CWR CONFERENCE 2026
WORKSHOPS
Workshop Session 1: Framing the Big Picture
Wednesday, October 14 | 1:15 – 2:15 p.m.
Guarding the Flame: Preserving the Legacy of Women Religious for the Future
Presenter: Julie Kresge
Women religious have shaped communities nationwide through ministries in healthcare, education, and social services. As congregations transition, preserving this legacy is vital.
This session explores how heritage centers, archives, and storytelling can safeguard and share these histories. Participants will gain practical strategies and tools to preserve records, engage new audiences, and carry forward the mission and impact of women religious.
Mission Advancement as an Act of Justice
Presenters: Ruth Roland and Kimberley Sherwood
This workshop presents a case study of one congregation’s transformation from a siloed development office into an integrated mission advancement department. Participants will explore how development, leadership, communications, and justice promotion were aligned to strengthen mission impact and collaboration across the organization.
Workshop Session 2: Practical Tools for the Journey
Wednesday, October 14 | 2:45 – 3:45 p.m.
Documenting Operating Procedures
Presenter: Donna Schmeichel
This workshop shares a practical approach to documenting policies and procedures using Microsoft OneNote. Drawing on a team’s experience building a library of over 150 process documents, the session highlights how clear documentation strengthens continuity during staff absences, supports transitions, and improves onboarding.
Participants will gain ideas for getting started, understand the value of consistent documentation, and explore tools and resources to build and maintain an effective internal knowledge base.
Communicating Financial Need with Clarity, Confidence, and Dignity
Presenter: Robin L. Cabral, MA, CFE, MFIA
As congregations face aging membership, rising healthcare costs, ministry transitions, and shifting donor expectations, communicating a clear case for support can be challenging. Misconceptions about financial stability and the cost of care often create barriers to giving.
This interactive skill lab equips participants with practical tools and language to communicate financial realities with clarity, confidence, and hope. Attendees will gain strategies they can immediately apply to appeals, donor conversations, websites, and stewardship efforts.
Why Notable Catholic Sisters Need Wikipedia Pages and How to Get Them
Presenters: Carole Sargent, PhD, Members of Wikipedia Group “Women in Religion” (Colleen Hartung, Christine Meyer, and more)
This workshop, based on Carol Sargent’s 2024 article published in Global Sisters Report, introduces participants to the importance of creating Wikipedia pages for notable Catholic sisters. Attendees will learn how to evaluate notability, develop effective approaches for demonstrating the value of Wikipedia documentation to religious communities, and work with archival materials. The session also offers practical guidance on collaborating with the facilitator to draft and publish a Wikipedia page.
Workshop Session 3: More Practical Tools Including Collaborators
Thursday, October 15 | 10:40 – 11:40 a.m.
So the Stories May be Told: Collaboration between Archivists & Communicators in the Completion Era
Presenters: Stephanie Hall & Sarah Lubelski
As congregations of Catholic sisters move toward completion, an important opportunity emerges to preserve and share their legacy. This workshop explores how communications professionals and archivists can collaborate to ensure that a congregation’s charism, ministries, and stories are both faithfully preserved and meaningfully communicated.
Participants will learn practical strategies for working together, including capturing oral histories, identifying key materials, translating archives into accessible narratives, and planning digital legacy projects. The session also considers ethical questions around memory and representation, and offers approaches for coordinating messaging during times of transition. Through discussion and examples, attendees will develop collaborative ways to sustain a congregation’s story for future generations.
Permission to Simplify: Mission Advancement Myths & What Actually Works
Presenters: Ruth Roland & Kimberley Sherwood
One-person development offices can make a significant and meaningful impact in advancing an organization’s mission. This workshop explores practical strategies for small development teams and offers hands-on practice designed to strengthen effectiveness. Participants will also examine and challenge common myths about what it takes to succeed in development work.
Stronger Together: Cross-Congregation Justice & Communications Projects
Presenters: Mikaela Vanmoorleghem & Kathryn Yanik
This workshop explores why collaboration between justice and communications ministries is increasingly essential and how to overcome common barriers that keep these teams siloed, such as differing priorities, timelines, capacity constraints, and uncertainty about initiating cross-congregation work.
Through a brief case study of a civil dialogue partnership, participants will examine what successful collaboration can look like in practice, including key lessons learned and evolving roles. Small-group conversations will invite reflection on current intersections between justice and communications, opportunities for breaking down silos, and potential areas for future collaboration. The session concludes with shared insights and a practical checklist for strengthening cross-congregation partnerships.
Workshop Session 4: Innovations to Move Us Forward
Thursday, October 15 | 2:45 – 3:45 p.m.
Digital Asset Management
Presenter: Donna Schmeichel
Managing digital content—such as storing photos, tracking permissions, and locating assets through metadata—can be a challenge for many organizations. This workshop shares lessons from one congregation’s two-year experience using ResourceSpace, an affordable digital asset management system.
Participants will learn how the platform streamlines asset organization, simplifies permission tracking (such as determining which individuals can be featured in communications), and supports public sharing through curated resource collections.
The session will also highlight how different departments are creatively adopting the system, demonstrating how a well-implemented tool can support collaboration and responsible stewardship of resources.
Ministry of the Arts Journey
Presenter: Trisha Marchand
This workshop introduces the Ministry of the Arts, sharing its mission and approach to supporting creative expression within religious life. It explores the transition from a brick-and-mortar store to a fully digital ministry, offering practical insights into that process. The session also highlights ways congregations can preserve and showcase the artistic works of their members for future generations.
Translating Founding Vision into Contemporary Storytelling
Presenter: Cecilia Brizuela
Religious congregations are living expressions of charism, but communicating that spirit in ways that resonate with today’s visual, digital audiences can be a challenge.
This workshop explores how to translate a congregation’s founding vision into short-form digital storytelling. Through examples and guided exercises, participants will learn how to distill charism, connect it to contemporary issues, and develop simple story concepts that express mission in action.
Participants will leave with a charism translation statement, a basic storytelling framework, and a starter idea for a short digital narrative.