Friends of Mercy - Prior Meetings

	The purpose of this page is to provide more information about meeting speakers, topics, handouts and cited sources from prior monthly meetings.
2003
Sunday, Dec. 14	Speaker: Dr. Woody Powell Topic: The Power of YOU - at Christmas -Cancelled due to snow.- Dr. Powell will be rescheduled later in 2004.
Sunday, Nov 16	Open Discussion: Recreating Yourself ,,, and ... Open fourn: Ways to improve the organization.
Sunday, Oct 19	Speaker: Katharine L. Boucher, LCSW-C Topic: Stress Management Strategies Stress is the result of the "fight or flight" response, when we can do neither. Over the long term, our physical stress responses can do real damage. It is to our advantage to learn to manage stress. Kate Boucher gave us a number of techniques for handling stress. The key to managing stress is READ: Relaxation - Exercise - Attitude - Diet. She also shared with us a "stress inventory" and another test to determine if we have a stress prone personality.
Sunday, Sept 21	16th Anniversary Celebration Mass and Buffer Dinner Celebrant and Speaker: Fr. Andy Aaron Associate Pastor Our Lady of the Fields (Millersville)
Sunday, Aug 17	Speaker: Cynthia Voelz, Ph.D. (web site) Topic: Improving Self Esteem Dr. Cindy Voelz talked with the group about the definition and the various aspects of self-esteem. She explained the difference between contingent and non-contingent self-esteem. Next, she talked about how self-esteem can affect relationships. She finished with a number of ways in which people can work to improve their own self-esteem.
Sunday, July 20	Speaker: Br. Loughlan Sofield, S.T. Topic: Giftedness Brother Sofield told us the people server God by learning about the gifts God gave them. He discussed with us why it is difficult to identify our gifts and what are the beliefs that surround gifts. He noted that: - Any experience from God is a gift. - Gifts are not only what you can do, but also qualities you have. - When God gives you a mission, he also gives you gifts to fulfill that mission. During his talk, Br. Sofield quoted another advocate of the divorced and separated, Fr. Vince of Washington, DC, who said: "Divorced and Separated are a Gift to the Church."
Sunday, June 15	Speaker: Carole Frank Topic: Addiction to Love Some people are "addicted" to relationships in the same way others are addicted to drugs or alcohol. No matter how bad it gets, they think any relationship is better than none. They are terrified of the pain of "withdrawal". Carole lead an interactive session that looked at addictive patterns and exposed some of the warning signs. She shared real life stories with the group.
Sunday, May 18	Speaker: Dr. Diane Dixon Topic: The Single Life - Challenges and Opportunities Diane Dixon shared her reflections on her own single life, and she encouraged us to do the same. She encouraged us to rebuild from the inside out, and reminded us that the truth is the unchangeable part of our being. Diane's handout is reproduced here in two formats: - Text file - Microsoft Word document
Sunday, Apr 13	Speaker: Ann Klein, LCSW-C (web site) Topic: Learning From Past Relationships, Preparing For The Future Ann Klein's presentation addressed the reasons why relationships fail. She then discussed how we can grow from that experience, and we can be better prepared for a lasting relationship in the future. Ann referred to the following in her presentation: Keeping the Love You Find, by Harville Hendrix
Sunday, Mar 16	Speaker: William Urbine, D.Min. (web site) Topic: Men Communicating: Different-not better or worse Dr. Urbine lead the group in a discussion of the cultural stereotypes of men and women, in the past and in the present. He shared with us survey data, research results, and event some humorous stories. In the end, men are different than women, and that is not necessarily bad. Dr. Urbine referred to the following books: You Just Don't Understand: Men and Women in Conversation, by Deborah Tannen I Only Say This Because I Love You: How the Way We Talk Can Make or Break Family Relationships, by Deborah Tannen Man Enough: Fathers, Sons, and the Search for Masculinity, by Frank Pittman The Relationship Cure: A Five-Step Guide to Strengthening Your Marriage, Family and Friendships, by John Gottman
Sunday, Feb 16	Speaker: Cynthia Voelz, Ph.D. (web site) Topic: Improving Self Esteem Meeting canceled due to snow. Speaker has been rescheduled for August..
Sunday, Jan 19, 2003	Speaker: Mary Cadden Topic: Second Chances--a new way of approaching the New Year! Mary offered us a technique where we could rewind the tape of our lives and change the ending through re-imprinting. Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) offers the possibility of getting rid of unwanted or harmful behaviors while reinterpreting our experiences and changing our outlook. Mary lead the group in several exercises as an introduction of NLP. Her handout is available in two formats: Microsoft word (.doc) Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) (To read these, you either need Microsoft Word or the Adobe Acrobat reader. The Adobe Acrobat Reader can be downloaded and installed free from here.) Mary welcomed comments and questions. Her e-mail is: maryscadden@earthlink.net.
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