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Current Schedule
Busy Catholic's Guide to Advent
Tuesday, November 22. 7:00-8:00pm.
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Program Descriptions
Busy Catholic's Guide to Advent
Advent is a time of joyful expectation, of waiting and preparing for Christmas.
For Christians, Advent is a time when we wait like the ancient Hebrews for the coming of the Messiah. We are preparing to celebrate the incarnation of God in the person of Jesus Christ, born as a baby in Bethlehem.
But Advent, like Christmas, is a also a time to remember the various ways in which the risen Christ is present to us today, and to anticipate his final coming at the end of the world.
This discussion reviews:
• the origin and purpose of Advent.
• various components of Advent observance.
• traditional Advent devotions like the Advent Wreath.
• opportunities for Advent study and prayer in the parishes.
Busy Catholic's Guide to All Saints and All Souls
The first two days of November are special times when Catholics celebrate the feasts of All Saints and All Souls. These feasts are based on the Catholic concept of the Communion of Saints and the Catholic understanding of the afterlife -- the conviction that human existence transcends the limits of time and space.
On these days, Catholics remember those who have gone before us on this earth and anticipate our future reunion with them in eternity.
This discussion reviews:
• Catholic veneration of the saints
• the Communion of Saints
• the "End Times"--Heaven, Hell and Purgatory
• historical development of All Saints and All Souls Day
Busy Catholic's Guide to the Bible
Almost every religious tradition has a set of official documents or scriptures which explain the origin, history, and principles of that tradition.
For Christians, this document is called "Holy Scripture" or "the Bible."
The Bible is divided into two main parts: the "Old Testament" (sometimes called the Hebrew Testament or Pre-Christian Testament) which explains the Christian tradition's roots in the Jewish experience pre-dating the birth of Jesus Christ; and the "New Testament" (or Christian Testament) which relates the early Christian community's memories of the the life, death and resurrection of Jesus and the experiences of the first Christian communities.
This discussion reviews:
• the origin of Christian Scriptures
• how Catholics understand and read the Bible
• how Catholics use Scripture in public worship and private prayer
• the difference between Catholic and non-Catholic bibles
Busy Catholic's Guide to Changes in the Church
What happened to Limbo? ... or Purgatory? How has the church's understanding of Mortal Sin or the Devil changed?
Older Catholics especially may wonder about some of the things which they learned as children but don't hear much about these days--things like limbo, purgatory, mortal sin, and the devil. This discussion will examine what the church teaches about these subjects, and the reasons why the Church's understanding or teaching has changed in recent years.
This discussion reviews:
• how Scripture and Tradition shape Church teaching
• why Church teaching and understanding change and develop over time
• how the Church understanding of things like Limbo, Purgatory, Mortal Sin and the Devil seems to have
changed
• what the Church teaches about these topics today
Busy Catholic's Guide to the Easter Season
Easter is the most important and joyful event in the church's liturgical year; it celebrates the most important mystery in the church's faith--the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
The resurrection convinced the disciples of what they had begun to suspect, that Jesus was more than an ordinary teacher or prophet. Their encounters with the risen Lord convinced them that he was, in fact, the Divine presence in their midst. The whole Christian faith is rooted in this conviction; as St. Paul wrote, if Jesus was not raised from the dead our faith is in vain.
This discussion reviews:
• the meaning of Easter
• how the church celebrates the Easter season
• what Catholics believe about the resurrection
• why the resurrection is central to our faith.
Busy Catholic's Guide to Faith
In the past, believers tended to take faith for granted. While they might have been challenged to defend what they believed, they were not generally challenged to explain why they believed. Today, religiousd faith is often suspect, and believers are often challenged by family members, friends and acquaintances to explain why they believe and what difference faith makes in their lives.
This discussion reviews:
• the nature of faith and how it works in our lives
• the relationship between faith and knowledge
• how faith grows and matures over time
• how growing in faith is sometimes mistaken for losing faith
Busy Catholic's Guide to Holy Week
Holy Week is the heart of the Church’s liturgical year. It celebrates the central mystery of the Christian faith -- the Paschal Mystery by which Jesus Christ passed from life...through death...to new life.
Although Holy Week encompasses several days--Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday--in effect the Christian community is commemorating one single event, a sequence of sacred moments, which represent the redemption of humankind and the reclamation of God’s Creation.
This discussion reviews:
• the origin and history of Holy Week.
• the significance of the various events of Holy Week.
• highlights of the Holy Week liturgy.
• suggestions on how to experience Holy Week in the midst of a busy life.
Busy Catholic's Guide to Lent
Lent is a period of 40 days (not counting Sundays) prior to Easter. It is the time during which new converts are preparing to join the Church and baptized Christians are preparing to renew their baptismal promises at the Easter Vigil.
Lent is the time each year when we stop to examine if we are living as disciples of Jesus Christ, dying to self so that others might know God’s love.
It is a penitential season, a time for repentance and spiritual renewal, shaped by prayer, fasting and abstinence, charity, and study.
This discussion reviews:
• the origin and purpose of Lent.
• various components of lenten observance.
• traditional lenten devotions like the Stations of the Cross.
• opportunities for Lenten study and prayer in the parishes.
Busy Catholic's Guide to the Mass
The Second Vatican Council called the Mass the “source and summit” of Catholic life because it is the primary way in which we are called together to remember, celebrate and live the great mystery by which we are joined in communion to the Body of Christ.
Still, many Catholics complain that Sunday Mass is boring, irrelevant, too long, “the same old thing” week after week. Even Catholics who are in the habit of attending Mass every week sometimes wonder why the Mass is so important and how it shapes our lives as a Catholic community and as individual Catholics.
This discussion reviews:
• the origin of the Mass
• the structure of the Mass
• how the Mass has changed over the years.
• how to appreciate the Mass
Busy Catholic's Guide to Prayer
Prayer is a fundamental component of our lives as people of faith. It is the way in which we experience, express and nurture our living relationship with the God.
It’s easy to become discouraged about prayer if we have the wrong expectations about what prayer should be or how “to do it.”
The key to prayer is realizing that it doesn’t depend so much on what we say or do, but on the quality of the relationship we have with Jesus -- our ability to listen, to be vulnerable, and to trust.
This discussion reviews:
• the nature of prayer.
• different types and styles of prayer.
• how prayer changes over the years.
• how to develop a pattern or habit of prayer.
Busy Catholic's Guide to Raising Catholic Children
The Church calls families the "Domestic Church" and recognizes parents "the first witnesses" of faith to their children. It's the Church's way of indicating that nothing is more important to a child's faith than the example and experience provided in the home.
Although times have changed, and our culture does not nurture religious faith as it did in the past, parents can still raise children who experience, understand and practice their faith.
This discussion reviews:
• how children's faith grows and develops
• the four ways children "learn" faith
• how parents contribute to their children's faith development at different stages
• what children should learn and when they should learn it.
Busy Catholic's Guide to Reconciliation and Confession
If your first confession was your last ... if you can’t remember how long it’s been since your last confession ... if you’re confused, afraid, uncomfortable ... or just plain don’t know how or why Catholics celebrate the Sacrament of Penance, here’s an opportunity to learn more about the important role this Sacrament plays in our personal and spiritual lives.
Although the form of the Sacrament has changed over the centuries, at the heart of this Sacrament is always our experience of God’s mercy and love.
This discussion reviews:
• the origin and history of the Sacrament of Penance.
• Why, when and how Catholics celebrate this Sacrament.
• Why, when and how to confess your sins privately to a priest.
• How to prepare and what to say when you go to Confession.
Busy Catholic's Guide to Sharing Our Faith
Every baptized person is called to be a witness to their faith in Jesus Christ.
The best witness is always one’s behavior or actions, which often give silent but powerful testimony to what we believe. But often it is helpful--and many times necessary--to explain our faith in words as well as deeds.
People who are curious, skeptical or discouraged about the Catholic faith not only want to know what we believe, but why we believe it; more importantly, they want to know what difference it makes in our lives.
This discussion reviews:
• the challenges of sharing faith.
• the difference between evangelizing and proselytizing.
• when and how to share your faith.
• how to address specific issues and questions.
Last Update: 02.06.21