by SrDeniseSickinger | Mar 31, 2023 | a current event, Ad maiorem Dei gloriam and the salvation of souls!, Education, Evangelization, Events / Calendar, Faith, Formation, FREE Catholic resources, Online Course
Original publication: https://aleteia.org/2023/03/30/free-summer-audit-program-and-life-changing-classes-are-a-gift-to-the-church/ Courtesy of St. Bernard’s Adjunct professor Fr. Peter Van Lieshout Zoe Romanowsky – published on 03/30/23 The COVID shutdown led St. Bernard’s School of Theology and Ministry in Rochester, New York, to find a way to offer formation, education, and hope to students around the world. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, St. Bernard’s School of Theology and Ministry in Rochester, New York, wanted to give back to the community. The school, led by President Dr. Stephen Loughlin and Vice President Dr. Matthew Kuhner, thought there was no better way to do that than to give the gift of learning — to offer formation, education, and hope in an accessible way during a trying time. That’s how the school’s One Free Summer Audit initiative was born. The initiative ended up being so successful, it’s become an important feature of every summer semester. Now in its fourth year, the program continues to attract people from across the country and around the world, last year drawing over 350 auditing students — a 92% increase in participants compared to the year before. Auditors were from Ireland, Hong Kong, Japan, Canada, South Africa, Nigeria, Germany, Italy, Indonesia, and several other countries, as well as Americans from 35...
by SrDeniseSickinger | Jan 24, 2023 | Ad maiorem Dei gloriam and the salvation of souls!, Celebration!, Defend Life, Events / Calendar, Family MInistry, FREE Catholic resources, Marriage and the Family, Prayer Intentions, the Devil
Considering the passing of the recent [DIS]Respect for Marriage Act, I believe it is time that you and I bring this feast day back into a wide and devout practice. Click here for story of a marriage saved and the prayer that saved it. Did you know that in 1969, Governor Ronald Reagan of California made what he later admitted was one of the biggest mistakes of his political life? He signed the nation’s first no-fault divorce bill. And the result? Today we see a steady crumbling of the foundation of all social structures—marriage and the family. For many Fatima devotees this comes as no surprise; Our Lady warned of a “great chastisement in the second half of the twentieth century.” As a confirmation of this prophecy, Sr. Lucia wrote the following in a letter to her dear friend, Cardinal Carlo Caffarra in 1983 or 1984: “Father, a time will come when the decisive battle between the kingdom of Christ and Satan will be over marriage and the family. And those who will work for the good of the family will experience persecution and tribulation. But do not be afraid, because Our Lady has already crushed his head.” My friend, can...
by SrDeniseSickinger | Jan 18, 2022 | a current event, Accompaniment, Ad maiorem Dei gloriam and the salvation of souls!, Blessed Sacrament, Don Bosco, Francis de Sales, FREE Catholic resources, Online Course, Salesian Family, Salesian Saints, Salesian Spirituality, Sanctity, Spiritual Life, Spirituality Days
Saint Francis de Sales inspiring paths of holiness (ANS – Rome) – During the Spirituality Days of the Salesian Family 2022, dedicated to the spiritual and pastoral study of the Rector Major’s Strenna centered on St. Francis de Sales, Fr. Pierluigi Cameroni, Postulator General for the Causes of Saints of the Salesian Family, offered a contribution that highlights how “our journey to holiness and the promotion of the Causes of Beatification and Canonization of our Salesian Family draw great inspiration and strong motivation from him.” In fact, from his person and his doctrine emanate an impression of rare fullness, demonstrated in the serenity of his intellectual research, but also in the richness of his affections, in the “sweetness” of his teachings that have had a great influence on the Christian conscience. One could say, then, that Francis de Sales, both in his most representative works (Introduction to the Devout Life and Treatise on the Love of God) and in his continuous pastoral praxis, presents himself on the scene of the history of the Church as one of the most representative forerunners of what Vatican II calls the “universal vocation to holiness” (chapter 5 of the Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium). In his major works,...
by SrDeniseSickinger | Dec 2, 2021 | a current event, Advent, books, Christmas, FREE Catholic resources
What will happen when the bell tolls? Don’t be haunted by the Ghost of Christmas Past!This season, we have a special gift for you – a first-of-its-kind audio Advent calendar. Bringing you world-class audio entertainment fit for the whole family, The Merry Beggars’ debut at Relevant Radio is an exclusive audio series of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” Join your favorite characters from the timeless classic, brought to life by professional actors and exceptional sound design.Click and gain access to The Merry Beggars site. There you can get the series, explore other exciting content and subscribe just like your favorite streaming services – except this one is FREE!GET THE SERIES! New episodes of A Christmas Carol will drop daily from December 1st until the 25th. Be sure to sign up and subscribe today!God bless us, every one!Your Friends at Relevant Radio The Relevant Radio® Mission: Bringing Christ to the world through the media© 2021 Relevant Radio,...
by SrDeniseSickinger | Nov 3, 2021 | a current event, Accompaniment, Ad maiorem Dei gloriam and the salvation of souls!, FREE Catholic resources, God's Word, Online Course, Sacred Scripture
Join us on a 2-week guided reading journey through the Catholic Church’s central document on divine revelation! NOVEMBER 8th – 19th, 2021 Vatican II’s document on revelation, known by the first two words of the Latin text Dei Verbum, the “Word of God,” is of signal importance in the life of the Church, since it speaks of the process by which God communicates to his people. The entire purpose of this communication is to draw us into friendship with God. What could be more significant for all believers, but especially for teachers, catechists, theologians, and preachers? It also has great significance for those embarked on the Church’s mission of evangelization. The council fathers recognized the need for a renewal when it came to reading and appreciating the Bible. They called for greater study of the Bible among laypeople, placing the Scriptures more fully at the center of the liturgy, and making the sacred writings the “soul of sacred theology” (DV 24). But that dream is still, I believe, largely unrealized. In point of fact, when we consult the numerous studies of the ever-increasing army of the religiously unaffiliated, we discover that the Bible is often a prime reason why people, especially...
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