Speaking

Rose Marie Berger speaks frequently on the relationships between faith, art and activism. In her talks, she invites audiences to consider how their faith is enriched by the arts, how daily life in their neighborhoods and cities influences their faith, and how personal faith fuels activism for the common good. She is noted for her “bible-busting” ability, opening up scripture in fresh and engaging ways.

Rose brings her vocation as a poet and her more than two decades of Christian social justice work to her presentations. Lively and interactive, Rose’s workshops and lectures incorporate visual art, music and lots of dialogue.

To invite Rose to speak at your school, church, group, or event, email rbergersol at gmail dot com.

Upcoming Events

Friday, May 4, 2012 in Washington, D.C., at 7:30 p.m.

Rose will present on “Catholics, climate change, and the Keystone XL pipeline” for the Friday evening Clarification of Thought hosted by Dorothy Day Catholic Worker (503 Rock Creek Church Road, NW, Washington, D.C. 20010). For more information contact Art Laffin at 202.882.9649.

Past Events

April 26-29, 2012, Word and World Mentoring Program at the Center for Environmental Transformation in Camden, NJ
Rose will participate in the closing retreat for the Word and World year-long Mentoring Program in which she has served as a mentor the past year. The Word and World Mentoring Program puts motivated, passionate 22-30-year-olds with a thirst for justice and a hunger for formation in conversation with some of the most influential and committed radical theologians and activist-scholars of our day. This year-long course of study and reflection is one answer to what lay theologian William Stringfellow might have called a vocational question—namely, in the face of globalization, political division, environmental degradation, and a culture of violence, what is theological education for?

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Wednesday, March 14, 2012, in Washington, D.C. at 12:00 p.m.
Rose will preach at noon chapel service on the topic of “Celebrating International Women’s Day” at the United Methodist Building (100 Maryland Ave., NE, Washington, D.C., right next to the Supreme Court and across from the Capitol). For more information, please contact Linda Bales (LBales@UMC-GBCS.ORG).

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Friday – Sunday, March 23-25, 2012 in Birmingham, Alabama
Rose will be a responder at a retreat “Gandhi’s Wisdom: Reflections on Building Nonviolent Campaigns with Naryan Desai” hosted by Mary’s House Catholic Worker. Narayan Desai worked in Gandhi’s secretariat from 1936-1946, participating in the Indian freedom movement and Vinoba Bhave’s land grant movement. He’s one of the world’s most respected authorities on Gandhian nonviolence. For more information, please contact Shelley Douglass at 205-780-2020 or shelleyd9@juno.com.

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Friday, December 2, 2011, in Atlantic City, NJ Church Women United Celebrates 70 Years

Rose Berger and Lisa Sharon Harper will speak at the breakfast and lead two workshops on Christians and the environment for 400 women at this 70th anniversary gathering of Church Women United, one of the largest Christian women’s organizations in the U.S. representing 26 denominations and supporting organizations.

WORKSHOP: “For God so loved the world…”: Christians, Climate Change, and Environmental Justice”
From the Genesis creation story to Isaiah’s critique of imperial clear-cutting of the cedars of Lebanon to contemporary issues like the Keystone XL pipeline and fracking, Christians are engaged in advancing environmental justice. What do we need to understand about climate change, environmental racism, and environmental sexism? How do our scriptures give us a firm foundation for entering into very contemporary environmental issues? Led by Rose Berger and Lisa Sharon Harper.

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Monday, November 7, 2011, 6 p.m.
Rose will preach at Festival Church at the Festival Center, 1640 Columbia Rd. NW, Washington, DC

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Sunday, October 30, 2011, at 6 p.m.
Rose Berger and Joseph Ross will read poetry as part of the UnChurch! gathering at Clarendon Presbyterian Church in Virginia. For more information, contact Pastor David Ensign.

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Sunday, October 30, 2011, 11:30 a.m.
Rose will lead a conversation on the Keystone XL Pipeline at St. Camillus Catholic Church in Silver Spring, MD
Join a conversation on Oct. 30 after the 10:30 multicultural Mass to learn more. Several in the St. Camillus community have been working very hard to learn about and take action around an oil pipeline that is proposed to be built from Alberta to Texas. After the 10:30 Mass on Oct. 30 in the St. Francis Room Rose Berger from Sojourners, Fr. Jacek, Luisa Saffiotti and others will discuss how they got involved in learning about the tar sands development in Canada and the Keystone XL pipeline that is proposed to carry tar sands oil to refineries in Texas. This will be a lively conversation on how tar sands development relates to current climate change; what hard questions the pipeline raises regarding jobs, Middle East wars, the U.S.-China economic race, indigenous rights, and transition to a post-fossil fuel economy; and how Catholic social teaching helps us think through these issues. For more information, contact Fr. Jacek at 301-434-8400 ex.14 or Rose Berger (rbergersol@gmail.com).

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Sunday, July 24, 2011, 8:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.
Rose preaching at Church of the Epiphany, Washington, D.C.
Church of the Epiphany – Episcopal (1317 G St, NW/Washington, DC 20005—Metro Center) Rose Marie Berger, a Catholic peace activist and writer, will preach at the 8 am and 11am liturgies on July 24. She will also be present after coffee hour for a time of conversation about her sermon and environmental stewardship issues of our faith. She comes to Church of the Epiphany through Greater Washington Interfaith Power & Light, which helps congregations of all faiths throughout the DC area save energy, go green, and respond to climate change (www.gwipl.org). Please make plans to hear Rose preach on July 24 and stay for coffee and the Sermon Conversation at 12:45pm in the Willard Room. All are welcome. For more information contact Susan Walker 202-347-2635, ext 20.

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March 4-6, 2011: 11th Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage
Congressman John Lewis will lead a trip to Birmingham, Montgomery, and Selma, Alabama for Members of the House, Senators, and invited guests. Rose Berger will represent Sojourners on this historic trip hosted by the Faith and Politics Institute.

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Wednesday, 16 February, 2011, from 12-1p.m.
“Leaders Who Lunch” series at Sojourners
Blogging for Fun and Justice (with Jeannie Choi)
Rose Berger and Jeannie Choi, editor of God’s Politics blog, will speak at the noontime series held at Sojourners offices on the topic of starting a blog, costs involved, the importance of women’s voices, 5 tips for a successful post, and more.

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Sunday, 26 September, 2010 from 5-6 p.m.
Rose Marie Berger reading from Who Killed Donte Manning? at The Baltimore Book Festival as part of the New Mercury Reading Series at CityLit Stage.

MOUNT VERNON PLACE
600 BLOCK NORTH CHARLES STREET
BALTIMORE, MD 21201
(The CityLit stage is located on the south side of the Washington Monument.)

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Humanities scholar Hope House DC’s “Big Read” program
May 3-4 and May 5-6, 2010
Description: This year Hope House DC is participating with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Humanities Council of Washington, DC, in the national Big Read program. Along with providing Earnest Gaines’ novel A Lesson Before Dying, Hope House DC is sponsoring two-day writing workshops in two prisons with award-winning writer Rose Berger to help incarcerated dads write their own lessons from behind bars for their children. A selection of their work will be available online in fall 2010.
Location: 2 prisons in Maryland (federal and state maximum security)

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Apprentice House Authors’ Reading
Reading from Who Killed Donte Manning? The Story of an American Neighborhood
Thursday, April 15, 2010
6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Loyola University, Baltimore, MD
4th Floor of the Student Union
Click here for more information.

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Sojourners’ Mobilization to End Poverty
“Poverty and War:  Breaking the Addiction” by Rose Marie Berger and Glen Stassen
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Workshop: 10:45 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Washington Convention Center

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“Gospel Roots of Justice and Charity” by Rose Marie Berger
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
7 p.m. – 9 p.m.
St. Columba’s Episcopal Church, Washington, D.C.
(4201 Albemarle St NW, D.C., 20016)**Association of Writers and Writing Programs Conference
February 11-14, 2009
Chicago, Illinois

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Poetry Reading at opening of Peace Mural in Washington, D.C.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
5 p.m – 6 p.m.
3336 M Street. NW, Washington, D.C.

This is special reception, open to the public, that honors Poets Against the War. Huong will unveil the newest segment of the Mural, depicting a number of poems that have been submitted by poets across the country and published to the Peace Mural. The public is invited to join this special event, followed by a reception. There will be select readings of poems throughout the day.

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Howth Writers Conference
October 15-22, 2008
Dublin, Ireland

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Guest Presenter: “Who Killed Donte Manning?”
Servant Leadership School
September 16, 2008
Washington, DC