Monday, January 5, 2026
DAY ONE: MONDAY, JANUARY 5, 2026
1 pm-5 pm Registration at Drury Plaza San Antonio Riverwalk
4 pm Guided tour of San Fernando Cathedral, Father David Garcia
4:45 pm Guided tour of San Fernando Cathedral, Father David Garcia
5:30 pm Evening Prayer at San Fernando Cathedral
Father Carlos Velazquez, presider
6:30 pm Opening Reception
9 pm or 9:30 pm The Saga (optional)
Tuesday, January 6, 2026
DAY TWO: TUESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2026
7:00 am Breakfast
8:30 am Morning Prayer at San Fernando Cathedral
9:30 am KEYNOTE BUILDING A GREAT CATHEDRAL
Very Reverend Michael G. Ryan
10:30 am Coffee Break/Visit our vendors
11:15am Workshops: Series A CHOOSE ONE OF THREE
A-1 Best Practices Panel: Outreach Ministries
Panelists share stories and offer best practices for outreach ministries in a wide
variety of Cathedral settings. There will be time for conversation and
engagement with participants, as well . Panelists include: Patrick Barredo, St.
James Cathedral, Seattle; Janice Anderson, Basilica of St. Mary, Minneapolis;
and representatives from San Antonio Catholic Charities.
A-2 Writing and Re-Writing our History
This workshop explores how the stories we tell from our diocesan and
Cathedral history can help us understand the unique charism of our local
church and can also serve as a powerful tool for evangelization. Presenter:
Father David Garcia, Archdiocese of San Antonio.
A-3 The First Years of Cathedral Ministry
Cathedral ministry is a unique form of pastoral ministry. This presentation,
facilitated by two experienced pastors, will focus on the challenges and
exciting possibilities that come with pastoring a cathedral community. The
presenters will share their insights but the heart of the workshop will be
responses to questions submitted in advance by those intending to participate.
Presenters: Father Michael G. Ryan, Pastor Emeritus, St. James Cathedral,
Seattle, and Father Christopher Heanue, Diocese of Brooklyn.
12:30 pm Lunch at the Drury Plaza San Antonio Riverwalk
Networking/Visit our vendors
2:00 pm Workshops: Series B CHOOSE ONE OF THREE
B-1 Best Practices Panel: Capital Campaigns, large and small
Panelists share stories and offer best practices for outreach ministries in a
wide variety of Cathedral settings. There will be time for conversation and
engagement with participants, as well . Panelists include: Father Daniel
Griffith, Basilica of St. Mary, Minneapolis and Maria Laughlin, St. James
Cathedral, Seattle.
B-2 The Diocesan Synod: San Antonio Story
Long before the Synod on Synodality, consultation was a way of life in
the Diocese of San Antonio. Learn how the diocese convened a
diocesan synod and created the long-term vision which guides their
work together. Presenter: Most Reverend Michael J. Boulette, Juan
Carlos Rodriguez, San Antonio.
B-3 Not tourists, but pilgrims
Many of our Cathedrals draw people of all faiths and no faith at all to
view our historic, beautiful churches. How can we turn tourists into
pilgrims by the way we welcome, embrace, and teach them?
Presenters: Father Enrique Salvo, New York City; Father Carlos
Velazquez, San Antonio.
3:30 pm Break/free time
5:00 pm Mass at San Fernando Cathedral
Father Carlos Velazquez, presider and homilist
6:00 pm Happy Hour “Kickback” at the Drury Plaza
7:00 pm Dinner on your own. Enjoy the city!
9 or 9:30 pm The Saga (optional)
Wednesday, January 7, 2026
DAY 3: WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2026
11:15 am Workshops: Series C CHOOSE ONE OF THREE
C-1 Best Practices Panel: Cathedral-Specific Liturgies
Panelists share stories and offer best practices for those liturgies that
only happen in the Cathedral, including Chrism Mass, Rites of Election,
Ordinations to the Priesthood, and more. There will be time for
conversation and engagement with participants, as well . Panelists
include: Father Andy Matjevic, Chicago; Corinna Laughlin, Seattle;
Dolores Martinez, San Antonio.
C-2 Beauty that Saves. Art that Heals.
Exploring how the art of our Cathedrals lift us up and invite us to bring
hope and healing to the world. Presenter: Johan van Parys, Basilica of
St. Mary, Minneapolis.
C-3 Welcoming the Stranger
Presenter Norma Pimentel, MJ is a Mexican-American nun of the
Missionaries of Jesus and the executive director of Catholic Charities of
the Rio Grande Valley. She has been praised by Pope Francis and
others for her work with refugees and immigrants to the United States.
Presenter: Sister Norma Pimentel, MJ.
7:00 am Breakfast
8:30 am Morning Prayer
9:30 am KEYNOTE SYNOD: NOW WHAT?
Sister Tere Maya, CCVI
10:30 am Coffee Break/Visit with our vendors
12:15 pm Lunch
Networking/Opportunity to visit our vendors
1:30 pm Visit to the Missions or free time
About the San Antonio Missions
San Antonio is home the largest concentration of
Spanish colonial missions in North America.
Named the first World Heritage Site in Texas by
the United Nations Organization for Education,
Science and Culture (UNESCO), San Antonio
Missions National Historical Park encompasses
the city’s four southernmost missions –
Concepción, San José, San Juan and Espada. The
historical park and missions are estimated to
bring over one million visitors a year. All four
mission churches still function as active Catholic
parishes that hold regular services, making it a
destination site for not only culture, history and education but also deep faith.
El Camino de San Antonio Missions pilgrimage center, a new cultural and
spiritual hub, brings new life to these historic sites by linking the four missions
— and the oldest functioning Cathedral in Texas — to each other while also
serving as a starting point for pilgrimage.
We will visit the Missions of Concepcion and San Jose, the Margil Pilgrimage
Center, and the World Heritage Center near the San Jose Mission. Father
David Garcia will be our guide.
5:30 pm Mass at San Fernando Cathedral
Archbishop Gustavo Garcia Siller, presider and homilist
7:00 pm Cathedral Ministry Closing Banquet
Thursday, January 8, 2026
DAY 4: THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2026
7:00 am Breakfast
8:30 am Morning prayer
9:30 am KEYNOTE THE SPIRITUALITY OF CATHEDRAL MINISTRY
Father Ron Rolheiser, OMI
10:30 am Cathedral Ministry Conference concludes