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Second Sunday of the Year
17 January 2009
Praised be Jesus Christ! Now and Forever!
Dear Friends in Christ,
When I arrived at St. Mary’s in June 2001, one of the areas I identified as a pastoral priority was adult education in the faith. Most Catholics stop their formal catechesis around the age of 14 (at their Confirmation), but trying to live as an adult with only an adolescent’s understanding of anything is clearly absurd. For this reason, it is crucial that we continue throughout our lives to study the Gospel and seek always a more mature and complete understanding of the Christian faith and life. During my first year, Adult Sunday School was a regular feature of life at St. Mary’s, but then came the three years when I was the only priest available for all of the English Masses on Sunday morning and was obliged to stop teaching. But the time is at hand to begin again.
Beginning Sunday 8 February 2009, we will resume Adult Sunday School each Sunday morning from 9.30 to 10.30 am in McGrady Hall in the undercroft of the church. Each week we will spend an hour on various topics of interest to Catholics who want to understand the Gospel more deeply. Sacred Scripture, Church history, the lives of the saints, systematic theology, apologetics, sacred music and liturgy, the documents of popes and councils; these are some of the many areas of Christian faith and life to be explored during Adult Sunday School. I will be the primary teacher during this hour of study each week, but I will also be calling upon others to teach as their schedules permit. We have many exceptional teachers in the parish, and I will call upon them to share their wisdom and knowledge with us in Adult Sunday School. No registration is required, and there are no fees. All parishioners from high school age and up are welcome to attend, but space is limited and McGrady Hall is not easily accessible for those with limited mobility. Because St. Rafka regularly uses Gallivan Hall on Sunday mornings, McGrady Hall is our only option for weekly use, but despite its limitations, I believe we will find it to be a suitable place to meet. If you will be joining us for Adult Sunday School, please bring a Bible each week (a study Bible would be especially useful), and those inclined to take notes are welcome to do so. As the subject matter changes, texts may be recommended by the teacher of a given section, and notice of those texts will be given as needed. Please join us on Sunday 8 February 2009 at 9.30 am for the new edition of Adult Sunday School.Father Newman