reducing global poverty consistently with Catholic ethical training “resonated a lot, we discovered, with serious Catholics attending Napa. “
Shawn Peterson, president of Catholic Education Partners, a nonprofit that helps local Catholic dioceses set up projects to give families more options in education, said the in-person convention setting gave him the opportunity to bond with bishops and other potential collaborators in a way that “can’t be done on Zoom” and that is more effective than traveling to multiple states and dioceses.
Some of those connections lead to money for CEP work, but Peterson said they can also lead to successful advocacy partnerships. This first assembly led to two upcoming conversations about collaboration and the option for Catholic school partners to contribute to the effort to expand school functions for families in Peach State.
Peterson told the registry that convention fees are “definitely a high price,” but in the end they value it.
“I don’t know where else you can go and spend 3 or 4 days with other people so committed to the Church that they may be willing to do what we’re doing,” he said.
Several other Catholic organizations and apostolates will have to feel the same way, as this year’s convention included participants of all kinds: Catholic higher education initiatives, such as Mary’s University, St. Mary’s University. Mary. Thomas (Houston) and the new St. Array College Joseph the Worker; cultural evangelists such as Bearded Blevins and Family Theatre Productions; schooling offers for young adults such as the Léonin Forum and the Catholic Young Professionals; and many advocacy groups, such as Students for Life of America and Alliance Defending Freedom.
A significant number of priests were also present, such as the Servants of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and Mary, the Sisters of Life and the Marian Sisters of St. Rose.
With all those attendees and just the same amount of dollars for everyone, is the Napa Institute’s summer convention becoming something of a Catholic edition of Shark Tank?
This is at least a fear Simon of The Evangelical Catholic had before learning more about the conference, noting that the occasions when one simply “works” with potential donors to find wealth “really repels me. “
But those in attendance told him the convention was more about camaraderie and dating: everything he said was shown through his two attendances. He described the atmosphere as “welcoming and uncompetitive. “
Peterson of the CEP shared an experience and noted that the other participants were very kind and responsive, “no matter how well-off they were. “
In fact, the Napa Institute prohibits any kind of direct fundraising request for the event, leaving room for biological connections to form, leading to relationships and prospective help along the way.
The result is an environment where participants say they can build relationships that are only professional, but personal.
“Recharge your battery, because you’re with 800 other people looking to build the Church, renew the Church and do a lot of smart things,” Peterson said.
Simon agreed, telling the record that one leaves the convention with “only a deep breath in your heart, in your brain, and in your soul, which comes through face-to-face contact with other believers suffering from the same disorders as you. “”I struggle with it.
Some critics of the Napa Institute’s summer convention concentrate on the content of the discussions provided, pointing out how the social issues discussed tend to align more with the complex interests of the Republican Party. For example, at this year’s event, the end of abortion was raised and emphatically, while other facets of Catholic social teaching, such as immigration legislation and fear of creation, were absent from the agfinisha.
Meyer told the Register that abortion is a primary goal of the Napa conference, but because the Republican Party advocates for greater restrictions on abortion than Democrats. Instead, it is a primary goal because the Catholic Church is so steadfast in its condemnation of the practice and also because the abortion landscape has dramatically replaced it since the annulment of Roe v. Wade. Wade by the Supreme Court in June.
Bishop Thomas Paprocki, who said his presence at the 2019 Napa convention allowed him to meet St. Gianna Molla’s daughter, eventually leading her to his diocese of Springfield, Illinois, as the site of a foreign pilgrimage center committed to the Italian saint. , noted that abortion has been officially classified as a “preeminent issue” through the U. S. Catholic bishops. As recent as 2020, the U. S.
“So if it’s about fighting abortion [at the Napa conference], I think it’s appropriate,” he told the Registry. “But I don’t think it’s done by excluding other problems. “
Meyer added that issues such as immigration reform and racial justice were discussed at previous Napa summer meetings and events, as part of a roundtable, given the variety of perspectives on how to apply Church training on those issues. He also noted that the two political figures who spoke at this year’s summer conference, Attorney General Barr, a Republican, and Congressman Lipinski, a Democrat, criticized the excesses of their respective components.
“We are a conservative organization; we are a liberal organization; we are a Catholic organization, and the only thing we care about is what our Lord Jesus Christ thinks and what the Church has to say on a specific issue,” Meyer told the Register. .
Regarding the other major complaint of the Napa Institute’s summer convention—the charge and convenience of occasion and the wealth of some of its participants—Archbishop Paprocki noted that “the Church has depended and will have to rely on very generous benefactors” for its various ministries and apostolates.
“I don’t know why anyone regrets the fact that we have other very beneficial people looking to help the Church,” he told the Registry. “I think it’s a beautiful thing that should be praised and for which I think we are very grateful. “
Moreover, while some might criticize the Catholic perspectives on economic reform noted in Napa as too narrow, day-to-day jobs similar to non-public wealth are not a topic not addressed at the conference. Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City, ecclesiastical counselor at the Napa Institute and chairman of the U. S. Bishops’ Committee. The U. S. Department of Homeland Justice and Human Development celebrated Sunday’s Vigil Mass on the last night of the conference, preaching on Luke 12:13-21 and reminding the rich that the money they generated is in the end. destined to be controlled by the love of God and others.
Meyer told the registry that opponents of the value of admission also fail to acknowledge that many participants, including clergy and religious, as well as small apostolates, get significant discounts on the value of the $2,700 sticker, and that the proceeds generated by participation fees contribute to the Napa Institute’s overall budget and support other projects such as the institute’s priest meetings and pastors’ education program for the first time. He added that although Napa’s summer convention is already being broadcast live, the institute is exploring tactics to expand the convention’s presence in the virtual space, so that those who cannot attend in user get more involved.
Meyer also joked that he was about to remove the night’s cigar and wine receptions from the program, given the pain felt by the convention.
“It’s anything that makes the convention a lot of fun and relaxing, but focusing on that is a very limited purpose and doesn’t surround what happens here. “
Simon described the Napa Institute as an example of “breaking the pot,” referring to the biblical scene in which a woman pours oil at christ’s feet. Like a fancy meal when you invite friends, the purpose isn’t to please you, he says. , however, to honor Jesus by uniting other people in a deeper connection to serve him and the Church.
Peterson agreed, noting that while the food in Napa is acceptable, “it’s not the reason most people attend the conference. “
“I think it’s a small league to complain about Napa all the time,” he told the Registry. “Is this the local dinner of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul?No, it’s something other than that, however, it’s okay.
For those who dispute the convention from afar, Peterson has a suggestion: come next year and enjoy it for yourselves.
Jonathan Liedl Jonathan Liedl is editor-in-chief of the Register. Her experience includes work at state Catholic conventions, 3 years of seminary training, and tutoring at a college for Christian studies. Liedl holds a B. A. in Political Science and Arab Studies (Univ. Notre-Dame), a master’s degree in Catholic studies (Univ. Saint-Thomas) and is lately completing a master’s degree in theology at St. Paul’s Seminary. Lives in the Twin Cities of Minnesota. Follow him on Twitter in @JLLiedl.
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