No, not the first book of the Bible . . . but where this ministry began ....
It took two seemingly unconnected events to trigger this ministry. The first was the presidential election in 2008. I had been very interested in politics and was so disillusioned by the choices offered that my interest in politics suddenly disappeared and my two hour daily commute became an unfulfilled aural mélange of topics. I was constantly searching for something that would “shorten the drive.”
The second event occurred a few months later when a visitor to my home began to discuss religion. As a cradle Catholic who went to Catechism classes in grammar school, attended a Catholic high school, taught CCD and attended Mass weekly, I was totally unprepared for the trap. I had no idea there existed such disdain and anger toward our church. I was pelted with a barrage of questions, accusations and warnings so intense that I felt I was being assaulted in my own home.
My investigation into being able to respond to this event led to a strong desire to learn more. And the more I searched, two things were apparent. First, I realized how little I knew about my faith and the enemies of our faith; and second, just how amazing our faith is…. Think of a vast jigsaw puzzle with countless pieces where every piece you find fits perfectly to create an infinite mosaic of perfection. The more pieces you find and place in their position, the more beautiful and fulfilling the picture becomes.
The next few years I used my commute to work to listen to Catholic books, talks, and apologists. In one of these, the speaker discussed 1st Peter 3:15, “But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope, but do it with gentleness and reverence.” I realized this verse was a command to defend our faith. But it took the wisdom of our priest, the deacons, and the Pastoral Council at Saints Peter & Paul Church to help fully develop and expand the goal of this ministry to include faith formation and evangelization, aspects of 1st Peter 3:15 that are crucial to achieving true success in sharing the truth. And so the ministry was born.
Studying Catholicism is humbling. As understanding increases, the ratio of what is learned to all that exists decreases. In this earthly life, one will never understand it all. But then again, one will never run out of new captivating facets of our faith.
With that in mind, the purpose of this ministry is, as a community, to worship our Lord & Savior by always being ready to share the truth of our Catholic faith to anyone in a gentle & reverent manner in alignment with the teachings and Magisterium of the Catholic Church.
The second event occurred a few months later when a visitor to my home began to discuss religion. As a cradle Catholic who went to Catechism classes in grammar school, attended a Catholic high school, taught CCD and attended Mass weekly, I was totally unprepared for the trap. I had no idea there existed such disdain and anger toward our church. I was pelted with a barrage of questions, accusations and warnings so intense that I felt I was being assaulted in my own home.
My investigation into being able to respond to this event led to a strong desire to learn more. And the more I searched, two things were apparent. First, I realized how little I knew about my faith and the enemies of our faith; and second, just how amazing our faith is…. Think of a vast jigsaw puzzle with countless pieces where every piece you find fits perfectly to create an infinite mosaic of perfection. The more pieces you find and place in their position, the more beautiful and fulfilling the picture becomes.
The next few years I used my commute to work to listen to Catholic books, talks, and apologists. In one of these, the speaker discussed 1st Peter 3:15, “But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope, but do it with gentleness and reverence.” I realized this verse was a command to defend our faith. But it took the wisdom of our priest, the deacons, and the Pastoral Council at Saints Peter & Paul Church to help fully develop and expand the goal of this ministry to include faith formation and evangelization, aspects of 1st Peter 3:15 that are crucial to achieving true success in sharing the truth. And so the ministry was born.
Studying Catholicism is humbling. As understanding increases, the ratio of what is learned to all that exists decreases. In this earthly life, one will never understand it all. But then again, one will never run out of new captivating facets of our faith.
With that in mind, the purpose of this ministry is, as a community, to worship our Lord & Savior by always being ready to share the truth of our Catholic faith to anyone in a gentle & reverent manner in alignment with the teachings and Magisterium of the Catholic Church.