Stay connected to your TEC family

Communicator Stay connected to your TEC family February 2017 Encounter 2017 Registration Open Registration for Encounter 2017 is now open! Join the international TEC family for 3 days at the Spiritual Life Center in Wichita, Kansas from July 7-9. Over the course of this long weekend, attendees will have the opportunity to pray, play, share, and network during the breakout sessions that they choose. Other activities include the silent and live auctions, award ceremony, and keynote speech by Dr. Mike Carrota. We hope that you will join us and Wichita TEC for this year s Encounter! When: July 7-9, 2017 Where: Spiritual Life Center in Wichita, KS Who: ANYONE over 18 who is interested in bettering their TEC community or learning more about TEC! REGISTER ONLINE TODAY! www.tecconference.org

Introducing TEC s 2017 Bishops Committee Thank you to all of the members of our newly formed 2017 Bishops Committee. Each year, bishops lend their names to be used on behalf of the TEC Conference. They commit to praying for the TEC Movement and its success, and we are deeply grateful for the support that they offer! Most Rev. Gregory M. Aymond Archbishop of New Orleans, TEC Episcopal Moderator His Eminence Blase J. Cardinal Cupich Archbishop of Chicago His Eminence Seán P. Cardinal O Malley, O.F.M.Cap. Archbishop of Boston His Eminence Donald Cardinal Wuerl Archbishop of Washington Most Rev. Samuel J. Aquila Archbishop of Denver Most Rev. Leonard P. Blair Archbishop of Hartford Most Rev. Michael J. Bransfield Bishop of Wheeling-Charleston Most Rev. Wilton D. Gregory Archbishop of Atlanta Most Rev. Michael J. Hoeppner Bishop of Crookston Most Rev. Alfred Hughes Archbishop Emeritus of New Orleans Most Rev. Carl A. Kemme Bishop of Wichita Most Rev. Donald J. Kettler Bishop of St. Cloud

Most Rev. John M. LeVoir Bishop of New Ulm Most Rev. Roger L. Schwietz, OMI Archbishop Emeritus of Anchorage Most Rev. Charles C. Thompson Bishop of Evansville Most Rev. Joe S. Vásquez Bishop of Austin Most Rev. Thomas G. Wenski Archbishop of Miami Most Rev. David A. Zubik Bishop of Pittsburgh Leadership Council Hellos & Goodbyes The TEC Leadership Council has been blessed with the addition of four new members whose terms will officially start April 1, 2017. In December, we welcomed Troy Jacobson and Valerie Porter; now we welcome Kate Mapes and Megan Wortmann! Kate, Illinois State Representative, is a member of Northwest TEC and has most recently joined their assistant spiritual director team. She has a great passion for TEC and is looking forward to using her gifts to support the national TEC Movement. Megan, Nebraska State Representative, is a member of Grand Island TEC and just finished directing Grand Island TEC #103 in January. Her original TEC was with the Omaha Rural community. Megan, who works as an RN, is excited to serve her state and to learn more about TEC at the national level. Thank you to both Kate and Megan for saying yes to this service! We d also like to thank our outgoing Council members one last time. Chris LaRosa (Chair), Mary Kay Marzano (Leadership Team Member), and Ann Stock (Illinois State Representative), we are so grateful for the time you have dedicated to TEC. Thank you for your tireless efforts and the love you have shown through serving the Council!

Council Corner Hello! My name is John Ivas, and I m the Leadership Team Treasurer and the Leadership Council Massachusetts State Representative. I m pretty new to the whole national TEC scene, but I m getting myself situated. I got to know TEC in 1999 in Tewksbury, MA, where I have been actively involved ever since. I was born and raised in Tewksbury, where I attended Tewksbury public schools and then went off to college to study psychology in western Massachusetts. I guess that wasn t far enough west, so I went to Buffalo, NY, to continue some more studies. After a few winters out there, I decided to come back to Massachusetts where my mom, sister, brother, nephew, and nieces live. (I m a proud uncle!) I work close to Boston at a credit union where I feel I spend most of my free time as of late. My local TEC community is Tewksbury TEC. We ve been around since 1981 and are still going. My favorite part is the people inside the community. It s such a wonderful group of people who love Jesus, the Church, and one another. I look forward to encountering Christ and helping others encounter Him, but I also look forward to seeing my loving TEC family and knowing that they will always be there for me no matter what. About 5 years ago or so I knew there other TEC centers around, but I didn t know how many and who people were in those communities. I attended my first TEC Congress in Kansas City, KS, in 2014, which was a wicked awesome experience! My goal was to meet as many people as I could and to move to different tables every meal. I enjoyed meeting people from all around the country, and now when they see me, I ll normally hear people call out, Hey, Boston! The running joke is my Boston accent. I was fortunate enough to attend the TEC 50th Anniversary Celebration in 2015 and TEC Encounter 2016, and I am looking forward to TEC Encounter 2017! In my spare time, I enjoy volunteering for Boy Scouts on a local level and district level. I m an Eagle Scout and enjoy passing on the things I ve learned to other kids who are preparing for life. I also serve on my local TEC s Core Team, where we meet and discuss our community s events and retreats. At my local church parish, they put me to work as an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion. That, by far, must be one of the most powerful things I ve ever experienced. As I said before, I really enjoy meeting people, so I hope I am able to meet you all (or y all as most of my southern TEC friends would say) at Encounter or even at Tewksbury TEC! Everyone is welcome!

Winter Leadership Council Meeting Review Leadership Council members traveled to Austin, TX, for their January 13-14 winter meeting. Council members were treated to a special dinner with TEC of Central Texas #16 team members as they prepared for the start of their weekend at the same retreat center. Between the ministry team breakouts and spiritual formation sessions, Council members covered a variety of topics, including: Adjustment and affirmation of the 2017-2018 budget Conference staff performance reviews Planning for Encounter 2017 Annual TEC community reports 2017 awards discernment Further discussion for the strategic visioning of TEC Outgoing Council members were given a special blessing and were presented with an icon of the Resurrection. After the meeting concluded, several Council members stayed an extra day to attend the Hoot (reunion) for TEC of Central Texas #16. Thank you to all Council members for the distance you traveled and the time you gave for TEC!

Congratulations to Agassiz Valley TEC! On January 15, Agassiz Valley TEC celebrated their 40th anniversary as a community. We are grateful to all those who have served the Crookston, MN diocese through the TEC Movement for the past 40 years. Congratulations to all who were involved! TEC Travels Fr. Thomas Szydlik of Great River TEC recently traveled to the Holy Land. While there, he brought his TEC t-shirt and offered Mass for TEC at the Holy Sepulchre Church. Thank you to Fr. Szydlik for keeping this movement in his prayers and for truly bringing TEC with him wherever he goes! Billy O on the Go The start of 2017 first took Billy on international travel to Puerto Rico, where he and members of Sonshine TEC met up with a local group to discuss bringing TEC to their diocese of Las Caguas. While there, Billy was able to visit the retreat center and enjoy local food and flair, all while becoming better acquainted with the Puerto Rican team and discussing the best ways to prepare for their first TEC weekend. Immediately following this trip, Billy headed to Austin, TX, for the Leadership Council meeting, where he was also able to meet up with local leadership from the TEC of Central Texas community. In February, Billy traveled to Pittsburgh, PA, for the NFCYM Membership Meeting. While there, he worked on TEC projects and built relationships with more than ten diocesan directors. Billy is also co-chair of the NFCYM s hospitality team, which enables him to open new dialogue with youth ministry directors who may be interested in TEC. 1007 Airline Park Boulevard, Metairie, LA 70003 504.227.3233 www.tecconference.org office@tecconference.org

Partners in Ministry Highlight TEC Conference Partners in Ministry These religious communities have joined our Partners in Ministry program and offer continual prayer support for the TEC Movement. Please contact us to have your religious community featured here and on the TEC Conference. The Xaverian Missionary Fathers are a religious community of priests and brothers founded in 1895 by St. Guido M. Conforti. Inspired by the life and dreams of St. Francis Xavier, who left his home country and family to preach the Word of God to distant lands, the Xaverian Missionaries contribute towards making the world a single family by proclaiming the Good News in word and action. For more information on the Xaverian Missionary Fathers, please visit their website at www. xavierianmissionaries.org. You can also contact Fr. Rocco at frrocco@xaverianmissionaries.org. If you know of a religious community who would be interested in partnering with the TEC Conference, please contact office@tecconference.org. Sisters of Bon Secours Contact: S. Pat Dowling, CBS - 1525 Marriottsville Rd. Marriottsville, Md. 21104 - Phone: (877) 742-0277 e-mail: pat_dowling@bshsi.org Web site: www.bonsecoursvocations.org Sisters of St. Benedict Contact: S. Anne DeMers, OSB - St. Benedict Monastery 620 Summit Ave., Crookston, Minn. 56716 Phone: (218) 281-3441 e-mail: ademers@msb.net Web site: www.msb.net St. Mary Monastery Contact: S. Bobbi Bussan, OSB Vocation Director 2200 88th Ave. W., Rock Island, IL 61021 Phone: 309-283-2300 e-mail: rbussan@smmsisters.org Web site: www.smmsisters.org Redemptoristine Nuns Phone: 636-464-1093 e-mail: rednun@redemptoristinenuns.org Web site: www.redemptoristinenuns.org Divine Word Missionaries Contact: Mr. Len Uhal - PO Box 380 Epworth, Iowa 52045 Phone: 800-553-3321 e-mail: svdvocations@dwci.edu Web site: www.svdvocations.org Edmund Rice Christian Brothers Contact: Br. James McDonald, C.F.C. 10001 S. Pulaski Road, Room 111, Chicago, Ill. 60655 Phone: 773-429-4496 - e-mail: bromaccfc@yahoo.com Web site: www.erbrothers.org Home Mission Sisters of America, Inc. (Glenmary Sisters) Contact: John Calhoun PO Box 22264 - Owensboro, Ky. 42304 Phone: 800-301-2689 - e-mail: John@glenmarysisters.org Web site: www.glenmarysisters.org Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul Contact: S. Theresa Sullivan, D.C. - 9200 New Harmony Road, Evansville, Ind. 47720 - Phone: (812) 963-7556 e-mail: daughtersofcharityvocations@gmail.com Web site: www.daughters-of-charity.com/ Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers Contact: Fr. Kevin Hanlon PO Box 305, Maryknoll, NY 10545-0305 Phone: (914) 941-7636 (2449) or (888) 627-9566 Web site: www.maryknollsociety.org Dominican Sisters of Springfield Contact: S. Teresa Marron 1237 West Monroe, Springfield, IL 62704 Phone: 708.207.1874 - E-mail: srteresa@spdom.org Web site: www.springfieldop.org Sisters of St. Benedict of Ferdinand, Indiana Contact: S. Michelle Sinkhorn or S. Agnes Marie Dauby 802 E. 10th St., Ferdinand, Ind. 47532 Phone: (812) 367-1411 e-mail: vocation@thedome.org Web site: www.thedome.org Please send your future TEC weekend retreat dates, as well as any changes in your TEC leaders contact information, to erica@tecconference.org School Sisters of Notre Dame Contact: S. Joyelle Proot 320 East Ripa Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63125 Phone: 314-561-4100 - E-mail: jproot@ssndcp.org Web site: www.ssndcentralpacific.org Xaverian Missionary Fathers Contact: Fr. Rocco Puopolo, s.x. 101 Summer Street, Holliston MA 01746 Phone 508 429 2144 Email: frrocco@xaviermissionaries.org Website www.xaviermissionaries.org