Sharing his love of writing and love of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, our Pastor Rev. Msgr. Martin Muller launched our first session. Msgr. Muller told the crowd he felt called by God to write his latest book that focuses on the Mass. He explained man’s relationship to God and that sacrifice is the natural form of gift-giving. “Think about the value, the importance, the awesomeness of being able to make an offering to the Almighty who is the Son of God Himself,” he said. Msgr. Muller’s talk touched on several elements including the parts of the Mass, the Real Presence, the priesthood of the laity, and how the Mass is rich in ACTS: adoration, contrition, thanksgiving, and supplication.

Parishioner David Anders, Ph.D., who earned his

doctorate in Reformation

history from the University of Iowa in 2002, presented

Why There was a Reformation: The Story You’ve Never Heard.

Anders, Director of Catholic Education and Lifelong

Formation for the diocese, a broadcaster, and writer,

discussed the early Church,

John Calvin, Martin Luther, St. Francis of Assisi, sola

scriptura, and the celebration of the Mass. He said, “The

heart of the Reformation … has to do with how people related to the worship of the

Church and to the authority

structure of the Church.” He pointed out that the relationship

between people and the liturgy is

still important since polls show that people leave the Church

because they “do not know how to relate to the Mass, to the

sacraments, to devotions, to the traditions.” This creates a chal-

lenge: “Today we really do have

a tremendous burden to educate ourselves in the faith to make

sure that we know how to relate to Christ in the liturgy and then

how to explain it and evangelize

our neighbors.” He said, “… to draw people into a relationship

with Christ in the liturgy is, I think, the evangelistic burden of Catholics today and it’s been that

way now for 500 years.”

Pastor Imparts Wisdom on the Mass

The Mass and the Reformation Connection

Our Lady of Sorrows Church

May 2019

ADULT EDUCATION 2018-2019 YEAR IN REVIEW

Rev. Msgr. Martin M. Muller, Pastor

Sharing his love of writing and love of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, our Pastor, Rev. Msgr. Martin Muller, launched our first session. Msgr. Muller told the crowd he felt called by God to write his latest book that focuses on the Mass. He explained man’s relationship to God and that sacrifice is the natural form of gift-giving. “Think about the value, the importance, the awesomeness of being able to make an offering to the Almighty who is the Son of God Himself,” he said. Msgr. Muller’s talk touched on several elements including the parts of the Mass, the Real Presence, the priesthood of the laity, and how the Mass is rich in ACTS: adoration, contrition, thanksgiving, and supplication.

Kent Graeve, OLS Bible study leader, and Adult Education coordinator Frances Smith presented a three part series, Bible Basics. “Reading the Bible and growing in our knowledge in God’s word is not an option,” Graeve said. Referring to Rev. 3:16 he said, “The challenge for us… is not to be luke-warm. We can’t have one foot in the world and one foot pursuing God…. He expects 100-percent commitment.” The series in-cluded a summary of the Old and New Testaments and expanding prayer time. “We can fall in love with scripture, but we won’t fall in love with it if it sits on our shelf,” Graeve said. Smith offered sugges-tions on finding more time for scriptures like: read while children nap, listen to an audio Bible, and join a Bible study.

Insights on India

Our associate pastor Father Balta shared about his home in his talk The Mission in Warangal, Telangana, India.

Prayer and Bible Study

Putting Missionary Discipleship in

action was explored by

Alex Kubik, Coordinator of

Discipleship and Mission for the

diocese: “We all know that there

has to be something in the Church,

someone in the Church that opens

the doors and invites people in.”

Kubik said that Bishop Robert

Baker’s method is Called. Formed.

Sent: one must listen and discern,

undergo formation of the head,

heart, and habits, and then go into

the community to share the good

news of Jesus.

Catholic View of Marriage

Page 2 Our Lady of Sorrows Church

David Anders, PhD, shared thoughts from his new book The Catholic Church Saved My Marriage. The book, in part, describes how he and his wife transformed marital despair to marital bliss after their conversion to the faith. He explained the two valid forms of marriage according to the Church, the difference between the Protestant and Catholic views on marriage, and the purpose of marriage. Anders said his goal in writing the book was to show the relevance of 2,000 years of the Church regarding “the nature of marriage and how it fits into the plan of the Church and our path to heaven.”

Missionary Discipleship

Parishioner Michael Blackstone pondered

Faith: Why Bother? covering points including Satan’s

plan, individual excuses, and contemporary challenges.

“Everything that we do, everything that we look at we are

feeding ourselves…. We will become that which we love,” he

said discussing moral character. He suggested reflecting

on how one uses suffering and stressed the

importance of prayer. He encouraged everyone to expand

their knowledge of the faith.

Kent Graeve’s

Prayer Time Tips

Be open to the Holy Spirit’s guidance

Praise the Lord

Make an act of contrition

Express gratitude

Offer petitions

Come to the scriptures

Mercy in the Womb

Writer and broadcaster Ellen Marie Edmonds

unveiled a new devotion, Divine Mercy in the Womb Chaplet and Novena, which can con-nect us to intimacy with the heart of Jesus in the womb of the Virgin Mary. “It focuses on His first heartbeat instead of His passion on the cross,” she said. The chaplet is “in the moment of joy” she said. “I wanted to bring a consolation to her sorrowful heart.”

MISSED A TALK?

CDS ARE AVAILABLE IN THE

CHURCH VESTIBULE AND OFFICE.

Protestant vs Catholic: One Bible Verse is All the Difference was presented by parishioner Melvin Upchurch, a convert from Southern Baptist. He covered the two major theological differences between Catholics and Protestants, the New Testament (particularly Matthew 16), the Church Fathers, and the creation of the Bible.

Cathy Fehr and Gwyn Moore presented their reflections on Stations of the Cross with an Examination of Conscience, a book by their friend Janice Nelson. They said the book is a contemplative approach to the stations. “... we all come into this journey to grow closer to God,” Moore said. The book includes photographs of the stations at the Cathedral of St. Paul, a meditation, and questions for an examination of conscience.

A Tale of Two Saints

Page 3

Parishioner and EWTN producer John Elson presented newly translated letters of Padre Pio saying the collection reveals an insight into the saint’s spiritual personality. Elson said that Padre Pio was spiritual direc-tor to 50 women to whom he could write but could not speak with. Elson said that between 1915 and 1923 Padre Pio wrote 686 letters on spiritual topics. The translation is called Padre Pio of Pietrelcina Letters, Vol. III. Elson also spoke of St. Manuel González García. The saint had a great love for the Eucharist and discovered that his mission in life was to encourage people to visit and engage with Jesus who had been abandoned in tabernacles.

Stations Meditations

End-of-Life Decisions:

A Catholic Perspective

Parishioner Jean-François Pittet, M.D., has practiced critical care medicine for over 40 years. There are many difficult decisions to be made when a loved one reaches the end of life. The Catholic Church teaches some basic principles, but a lot of questions are not specifically addressed. Dr. Pittet addressed those issues.

Learning about the Catechism

The history, structure, and usefulness of the Catechism of the Catholic Church were covered by Daniel McCormick, the Director of the Office of Religious Education for the diocese. He explained the importance of the catechism: “If we’re living the Christian life – parents, grandparents, Godparents, uncles, nephews, brothers, sisters – there’s going to be some part of our life that’s going to be a little catechetical where we’re bearing witness to what the Church teaches about Jesus Christ in what we’re saying and in what we’re doing.”

OLS member Bob Henger

discussed his book, Treasures of

Catholicism: The Christian Life

which he is using to evangelize.

Topics include: God’s will, science

and religion, family life, and

Catholicism in the 21st Century.

Seeking Answers with Anima Series

In the three-part Anima video and discussion series, we

explored how God's plan for the world gives everyone

dignity and purpose. In part one, Crux, we became

more aware of signs in ordinary life which can point

to God's greater plan for our salvation. Part two,

Kenosis (Greek for ‘emptying’) explored Jesus’ act of

emptying Himself to become human . We’re

encouraged to take part in Christ’s sacrifice by

permitting our pain to open our hearts to greater mercy

for others. Part three, Blaze, offered a new perspective

on Pentecost and the sacraments. Blaze refers to the

fire of the Holy Spirit. We’re all to explore what it

means to be Christ's presence on earth and use

practical ways, like volunteering, to be active members

of His Body. The series is available on formed.org.

Prepare, Pray, Reflect

Preparing for the Savior: Advent and Holy Land Reflections was presented by Frances Smith and included a history of Advent. She led the group in scripture readings and prayers from the Annunciation through Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem. The session was illustrated by some of her photographs of the Holy Land. A list of saints of Advent was included.

Questions Asked & Answered

Faith questions were answered by David Anders, PhD, who took part in Ask Dr. Anders. He answered questions about original sin, spiritual directors, the Creed, Godparents, the springtime of evangelization, and more. His answers combined his knowledge of Church history and doctrine, scripture, wisdom of saints, and Protestantism, along with his personal experience and reflection.

The Man and the Shroud

The mystery of the Shroud of Turin was explored during

a discussion led by parishioners John Brouillette and

Frances Smith. The shroud is a long linen cloth bearing

the image of a crucified man that many believe is Jesus

of Nazareth. The talk covered the shroud’s history,

photographic revelations, and scientific examinations.

Brouillette, who saw the shroud in Turin in 2010,

explained in photographic terms why it is captivating:

“… it’s the only negative image in the world that exists.”

There was a display of items including a relic, books, and

an Italian newspaper from 2010 when the shroud was last

viewed publicly. Smith said the Church has not declared

the authenticity of the shroud.

Truth be Told

Truth was in the spotlight when James Watts visited. Watts, Director of the Office

of Black Catholic Ministry for the diocese, discussed the Catholic definition of truth, the four types of falsehoods, the difference between morals

and ethics, and the link between reality and truth. He said that love is central to the truth, citing 1 Peter 1:22. Watts offered scenarios highlighting how truth may be viewed by different people in different circumstances.

He also provided a list of Bible verses on truth and quotations on truth from saints and clergy.

Of Saints and Icons

Parishioner and Polish history scholar Jay Flynn presented a study on St. Faustina, the Apostle of Divine Mercy, who shared her visions and messages from Jesus about His gift of Divine Mercy. Flynn also helped us appreciate icons of the early Church by explaining what icons are, their origin and their significance, as well as how they were created. “This is not simply a style of painting,” he remarked. Flynn said that icons started despite some resistance to showing God in art. He noted that icons are excellent examples of depictions of Christ in the early Church.

May the greatness of Jesus be our Goal “The ways of the Lord are not easy, but we were not created for an easy life, but for great things, for goodness.”

—Pope Benedict XVI “The world offers you comfort, but you were not made for

comfort. You were made for greatness.”