Hi, Thank you for supporting the growth of your youth’s faith through sending him/her on the Divine Mercy Junior High Deanery Retreat. It is vitally important for youth to experience an encounter with Christ, a profound and tangible experience of Christ and His love. While there are many opportunities in the Mass and everyday life to experience such an encounter, this retreat will help guide the youth to experience a personal encounters through the mercy of God. The retreat draws from Fr.…
On the issue of contraception, the three major branches of Christianity hold varying opinions rooted within their respective interpretations of sexual expression, marriage, and the commandment, “Thou Shalt Not Murder”. In order to understand each branch’s stance on the utilization of contraceptives as a moral issue, I will explore all three branch’s stance on the purpose of sex. The nuanced differences within their interpretations will reveal unique implications within each branch’s position on…
After attending the annual Pope John Paul II Lecture on Social Justice, I found that many interesting points were raised that I never considered before. Although America prides itself as the land of opportunity, it seems as if our individualistic culture has prevented us from resolving various issues that have had detrimental impacts on families in the United States and around the world. For instance, I really liked how Sister Mary Beth compared the progression of society to the release dates…
Thesis: Through inculturation and different interpretations of Christianity, the church is catholic or universal. In order for the church to be catholic, it must be able to spread the Gospel with respect to cultural diversities. Culture is the beliefs, customs, and arts of a particular society. The Catholic faith is central to many of the world’s cultures. Yet, through inculturation, the Catholic faith is lived differently in each culture (classroom notes 10-13). In Shusaku Endo’s book,…
There are many people and religious sects that resemble the Scribes and Pharisees from when Jesus was walking the earth. Even though there is plenty of evidence of the events that took place some two thousand years ago, people and religious groups do not believe they had taken place. Some groups that could resemble the Pharisees and Scribes of today lack some of the attributes of the teachers of the past. When Jesus was dealing with the questions of the different religious sects of the day, He…
interpretation of the Church’s teaching on this matter, heavily building on ideas of one of his predecessors, Pope John Paul II. One can see the how Pope John Paul II influenced Ouellet’s work through examining Ouellet’s accounts of the sacramentum tantum, res et sacramentum and res tantum of marriage. In looking at Ouellet’s account of the sacramentum tantum, one can see how Pope John Paul II work influenced Ouellet. The sacramentum tantum is the sign that causes and is not itself caused…
When reflecting on my life’s path and my position within the groups I identify as a member of, it is an interesting and worthwhile task to explore how they are directly situated within the web of oppression. While I like to consider myself as an individual who strives to live in accordance with values that nurture a sense of inclusivity and peace, it would be ignorant for me to believe that the groups in which I belong have historically advocated for similar virtues. Whether it be my family…
In Europe, from 1450 to 1700 about half of the population were labeled as poor. To be considered poor one must have the bare minimum to be able to maintain life. The amount of people living in poverty increased, during times of war, famine, and plagues, up to eighty percent of a region’s population. In Europe between 1450 to 1700, the poor were approached in many different ways, based on other’s sympathy or disdains; these included compassion, intolerance, and appealing for disciplinary actions…
With the help of Pope John Paul II, it was published in 1992 (“The Catechism”). The years of 1991 and 1992, especially in the United States, marked significant changes in the role of women. Six women were granted seats in the U.S. Senate during the 1992 election, leading the…
In the Catholic Church, one learns that divorced members of the Church who remarry, without the previous marriage being annulled, are forbidden to participate sacramentally in the Church, including participation in the Sacrament of Reconciliation and more importantly, not being able to receive the Holy Eucharist. They are also not allowed to hold positions of leadership in the parish or public ministerial roles such as Eucharistic Minister or Lector. Because of this exclusion and ostracization,…