Catholics have a responsibility not only to welcome newcomers to the faith, but to keep them involved, said Sinsinawa Dominican Sister Catherine Dooley, one of several keynoters at the annual Chicago Catechetical Conference Nov. 5-6 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont. “Nobody comes to faith alone. And growth in that faith is a lifelong process that isn’t done alone,” she said. “You didn’t give yourself faith any more than you gave yourself life. Think about it. Who brought you to the faith. Maybe it was a teacher, parent, friend or spouse. But you didn’t do it on your own.” But the role of religion teachers doesn’t end after the person has been baptized, said Dooley. “The laity are not simply collaborators with the clergy, but are co-responsible for the being and actions of the church,” said Dooley, quoting a statement by Pope Benedict XVI, who she said places great importance on spiritual formation. “If this were Rome, the pope would probably be here with us today. He considers (the spiritual formation of children and lay adults) that important.” But if people don’t feel part of the community, they’re going to go someplace else,” said Esther Hicks of the archdiocese’s Office of Catholic Schools, which co-sponsored the two-day event with the offices for Divine Worship and Catechesis and Youth Ministry. At the same time, it’s important not to dumb down the faith just to keep it entertaining for kids, said Father Daniel Barron, OMV, during a workshop on how to get children and teenagers involved in liturgy. “If you don’t give them the true religion, they’ll create one of their own. And they’re doing it” in the form of celebrities and rock concerts, complete with music and smoke. “Don’t underestimate their hunger. If we don’t feed them, they’ll fill themselves with something else. You’re God’s best shot at those kids,” said Barron, one of about 40 workshop presenters in English, Spanish and Polish on topics including ministry to children, teens, college students, seniors and families impacted by divorce. But at least two of the estimated 2,000 religion teachers who turned out for Saturday’s session said the parents have to be among the most important components of a child’s spiritual development. “These things have to be reinforced at home. And I’m not so sure the dinner conversation is going to be about what the kids learned in religion class,” said Judy Cullen, director of religious education at Highwood’s St. James Parish. “The children don’t get to Mass unless the parents bring them. They can’t walk there like we did 20 years ago. “One of the beauties of preparing a child for the sacraments is that the parents must be involved. The children’s sacraments can be a way of bringing the parents back to a more living faith,” she said. Michelle Czmil, religious education coordinator at St. Barbara Parish in Brookfield, not only thinks “refresher” courses for parents are long overdue, but her parish already offers them every Sunday. “The kids come for their religion classes and the parents are offered an adult conversation based on their faith,” Czmil said. Other keynoters at the two-day conference included Father Dominic Grassi, pastor of St. Gertrude Parish and author of several books including “Bumping Into God”; and Joseph Paprocki, national consultant for faith formation at Loyola Press and author of “The Catechist’s Toolbox” and “A Well-Built Faith.” Heading up the list of Spanish program leaders was Michelle Gonzalez, who spoke on “The American Church” and inter-cultural Catholicism.