Between the 9:30 and 11:30 Masss, get a cup of coffee, a donut, and join in this informal gathering around topics central to Catholicism.
Each presentation will last 30 minutes followed by 15 minutes of Q&A. These sessions are usually on the third Sunday of the month.
See pages 5-6 of the
2010-11 Adult Formation Booklet for a full listing of topics and presenters.
April 10, 2011
“Father, I always wondered why Catholics ….
Presenters: Fr. Mike Bausch & Deacon Pat DiLaura
No question or quandary is too small or insignificant. With candor and frankness, Fr. Mike and Deacon Pat field questions and concerns to help better understand Catholicism and what it means to be a Catholic.
March 20, 2011
Catholic Social Teaching – Taking the Gospel to the Streets
Presenter: Lisa Morris
Inspired by prayer and guided by Catholic Social Teaching, Catholics work toward transformation in the Church and society. With a focus on living the gospel, organizations like Catholic Charities is the largest private network of social service organizations in the United States working to support families, reduce poverty and build communities. With a focus on justice for all, movements like the Catholic Worker have literally taken the gospel “to the streets,” feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the imprisoned, sheltering the homeless, visiting the sick and burying the dead.
February 13, 2011
The Sacraments – Tasting, Touching, Smelling God
Presenter: Marlene Bessette
The seven Sacraments form the framework of Catholic life. Sacraments are the heart of Catholicism and mark key transitions in life. They bring spiritual meaning and power to an individual. Sacraments are physical as well as individual using the physical elements of fire, water, bread, oil and wine to effect spiritual meaning. Each Sacrament has specific form: it uses specific words, is accompanied by a prescribed action and involves the symbolic application of an element.
January 23, 2011
Prayer and Spirituality – The Sensuous Side of
Catholicism: How Catholics Experience God
Presenter: Jeanne Strazzabosco
The spiritual side of Catholicism does not begin with the rational mind. The faith of the Catholic is not something to be proven, it is something to be experienced. Through faith, Catholics open up to the transcendent. The Catholic religion involves feeling, thinking, and being. It is first of all an experience. Then it becomes a thought, and finally Catholicism becomes a response or action. Catholic ritual stimulates the imagination through the senses. Senses connect to our feelings. The stimulation from imagination and feelings leads to spiritual insight. Insight is the voice of God!
November 21, 2010
Liturgy – Our Big Dinner Party
Presenter: Marilyn Steane
More than any other practice, the Mass or Eucharist marks Catholicism. The two parts of the Mass, the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist are reflected in the story of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus the day of Jesus’ resurrection. In the first part of the story, the disciples do not recognize Jesus so he quotes the Hebrew Scriptures about the coming of the messiah. They still do not recognize him, so he sits down to dinner with them, and he blesses and breaks bread. In the breaking of the bread they recognize him!
October 17, 2010
Scripture – The Big Book
Presenter: Dan Brent
The Bible is the sacred book or scriptures of Jews and Christians. As we know it today,
the Bible is divided into two parts. The first part, the Hebrew Scriptures or the Old Testament,
is the written record of the Jewish people from Abraham (1800 B.C.E.) until Maccabees
(168 B.C.E.) The second part of the Christian Bible is the New Testament, which contains
the life and work of Jesus, as well as the faith experience of the early Christians until
about 100 C.E. This session will explore the centrality of scripture in the life of Catholics.
September 19, 2010
Can You Judge a Catholic by the Cover?
Presenter: Ken Zablotny
Can you identify Catholics by how they look, what they believe, or how they act in the world? One way of
answering the question is to point to the great diversity that exists within the religion. Yet, Catholicism also
exists as a distinct culture. There is an “insider-outsider” character to it, which is captured by the language,
rituals, songs, and beliefs of the religion that serves to make Catholics distinct from other groups. “Can you
judge a Catholic by the cover?” is to say sometimes yes and sometimes no.
