Catholicism Course Lesson 2

Last night we held our second night of the Catholicism Course, another good turn out with some new people joining the course. Last night episode focused on the Teachings of Jesus. Fr. Robert Barron highlighted the Beatitudes, the path of non-violence, what it really means to turn the other cheek and our relationship with God as presented to us in the parables that Jesus told. We journeyed with Fr Barron through parts of Poland, Germany, Spain and New York City. Looking at the true beauty of the Catholic Church through the world and the different art and culture helps to really bring the Faith alive to us and for us to see how universal the Catholic Faith is.

Yesterday was the feast day of St Thomas Aquinas, who is one of the Catholic Church's great theologians and a Doctor of the Church. Throughout the Catholicism DVDs Fr Barron refers to some of the great saints in the Catholic Church and in particular he refers quite a bit to St Thomas Aquinas last night. He spoke about how we can detach ourselves from worldly things to come closer to God.

Last week we had the pleasure of having Bishop Elliott and Fr Alexander who were more than happy to answer questions that anyone had. Unfortunately we can't do that every week so we have found our 'Question Box' where people can post their questions each week and we will try to answer them the following week.

We look forward to next week's episode and there is still space if anyone else would like to join us. Just give Ciara an email at spes@stpatricksoho.org

Catholicism Course

Last night we held our first session of the Catholicism Course, which appears to have been a successful night.  The evening began with a short social time and a chance to grab some soup and snacks before the actual presentation began at 7pm.  After a hymn and prayer we started the DVD of Fr Robert Barron.  In this session it was looking at 'the revelation of God become man.'  Fr Robert Barron focused on and explained the conviction of the Catholic Faith that Jesus of Nazareth is the promised Messiah.  He showed how Jesus fulfils the four tasks of the Messiah and how it is proclaimed by the Church.  Once we had watched the DVD we broke off into smaller groups where we could discuss the contents of the DVD, how it spoke to each of us where we are in our lives and work together on answering some questions, including the question that Jesus Himself asked His disciples - 'Who do you say that I am?'  We were joined by Bishop Peter Elliott, Auxiliary Bishop of Melbourne in Australia.  Bishop Elliott and Fr Alexander took some time at the end of the night to answer questions that had arose during the group discussions.

Bishop Elliott answering some questions

Although we have completed the first session of the course we are still allowing others to register.  So if you are interested or know someone who is please email Ciara at spes@stpatricksoho.org

Word on Fire ministries: CATHOLICISM (mid-way point)

What does it mean to be Catholic? If that question is echoing in your head, do not be worried! It is a good sign that suggests we are getting serious about our Faith. Faith is such a gift that we need to hand over to others. And... here we are, between 80 and 100 Catholics and non-Catholics gather together in St. Patricks Community Centre to deepen their Faith or discover the truth every Wednesday (with a one-off session yesterday!). Yes, this program called Catholicism is making headway across parishes and dioceses all over the world – even as you read. It was developed and produced by Word On Fire ministries and is hosted by New Evangelisation advocate Fr. Robert Barron. Each episode of the 10 session course focuses on a specific aspect of the Catholic faith, for example, Jesus is Lord or the communion of saints.

We open the sessiosn with music and prayer, then an introduction is given from Fr. Richard Nesbitt, who is the vocations director to the Diocese of Westminster and also heading the course . Afterward, we watch the film together, which leads on to group discussions – which are an essential part of the pilgrimage of Catholicism. We ae divided into 9 groups for reflection, discussion and passing the Faith onto one another.

The Catechesis, even though really good, is singular in direction. We realise that our Faith is relational, and has vertical and horizontal components. Here, we have lovely group which is pretty much a family in Christ. We have been given the grace to develop our Christian friendships with each other and grow in it. Thanks be to God, people look enthusiastic, are full of spirit; and obviously that is the work of the Holy Spirit that we have been seeing so far. For this reason, we think that the small group sharing is one of the most important aspects of this course.

We are grateful because two weeks ago, Fr. Robert Barron came along to St. Patrick’s. He gave some talks, and a Q and A session to the audiences about the Faith and also some “behind the scene” stories. He talked about His experience involved with this project related with the new evangelisation.What led him to produce this series, he shared,was his concern about the culture of the world, and his desperation about what to do to evangelise. Based on that situation, His friend asked him, “What would you do?”. We might ask that question as well to ourselves, “What would I do to pass on the Faith, Hope and Love of Christ and His Church?”. Let’s think about the small things in our daily life, but we do it with a big heart! God bless...

Carmel

Catholicism-DON'T MISS OUT!!!

Catholicism – An adult’s study formation programme in the Catholic Faith.

Wednesday evenings starting 18 April 2012 at St Patrick’s Church in Soho running for eight consecutive Wednesday’s from 7.00pm – 9.00pm. There will also be one Saturday session in May. We will start to gather from 6.30 pm for light refreshments, giving us a time of fellowship.

Catholicism is a programme of 10 films made by Fr Robert Barron from the Archdiocese ofChicago as part of the “Word on Fire” on-line ministry of Catholic evangelisation (seewww.wordonfire.org). Fr Barron presents a modern-day pilgrimage to places across the globe where God has touched the earth and revealed something of His mystery.

Do you want to understand your faith better? Do you want to equip yourself to explain it to friends and colleagues? Do you want to discover the relevance of your faith in daily life? This study programme will help you to do just that. Sessions combine DVD, catechesis and group discussion to help you understand the Faith thoroughly and apply it to your everyday life.

You are warmly invited to register for the Catholicism series and bring a friend! Please get in touch, for further info and registration, contact: Deanna at stpatcatholicism@gmail.com or on 0207 434 9965.

Watch the trailer for this series here!