“The respect for Life and the God-given dignity of the human person is a fundamental belief and basis for all of the social doctrine of the Catholic Church”, says Helene Paharik, the keynote speaker for the 18th annual Iowa Institute for Social Action.
“In the press of daily events and headlines full of terrorism and economic turmoil, it is too easy to lose touch with the faith basis of what we do, and why being Catholic makes a difference in how we respond to the world around us.”
The Iowa Institute for Social Action is sponsored by the Catholic dioceses of Iowa and the Iowa Catholic Conference. The Institute will be held Saturday, Oct. 8 at St. Patrick Parish in Iowa City. The registration fee for the day is $25 ($10 for college and high school students).
Helene Paharik is the director of the Department of Human Dignity for the Diocese of Pittsburgh. She is a graduate of Seton Hill University. She earned her Master of Arts degree in New Testament Theology at St. Vincent Seminary. Helene describes the purpose of her presentation being "to share with colleagues a vision and a hope of the Church promoting the dignity of the human person as one body united in love."
Since 2006 Helene has also worked as Director of Development at the Beit Benedict Peace Academy, at Dormition Abbey in Jerusalem. She has also served the Church as Pastoral Associate at Blessed Sacrament Cathedral in Greensburg, Pa. where she instituted award-winning parish ministries. She also was the Coordinator of Ministry Development at Mount St. Peter Parish in New Kensington, Pa.
For more information, go to www.iowasocialaction.org and the Iowa Institute for Social Action’s page on Facebook.
