Photo Caption: “Religious Liberty in Today’s Culture” will be the topic Sept. 6 of the keynote talk by Robert Gilligan, executive director of the Catholic Conference of Illinois.

Robert Gilligan, executive director of the Catholic Conference of Illinois, will be the featured speaker at the annual workshop for respect life coordinators on Saturday, Sept. 6, at the Family Resources Center in Peoria. He will speak about “Religious Liberty in Today’s Culture.”

The day begins with a Diocesan Respect Life Mass at 10:30 a.m. at St. Mary’s Cathedral, 607 N.E. Madison Ave. Bishop Daniel R. Jenky, CSC, will be the principal celebrant for the Mass and commission the coordinators for another year of service at their parishes, schools and Newman Centers.

Father William Miller, IC, episcopal vicar for respect life, will concelebrate the Mass and welcome workshop participants to the luncheon that follows at the Family Resources Center, 415 N.E. Monroe St.

In addition to Gilligan’s talk, the afternoon includes time for people in each vicariate to make plans for implementing the Respect Life Program of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The USCCB theme for this year is “Each of Us is a Masterpiece of God’s Creation.”

Reservations are requested so arrangements can be made for lunch, which will be catered by Michael’s Italian Feast of Washington. Send your name, address and phone number to Laurie Ullrich, Office of the Bishop, Spalding Pastoral Center, 419 N.E. Madison Ave., Peoria, IL 61603 or lullrich@cdop.org.

The deadline for reservations is Sept. 1.