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Retreat Review: The ONE% Challenge Retreat
Retreat Review: The ONE% Challenge Retreat (First of Three) Facilitator: Peter Andrastek, Senior Parish Consultant of Evangelical Catholic Inc. Peter leads the parish mission of the Evangelical Catholic. He holds a Master of Theological Studies in Pastoral Theology from Ave Maria University. He has worked in adult formation in the Church since 2003. His experience includes preaching retreats, teaching theology and adult catechesis courses, and giving presentations and trainings for numerous parishes, dioceses, movements, and institutions in the Church. He currently advises over 30 EC Parish and Diocesan Alliances and Associates nationwide. He lives in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin with his wife and seven children.[1] Where: St. John the Baptist Church, Dry Ridge Road, Cincinnati, Ohio When: 7-9 p.m., Sunday, March 11, 2018 Other Details: The first of three evening retreats on life, prayer, and faith. Designed to kick-start a greater movement of the Holy Spirit in your life and community. The evening started with an introduction by Amanda Weickert, our Pastoral Associate for Faith Formation. She mentioned that this would be a deepening of our relationship with God. She introduced Peter as a husband and father of seven children. Peter stood up and addressed the group. He looked to be…
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Lecture Review: Evolution and the Catholic Faith
Lecture Review: Evolution and the Catholic Faith (Fifth Annual Conway Lecture) Lecturer: Stephen M. Barr, a University of Delaware physics professor, author, Bartol Research Institute member and president of the Society of Catholic Studies. Barr is a frequent lecturer on the topic of science and religion, and is the author of Modern Physics and Ancient Faith (2003) and The Believing Scientist: Essays on Science and Religion (2016). He was awarded the Benemerenti Medal by Pope Benedict XVI in 2007 for exemplary service to the Church. Where: University of Cincinnati McMicken Hall, room 127 When: 7-8:30 p.m., Wednesday, March 7, 2018 Other Details: Fifth Annual Conway Lecture presented by Catholic Studies of University of Cincinnati. Free and open to the public. The Conway lecture is named in honor of Ruth J. and Robert A. Conway, who donated $2 million to establish the chair in Catholic studies at UC. M.C. was Jeff Zalar. Housed within the Department of History in the College of Arts and Sciences, the Program in Catholic Studies explores the history, spirituality, literary and artistic traditions, and contemporary significance of Roman Catholicism. Through interdisciplinary teaching, student mentorship, and public lectures, it fosters greater understanding of Catholic beliefs, culture, and…
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Books I Read: January 2016
A list of books and short stories I read in January 2016.
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A Writer Who Does Not Write
I am a writer who does not write. Why? Oh, I have many excuses. I always say I will get around to it someday. I guess, the truth is, I doubt my own ability. One thing for sure, I read a lot. For the last three years, I have voraciously read hundreds of books. However, reading and writing are two different things. It is like eating and cooking, some people prepare the meals and others just enjoy it. Nevertheless, the problem is, I want to be a writer. I even tell myself that I should be a writer. Perhaps it is just discipline. Maybe what is needed is just taking the plunge and letting the words just pour out… I am sure I am not alone with these feelings. In this day and age anyone can be a writer. But, I don’t want to be just a writer, I want to be a good writer, there’s the rub as they say. This desire to be a good writer paralyzes me and keeps me from being a writer. Nothing ventured, nothing gained as they say. So tonight, I decided to just sit down and write. Okay, I have posted a few…
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Abraham Lincoln: Helping a Friend, Not Enabling
I just finished reading Speeches and Letters of Abraham Lincoln and I want to comment on one letter that particularly stood out to me. It was a letter that Abe Lincoln wrote to John D. Johnston on January 2, 1851. Abe is responding to a friend in need request. It appears John needs money, again. Now most of us at one time or another has been faced with this moral dilemma. What should you do? Abe really wants to help. So he tells his friend what he thinks is the root of his problem. “You are not lazy, and still you are an idler. I doubt whether, since I saw you, you have done a good whole day’s work in any one day. You do not very much dislike to work, and still you do not work much, merely because it does not seem to you that you could get much for it.” He goes on to tell him to get a job, and that he will match him dollar for dollar what he would earn for the next few months. This will help him get out of debt and build a good habit that will be good for him…
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My History with The Great Conversation
The Great Conversation is the first book of the series The Great Books of the Western World. You can find it in the reference section of most libraries. To understand my relationship with this collection, a little personal history is required. I was an Electronics Vocational student in high school that graduated in the bottom third of his class. Not a great start, but I graduated. I went on to enroll in an Electronics Engineering degree program. I did great my first trimester, earning a 4.0. This boosted my confidence and I went into the second trimester thinking this is easy. Unfortunately, most of the first trimester was over what I had learned in two years of high school vocational studies. The real challenge was just beginning and I did not have the discipline and study skills to succeed. My grades quickly plummeted and I dropped out. Shortly thereafter, I attended the Ohio State Fair and they had a booth selling the Encyclopedia Britannica. Now this being 1982, Al Gore had not yet invented the internet and I did not have Wikipedia at my disposal. With a little coaxing I was convinced to purchase the complete set of the Encyclopedia…
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From Television Addict To Book Addict
Around the middle of last year, I made a life changing decision. I realized I was watching too much television and it was affecting me in a negative way. I was recording over twenty shows per season on my DVR cable box. This would require me to watch for to five hours of shows every day. I became more and more frustrated and irritable. I would just shut out the rest of the world and watch TV. This all changed when I started reading again. I have always loved to read. I used to be a very avid reader. However, life got in the way and I stopped reading. Most of the books I was reading either applied to work or my gaming hobby. However, books that really made me stop and think, ones that made me question what I really knew; none. One of the first books that got me fired up was “The Epic of Gilgamesh”. Being a Dungeons & Dragons player, this classic piece of literature really hit home for me. Here was a fantastic tale that stimulated my creativity and made me ask questions about what I knew. It was the first time I realized other…