The Pregnancy, Parenting and Adoption Program of Catholic Charities Atlanta is sponsoring “Open and Hospitable Adoption: Creating Relationships That Work,” a one-day conference Nov. 7 focusing on the Catholic response to the issue of open adoption.

Held at The Mansour Center in Marietta, the gathering will feature keynote speaker Jim Gritter, who has worked in the infant adoption field for more than 30 years, as well as a panel of experts to lead sessions such as “Aspirations: What Are We Trying To Accomplish?” and “Hospitality: Welcoming the Stranger.”

The workshop will offer a fundamental understanding of open adoption and discuss how and why it can be used in a variety of situations. Managing differences, impediments and issues between families will also be addressed during the day, and participants will have opportunities for question-and-answer sessions.

The event begins at 8 a.m. with registration and a continental breakfast, followed by the first session at 9 a.m. At noon, lunch will be provided for the attendees before moving into a three-hour afternoon session, which will delve deeper into the challenges and appropriate responses regarding open adoption.

Catholic Charities Atlanta will also be sponsoring a special session the following day, Saturday, Nov. 8, for adoptive families. The gathering will be held at St. Peter Claver School in Decatur and will include sessions such as “The Hospitality of Adoption,” “Facing Our Fears,” and “Making Room for Each Other with Hospitable Language.”

The Saturday workshop will also be led by Gritter, who has hosted nine national conferences on adoption and has authored several books on the topic, including “Adoption Without Fear” and “The Spirit of Open Adoption.”

Participants must register in advance as there will be no on-site registration available. Those who register for the Friday workshop by Sept. 15 will pay $99 per person and those who register after Sept. 15 will pay $125. A continental breakfast, lunch and snacks will be included.

Registration for the Saturday workshop is $35 and includes a continental breakfast and box lunch.

The Mansour Center is located at 995 Roswell St., NE, Marietta. St. Peter Claver School is located at 2560 Tilson Rd., Decatur.