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Call for Breakout Session Proposals

2027 National Gathering

Rooted as Franciscans, Healing Our World
June 3-6, 2027
Chicago, Illinois

The Franciscan Federation welcomes proposals from across the Franciscan family for breakout sessions for its 2027 National Gathering.

We need your voice and lived experience to explore how contemplation, relationship, peace and justice, and care for creation sustain us, connect us, and call us to be agents of hope and healing in our world. 

We invite proposals for workshops, facilitated conversations, prayer experiences, panels, storytelling, outdoor experiences, and affinity-group gatherings that encourage active participation and offer practical applications. Each breakout session at the conference will be 60 minutes in length. 

We have a special hope for proposals that center young voices and foster intergenerational connection and learning.

We are looking for engaging proposals related to:

Spirituality and Formation
  • Franciscan spirituality, contemplation, prayer, and discernment
  • Sessions for seekers, young adults, and those new to Franciscan life
  • Franciscan culture, literature, and the arts

Justice, Peace, and Integral Ecology
  • Nonviolent communication, reconciliation, conflict transformation, and peacebuilding
  • Justice, solidarity, and on-the-ground ministry or advocacy
  • Human flourishing in the age of AI
  • Care for Creation, ecological conversion, and nature-based contemplative practices
  • Intercultural Franciscan Life

Intergenerational Life and Care Giving
  • Caregiving and care-receiving as mutual spiritual transformation
  • Models of cross-generational care

Leadership and Affinity Group Topics
  • Franciscan leadership, mission integration, collaboration, and community building
  • Issues of special interest to Associates, intentional communities, lay collaborators, and other networks

Proposal submissions must include:

  • Session title and a 100–200 word program description; brief explanation of the session’s purpose; and connection to the gathering theme  
  • Intended audience, format, and participant takeaways   
  • Facilitator name(s), short biography, and contact information (email and phone)
  • Technology, accessibility, room setup, or outdoor-space needs  
  • Whether the session could be offered more than once 

Proposal Deadlines

  • Priority Deadline: November 17, 2026 (Priority consideration will be given to proposals submitted by this date.)
  • Final Deadline: January 8, 2027
  • Notification of acceptance: Mid-February

To submit a proposal, submit this google form along with your proposal attached.

For questions please contact julianne@franfed.org.