For the thousands of people coming to Baltimore for the National Catholic Educational Association’s 104th convention April 10-13, there will be variety of events and activities to attend after the Baltimore Convention Center doors close for the day.
Celebrate the arts with middle and high school students of the Archdiocese of Baltimore at the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall at 6:30 p.m. with performances starting at 7:30 p.m on April 9. Witness art, music, drama and dance with talented youths. Complimentary tickets are available for the first 400 out-of-town NCEA guests; inquiries can be made at mhutson@archbalt.org.
For a real experience of downtown Baltimore, visitors are invited to “First Night” April 10 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The National Aquarium in Baltimore and the Maryland Science Center will be open and free to all badge-wearing conventioneers. Live entertainment will be held on four stages around the harbor with colorful fireworks to welcome visitors to Baltimore.
Join musicians Steve Angrisano, Sarah Hart, ValLimar Jansen and Jesse Manibusan for a concert at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Baltimore, April 11 at 7:30 p.m.
NCEA Priests’ Day with keynote speaker Archbishop Donald Wuerl from Washington, D.C., will be held at the Sheraton Inner Harbor Hotel on April 11 from 10:15 a.m.-3 p.m. This event will explore the unique role of the priest as teacher and evangelizer in a church of growing ethnic and cultural diversity. The day will include time for discussion and lunch. Registration is free but space is limited to 200 participants.
Need a break from sitting all day? The Lodge Bar at Power Plant Live! will host a “Teachers’ Night Out” April 12 from 8 p.m. to midnight. The event will include a live band, “Voodoo Economics,” Baltimore’s premier live 80s experience. A new laptop computer is just one of many prize drawings to be held during the evening.
Also on April 12 there will be two convention Masses held at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Baltimore, at 12:10 p.m. and 4:45 p.m. There will also be a prayer chapel available for participants on the third floor of the Baltimore Convention Center.
Sports and Catholic Values Day will be held April 12. This event will focus on the significant role of sports in Catholic schools. Speakers from across the country will talk about connecting coaches to mission, incorporating spirituality into the athletic program, and Monday night football and moral theology. As a follow up to the sessions, conventioneers are invited to visit the Sports Legends Museum and Oriole Park at Camden Yards to watch the Orioles take on Kansas City.
Archdiocesan schools are sponsoring “I Got Fit at NCEA.” On the morning of April 10, a walking tour of Baltimore’s Inner Harbor will start from each of the NCEA sponsored hotels. The following morning a different aerobic activity session will take place in many hotels.
Tours have been planned for interested participants, including the Discover Baltimore tour, Historic Homes tour, an Easter Cruise, Washington, D.C., tour and a tour of Annapolis. For more information on these tours and other events, visit www.archbalt.org/ncea2007.