The Diocese of Cleveland's Office of Continuing Education and Formation of Ministers will offer a workshop for Lay Ministers and Deacons who minister to persons with a Gambling Addiction on Wednesday, November 13, 2013 from 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at Saint Ladislas Parish in Westlake, Ohio.
The workshop presenters will be Ms. Jennifer Clegg and Fr. Joseph Koopman. This workshop is designed for those in ministry at Catholic parishes and schools and will focus on making the best use of spiritual and sacramental resources in light of the psychological and sociological data about addiction and the implications for personal, marital and family life. The program will consist of two sessions:
Session I - Psychological and Sociological Implications of the Addiction - presented by Jennifer Clegg.
Session II - Implications for Ministers in their Sacramental, Spiritual and Pastoral Ministry - presented by Fr. Joseph Koopman.
With casino gambling now throughout the state of Ohio, the challenge is very real for those in ministry to respond to the needs of those with a gambling addiction and to their family members. The information brought to this workshop will help priests, deacons, pastoral ministers and youth ministers acquaint themselves with the addiction to gambling, its characteristics and power, as well as available resources for the individual and their family members.
Cost of attending the workshop is $15 per person payable at the door. The registration deadline is Friday, November 8, 2013. Saint Ladislas Parish is located at 2345 Basset Road in Westlake, OH.
You may register for this workshop by phone or by e-mail, please call the Office of Continuing Eduaction and Formation of Ministers at 440-943-7474 or e-mail djgump@dioceseofcleveland.org
About the Presenters
Jennifer Clegg is the Gambling Program Supervisor at Recovery Resources in Cleveland, OH. Ms. Clegg has worked at Recovery Resources for the past 10 years. Jen graduated from Capital University with her Bachelor's degree in Social Work and Cleveland State University with a Master's in Social Work. She is a Licensed Social Worker (LSW) as well as a National Certified Gambling Counselor (NCGC-I) and an Ohio Certified Prevention Specialist (OCPS-II). Jen's experience includes youth prevention services, alcohol and drug addiction services, mental health and gambling addiction services for individuals and families. She also provides training on gambling addiction and prevention services across the state of Ohio.
Fr. Joseph Koopman is a Professor of Moral Theology at Saint Mary Seminary and Graduate School of Theology, Wickliffe, OH. He was ordained a priest of the Cleveland Diocese in 2001, and served as a parish priest at St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Parma, OH, along with teaching modern philosophy at Borromeo Seminary/John Carroll University. From 2005 to 2009, Fr. Koopman studied at the Academia Alfonsiana in Rome, Italy, where he received both a license and doctorate in moral theology.