Spring Programs A Catholic Perspective of Immigration Reform (Part 1) Immigration attorneys, Royal F. Berg and Charles Roth will speak on immigration reform from a Catholic perspective and discuss the complex issues. They will talk about the progress that has been made in immigration policy reform as well as setbacks, as evidenced in current anti-immigration enforcement laws in Arizona, Indiana, and Oklahoma; and a statute in Michigan that prohibits refugees and foreign nationals on valid student and work visas from obtaining drivers licenses.
Everything is Grace: The Life and Way of Thérèse of Lisieux Everything is Grace is a penetrating study of St.Thérèse’s life and spirituality. With skill and obvious dedication, Brother Joseph Schmidt charts the interior life of one of the most influential saints of modern times. He has written an insightful, fresh interpretation of Thérèse’s transformation from an overly sensitive, self preoccupied person to one who abandoned herself in trust to a merciful God. The story is an immense drama of the human heart, but told on the small stage of one young woman’s life. Please bring a copy of the book with you to all sessions. Available in the St. Peter’s Book & Gift Shop for $16.95. ISBN: 978-1-59325-095-9.
Bible Study with Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, OFM Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld leads discussion on the Scripture readings for the coming Sunday. The texts are provided. You are welcome to attend every week or only as you are able.
Our Sacred Life Stories- Part II Spiritual Direction looks at our longing for a loving God in suffering and chaos as well as in the beautiful and tranquil. Sr. Fran Sulzer will use real life to stories to invite us to be aware of our own growth in love.
Prayer for Peace DVD Release Event DVD and CD release event of Prayer for Peace, a live recording of the concert performed in the Upper Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi at the 2007 International Festival for Peace. The title work is a composition by Fr. Robert Hutmacher, OFM, for string orchestra, performed by I Solisti di Perugia; the six movements take listeners from peace through war and back into peace. This stirring music is enhanced by images from the frescoes of Giotto in the Basilica. DVD’s and CD’s will be available for purchase. Join us for the U.S. premiere of this work by our own Fr. Bob!
A Catholic Perspective of Immigration Reform (Part 2) The U.S. government detains over 280,000 people a year at a cost of 1.2 billions dollars a year. Approximately the same number are deported each year. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Chertoff has announced plans to detain and deport even more immigrants this year. Immigrants in detention include families, both documented and undocumented, asylum seekers, survivors of torture, and other vulnerable groups including pregnant women, children and seriously ill individuals. About half of those in detention have no criminal record at all. Sixty immigrants have died in the last four years in immigration custody, including a young asylum seeker from Algeria, found dead in her cell in Woodstock, Illinois. Chicago Immigration attorney Royal F. Berg will speak on the harm being done to immigrants and their families under the current detention and deportation laws and what needs to be done to move forward with immigration reform.
The Kingdom Within: The Inner Meaning of Jesus’ Sayings By showing how Jesus’ teachings relate to our inner depths, this book guides us toward a more conscious and creative life. The Kingdom Within explores the significance of Jesus’ teachings for our interior life - that inner reality that Jesus called “the kingdom of God.” It is the author’s conviction that contemporary Christianity has overlooked this inner dimension of Jesus’ teachings and so has lost touch with the human soul. Please bring a copy of the book with you to all sessions. Available in the St. Peter’s Book & Gift Shop for $14.95; ISBN: 978-0-06-067054-2.
Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light Last year, some ten years after her death, Mother Teresa was very much in the news because of this book. A kind of spiritual (auto) biography, Come Be My Light combines long excerpts from her letters and other private papers together with an explanation and a narrative line provided by Father Brian Kolodiejchuk, M.C., a Canadian priest and member of one of the religious orders founded by Mother Teresa. It reveals a facet and a depth to her never seen or even suspected during her long life and many years in the spotlight - a spiritual life plunged into darkness almost from the beginning of her work in Calcutta’s slums. In this study we will set aside all that others have said about her and this remarkable book, and will see her and hear her for ourselves. Please bring a copy of the book with you to all sessions. Available in the St. Peter’s Book & Gift Shop for $22.95; ISBN:978-0-385-52037-9.
Repair My House It’s all about relationships! But how we handle the stress of daily hassles and life transitions can make these relationships better or worse. Learn practical and common sense skills to lower stress and develop more effective and satisfying relationships.
The Belle of Amherst Julie Harris stars in this 1976 film production of the Tony-Award winning play by William Luce, The Belle of Amherst. A one-woman dramatization of Emily Dickenson set against the backdrop of Dickenson’s 19th century Amherst, Massachusetts home. This story offers unique insight into the life, loves, and inspirations of one of America’s greatest literary figures.
The Power of Forgiveness The film examines the role forgiveness can play in alleviating anger and grief, as well as the physical, mental and spiritual benefits that come with forgiveness. It combines character-driven stories about the most dramatic transgressions imaginable with other stories that feel more familiar, more understandable to the viewer. The DVD is 78 minutes in length which we will view in its entirety over these two afternoons allowing time for discussion at each session.
Water – A Franciscan Look at It! Every person, every living thing needs water. Without water we die. We transport goods on it. We grow crops with it. We use it as a chemical solvent. We generate electricity with it. We recreate in and on it. We breathe its vapor. Do we treasure it? Do we misuse it? Do we think of it as a gift from God? Retired biology professor and Franciscan Friar Fr. John Ostdiek invites us look at these questions and shares A Franciscan perspective on this life giving element.
Introduction to the Bible (Part II) Tuesday, May 27 - Twenty-one of the New Testament’s twenty-seven works are letters. Among the authors of these letters, Paul towers over all others for his influence and power. We will look at the works of this man who has been termed Christianity’s “second founder.” First we’ll look at the man himself; trying to reconstruct the great influences upon him – his Hellanistic Judaism, his pharisaism and his call to be an apostle of the movement he once persecuted.
The Garden Way to God This series arises out of Fr. Bob's experience in gardening and the lessons he has learned there over the years. The lessons began in his grandma's garden in Wicker Park, the Franciscan novitiate garden in Teutopolis, and after a pause of some years, continued for twenty years in a patio in New Orleans, French Quarter. Fr. Bob is still listening and learning in his friary garden at Holy Evangelists Friary on North Avenue.
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