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AN OPPORTUNITY TO PRAY TOGETHER AND REflect on OUR MISSION

 

FIRE will be an opportunity for educators from the Archdiocese of Detroit to come together to prayerfully and boldly consider our evangelizing mission in Catholic schools.

What is Fire?

FIRE is a gathering for all faculty and staff members from Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Detroit on Friday, April 4, 2025, at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi, MI.

Grounded in four pillars—formation, innovation, renewal, and evangelization—FIRE will ignite interest and spur action to mobilize our Catholic schools as centers of evangelization in the Archdiocese by galvanizing educators in Catholic schools around the mission of evangelization and inspiring them to reflect and act on their particular role in a Catholic school's evangelization efforts.

The event will feature two keynote addresses by Fr. Mike Schmitz, plus breakout sessions, lunch, and Holy Mass celebrated by Archbishop Weisenburger.

Who Can Attend?

This event is designed for all adult ministers in Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Detroit. This includes priests, school leaders, classroom teachers and aides, counselors and campus ministers, athletic directors, administrative staff, and maintenance and other operational staff. We are all colleagues in mission – each playing a unique role in serving students and families – and look forward to praying and learning together.

Register

Registration is closed. Please contact fire@aod.org to inquire about late registration options.

Schedule

A more detailed agenda will be provided. Check-in will open at 7:30 a.m. with the first general session starting promptly at 9:00 a.m. The event will end by 3:00 p.m. Generally, the schedule will be as follows:

7:30 a.m. Check-In 

9:00 a.m. Opening session | Event Hall  

9:15 a.m. Fr. Mike Schmitz: Keynote Part 1 | Event Hall  

10:00 a.m. Video | Event Hall  

10:15 a.m. Mass | Event Hall  

11:30 a.m. Lunch | Hall C  

1:00 p.m. Breakout sessions

  • Location: Crystal/Sapphire/Ruby Ballroom 

    Presenters: Mary Wilkerson and Michael Chamberland

    Practical resources for how Catholic schools can meaningfully partner with parents and accompany them in the spiritual formation of their children

    Foundational Belief:
    We believe that Catholic schools exist to support parents in the formation of their children.

    Open to all but recommended for Administrators, campus ministers, classroom teachers, counselors, social workers, priests.

    This session is capped at 500 attendees.

  • Location: Legacy Ballroom 5-8 

    Presenter: Dr. Christie Bonfiglio

    Meeting the needs of all learners so our evangelizing efforts are accessible to all

    Foundational Belief:
    We believe that Catholic schools exist to serve all, especially the most vulnerable.

    Open to all but recommended for classroom teachers, aides and paraprofessionals, instructional support staff, administrators, interventionists, priests

    This session is capped at 500 attendees.

  • Location: Event Hall 

    Presenter: Dr. Brett Salkeld

    Foundational ideas and practical considerations for teachers about how to teach every subject from a Catholic point of view

    Foundational Belief:
    We believe that every subject studied in a Catholic school is part of a larger intellectual pursuit which leads to God.

    Open to all but recommended for classroom teachers, administrators, priests

    This session has no attendance cap.

  • Location: Legacy Ballroom 1-4 

    Presenter: Sr. John Dominic Rasmussen, O.P.

    Principles of brain-aligned preventive discipline and St. John Bosco’s preventive system in the context of exploring virtue procedures for addressing discipline through a lens of empathy

    Foundational Belief:
    We believe that Catholic schools can help young people flourish through intentional virtue formation.

    Open to all but recommended for classroom teachers, counselors, social workers, lunch and recess monitors, administrators, school support staff, priests

    This session is capped at 500 attendees.

  • Location: Cornerstone Rooms 1-2 

    Presenter: Jimmy Mitchell

    Practical suggestions about how a culture of discipleship can be created in all aspects of school life, ranging from sports to theater to clubs to lunch in the cafeteria

    Foundational Belief:
    We believe that every aspect of a Catholic school (curricular or extracurricular, formal or informal) is an opportunity to form young people for lives of discipleship.

    Open to all but recommended for school support staff, campus ministers, coaches, athletic directors, club moderators, lunch and recess monitors, counselors, social workers, priests

    This session is capped at 500 attendees.

2:00 p.m. Fr. Mike Schmitz: Keynote Part 2 | Event Hall  

2:45 p.m. Conclusion | Event Hall  

3:00 p.m. Departure | Event Hall  

Keynote speaker: Fr. Mike Schmitz

Fr. Michael Schmitz is the director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry for the Diocese of Duluth, as well as the chaplain for the Newman Center at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. Ordained in 2003, Fr. Mike now offers weekly homilies on iTunes and BulldogCatholic.org and has appeared in programs for youth and young adults through Ascension Press, as well as through regular short video messages on Ascension Presents. He is also the host of the popular Ascension podcasts Bible in a Year and Catechism in a Year.

BREAKOUT SESSION SPEAKERS

Mary Wilkerson

Mary Wilkerson holds a BA in Theology with a Religious Education focus. She has ministered in the Archdiocese of Detroit for 20 years in various capacities, using a unique blend of humor, Scripture and storytelling to invite a deeper understanding of discipleship. Mary is currently the Director of Campus Ministry at Divine Child High School.

Michael Chamberland

Michael Chamberland holds a BA in Theology and Catechetics from Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio and an MA in Theology and the New Evangelization from Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit. For the past twenty years, he has ministered as a high school religion teacher and youth minister, as well as in various roles at the Archdiocesan and parish levels. Michael is currently the Coordinator of Faith Enrichment at the Church of the Divine Child.

Dr. Christie Bronfiglio

Dr. Christie Bonfiglio has a BA in Psychology from Indiana University and an MA and PhD in School Psychology from Western Michigan University. Her areas of expertise include behavioral and academic interventions through a multi-tiered system of support. She is also well-versed in collaboration and child study teams. Dr. Bonfiglio has worked in public education as a school psychologist, director of the Education Department at Goshen College, and is currently Director of the Program for Inclusive Education and Professor of Teaching at the University of Notre Dame.

Dr. Brett Salkeld

Dr. Brett Salkeld holds a BA in education from the University of Regina and a Ph.D. In systematic theology from Regis College at the University of Toronto. He has worked with graduate and undergraduate education students and with Catholic teachers in various professional development settings. Dr. Salkeld is currently archdiocesan theologian for the Archdiocese of Regina, in Canada.

Sr. John dominic rasmussen, O.P.

Sr. John Dominic, O.P., holds a BS in Education from Belmont University in Nashville, and an MA in Theology from Franciscan University of Steubenville. She converted to Catholicism during her sophomore year of high school and entered the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia in 1982. In 1997, she and three other Sisters founded the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist in Ann Arbor. With over three decades of experience in administration and teaching, she has developed Disciple of Christ-Education in Virtue, which provides schools, parishes and families the resources to learn and live a virtuous life in Christ. She is currently the Executive Director of Openlight Media, which produces videos and print publications. 

Jimmy Mithcell

Jimmy Mitchell earned a bachelor’s degree in business from Vanderbilt University and a Masters in Moral Theology. He's the founder of Love Good, a formation platform that empowers everyday Christians to bring beauty to the forefront of their lives and build a culture of conversion within their families, parishes, schools, and organizations. Mitchell is also the director of campus ministry at Jesuit High School in Tampa, FL, which has repeatedly made national news for its growing culture of conversion.

HOW WILL ATTENDEE CHECK-IN WORK?

With over 2,000 attendees, we want to ensure that your entire day's experience is as smooth as possible. Rather than asking attendees to check in on-site when they arrive at the Suburban Collection Showplace, name tags will be sent to each school prior to Fire.

 You must bring your name tag with you and wear it as you enter. This will serve as your event program and name tag.

If you need help when you arrive, we will have a welcome table to provide guidance.

Lunch

Since Friday, April 4, is a Friday in Lent, we’ll serve a delicious vegetarian lasagna as the main entrée. To accommodate everyone’s dietary needs, we will have a designated buffet line featuring options for gluten-free and dairy-free diets.

If you have any concerns about whether the options available will meet your dietary requirements, please feel free to bring your own lunch to ensure you're comfortable.

What is the recommended dress code for FIRE?

The general dress code is business casual. We recommend wearing clothing appropriate for Mass but also something you will be comfortable in as you walk around the event space throughout the day.

Is parking available?

Yes, parking is free for all attendees. Please park in the lot in front of the Event Center, which is on the West end of the Suburban Collection Showplace complex. Please refer to the map, which shows designated parking areas.

View Parking Map

WILL THERE BE SPACE FOR NURSING MOTHERS?

Yes, we will have a private space for mothers who need to nurse. Please visit the welcome table for more information.

HOW SHOULD I PREPARE FOR FIRE?

You will not need to bring laptops or other materials to FIRE. The only recommended items are a writing utensil and a notebook or pad of paper to take notes. (The nametag will have a small note-taking space.) We invite you to consider the following questions:

  1. What is evangelization? What is the role of a Catholic school in the Church's work of evangelization?  

  2. Which breakout session are you attending? What are you hoping to learn from it? How does it tie into the concept of evangelization?  

  3. Where does our school have opportunities for further growth or development related to our evangelizing mission? What is my particular role (as a teacher, coach, counselor, support staff, etc.) in the school's evangelizing mission? What are my own opportunities, personally or professionally, for growth?  

Hotel Partners

If you're traveling from afar to attend FIRE and need overnight accommodations, here are a few recommended hotels that you can book independently:

Homewood Suites by Hilton Novi
26150 Town Center Drive, Novi, MI 48375

Hyatt Place Detroit/Novi
46080 Grand River Ave, Novi, MI 48374

Staybridge Suites Detroit
27000 Providence Pkwy, Novi, MI 48374

Feel free to make reservations at your convenience!

Thank you to our Sponsors

Contact

If you have questions about FIRE, we invite you to contact us via email at fire@aod.org