Every two years, the Cornerstone Catholic Conference brings Catholics around Washington state together to educate and inspire them in their mission as Catholics to advocate for life and justice.
“The purpose is always to bring life and justice issues together and life and justice advocates together,” connected by their Catholic faith, said Adrienne Corpuz Joyce, director of policy and communications for the Washington State Catholic Conference, which sponsors the event on behalf of the state’s bishops.
This year, with a virtual platform and no registration fee, the October 29–30 conference, “Forming Disciples for Life and Justice,” is accessible to more Catholics than usual. The hope is to reach people who have had difficulty attending in person in past years, Joyce said.
“You don’t have to come through the mountains, get a hotel room or drive for hours, you can just click on and be present,” Joyce said.
So far, more than 550 people have signed up, she said, and there’s still time to register (click here). Those who sign up will find a robust schedule of speakers, panels and workshops offered in English and Spanish. The state’s bishops will have a live panel and will answer live questions; there also will be live question-and-answer sessions after each keynote address, Joyce said.
The conference’s online portal opens at 5 p.m. October 29 with a virtual exhibition and training (in English and Spanish) on how to use the interactive platform. A holy hour from 6:30–7:30 p.m. closes the evening.
The main day of the conference, October 30, opens with 9 a.m. keynote addresses by Jesuit Father Robert Spitzer (“A case for the inalienable rights of the pre-born”) and Brenda Noriega (“¡Amarás al prójimo como a ti mismo! ‘¿Y quién es mi prójimo?’”), who is mission educator-promoter with Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers.
At 11:40 a.m., the state’s bishops — Archbishop Paul D. Etienne, Bishop Joseph Tyson of Yakima, Bishop Thomas Daly of Spokane and Auxiliary Bishop Eusebio Elizondo of Seattle — will join in a live panel. Each will speak on a different topic, including care for God’s creation, forming disciples for life and justice, education and Catholic schools, and DACA and immigration in Washington state.
The closing keynote speakers, at 1:15 p.m., are America Media podcaster Gloria Purvis (“What do the racial justice and pro-life movements have in common?”) and Franciscan Father Agustino Torres (“Catolicismo y colonialismo: La verdad y las enseñanzas de la Iglesia contra la esclavitud”).
A slate of hour-long workshops on topics such as youth ministry, pro-life education and Catholic social teaching, along with a “faith in action” panel of ministries, are offered at 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Attendees have the option of participating in the 5:30 p.m. bilingual closing Mass, concelebrated by Archbishop Etienne and Bishop Elizondo, as it is livestreamed from St. James Cathedral.
Although the workshops and presentations are recorded, attendees can use the chat feature to send questions to the presenters, who will also be online at the scheduled time. Those who miss a workshop or presentation can view it later that day.
“You can catch everything really at your own convenience,” Joyce said.
“We also hope that they might check out some of the workshops and speakers that they don’t have time to think about,” an opportunity to explore issues and ministries that aren’t usually on their radar, “and learn about it in the context of our faith,” she said.
Recordings from Cornerstone will be available on YouTube 60 days after the conference.
Although Cornerstone is free this year, organizers are accepting donations to help defray expenses. Those who donate at least $75 will have access to the virtual content after the conference until December 31, including early access to the speaker recordings.