By Michael Gresham
The Texas Catholic
The Diocese of Dallas is asking parish leaders to look beyond the day-to-day work of ministry and consider a broader question: How are Catholics called to receive the Gospel, live it out, and carry it into the world?
That question will be at the heart of the 2026 Parish Leadership Conference, set for Oct. 3 at Bishop Lynch High School. The gathering will focus on missionary discipleship and strengthening parish ministries under the theme “Missionary Discipleship: Called and Sent Forth.”
The conference, a collaborative effort of the diocesan Ministries offices, will include Mass, keynote presentations, breakout sessions, prayer, fellowship, and opportunities to connect with peers and exhibitors. It is intended for those serving in a variety of parish ministries, including catechesis, liturgy, social ministries, youth and young adult, communications, marriage and family life, as well as parish and school staff, volunteers, and clergy.
Joshua Salinas, director of the office of Youth, Young Adult, and Campus Ministries and a member of the conference’s core planning team, said the conference is designed to bring parish leaders together for a day of formation, prayer, and connection.
“We want to empower leaders with the skills and a pathway to create meaningful moments of encounter with Jesus Christ for the people they serve in their parishes,” Salinas said. “The conference seeks to find ways to answer: How do we encourage the faithful to connect back to the parish and meet Jesus at the altar?”
Salinas said the conference is intended not only to strengthen parish leaders in their ministries but also to help them see how their work fits into the Church’s broader mission.
Peter J. Ductrám, diocesan senior director of Ministries and a conference core team lead member, said this year’s event draws its theme from Bishop Edward J. Burns’ post-synodal pastoral letter, “The Hope of the Gospel,” which presented diocesan renewal as a call for every baptized person to receive the Gospel anew and carry it into the world.
The letter emphasizes that evangelization is the shared work of clergy, diocesan institutions, and all the baptized, Ductrám said. He pointed to Bishop Burns’ description of the diocesan synod’s purpose as forming “a missionary Church where every disciple knows they are called, chosen, and sent” by Christ.
That language shapes the two-part conference theme, Ductrám explained.
“The conference’s first movement, ‘Called,’ expresses the universal call to holiness, ongoing conversion, and discipleship according to each of his or her vocation and state in life,” he said. “The second movement, ‘Sent Forth,’ captures the outward and evangelical character of the baptismal call.”
Together, Ductrám said, the two phrases reflect the letter’s broader vision: “Renewed disciples are formed in community, in the sacraments, deepening in faith, and discerning one’s vocation for the joyful service of God’s mission.”
Ductrám acknowledged that parish leaders face both pastoral and operational challenges as they work to strengthen their communities and ministries.
“Our local Church is marked by growth and diversity but also by increasing secularization, weakened support for marriage and family life, and cultural ideologies that challenge Catholic teaching on the ontological dignity of the human person and the sacredness of all life,” he said. “Parish leaders therefore need more opportunities to network, learn from one another, be inspired by one another, engage in dialogue with experts from the local and national arenas, and hear from our shepherd.”
Ductrám said he believes the diocesan conference can become a venue that facilitates those intentional encounters.
Eucharistic focus
The conference will begin with Mass at 9 a.m., celebrated by Father Arthur Unachukwu, vicar general of the Diocese of Dallas. The opening Mass will set the tone for the day, according to Ductrám, who noted that the Eucharist is central to the conference’s emphasis on missionary discipleship.
“The Eucharist is the place where disciples, as a community, receive Christ and the sacramental form of the life into which Christ sends us: a life of self-gift, communion, and mission,” he explained. “In a sense, the conference theme expresses a eucharistic reality. We are called into communion with Christ, formed by his sacrificial love, and sent forth to bring the Good News to our families, parishes, workplaces, and the wider world.”
Ductrám said the diocese is “blessed with a robust number of faith-filled, passionate, generous, and well-formed leaders,” but that discipleship requires continued conversion and formation. The conference is intended to give participants time for prayer, eucharistic renewal, practical formation, and connections with other parish leaders that they can carry back to their communities.
“Our hope is that participants will leave inspired and renewed in their confidence that Christ calls each of them and entrusts them with a share in the Church’s mission,” he said.
Participants should return from the conference to their parishes with a clearer sense of purpose and concrete ideas for pastoral transformation. The goal, Ductrám said, is to help parish leaders build communities where people can find a genuine sense of belonging and where leaders can share best practices, commitments, and mentorship across parish boundaries.
“We hope the conference’s impact will extend beyond the event itself,” Ductrám said. “Participants will be prepared to envision and embody a prophetic model of missionary discipleship.”
The conference will feature two keynote speakers.
Father Rafael Capó, vice president for mission and dean of the School of Theology at St. Thomas University in Miami, will present a keynote in Spanish. Capó has served as a papal Missionary of Mercy and a National Eucharistic Preacher.
Jason Shanks, president of the National Eucharistic Congress, will deliver a keynote in English. Shanks previously served as president of the OSV Institute for Catholic Innovation, where he helped launch initiatives aimed at fostering creativity and new apostolic efforts within the Church.
Additional speakers include Sister Veronica Amata Donatello, Adrian Herrera, Paul Kolker, Msgr. Roger Landry, Rita Martinez, Tim O’Malley, Sara Beth Meyer, Roland Millare, Juan Rendon, Scott Sollom, Luis Soto, Mathew Warner, and José Manuel de Urquidi.
For registration details, speaker bios, and more information, visit conference.dallascatholic.org.
Cutline for featured image: Participants hold their hands in prayer during the opening Mass for the Diocese of Dallas Parish Leadership Conference, held Oct. 11, 2025, at Bishop Lynch High School. This year’s conference will be held Oct. 3 at Bishop Lynch High School.
