Sacred Scripture, Church History & Catechism Studies

Beginning this fall 2010 an exciting collecton of classes is being offered in Sacred Scripture, Church History, and the Catechism of the Catholic Church.  An impressive array of Great Adventure Bible studies and the Denver Catholic Biblical School classes are available to help you grow in your faith and understanding of the Bible and the Catechism.  EPIC – Church history - Christ centered and honoring all the Popes, great saints and doctors of the Church, is also being offered. 

Great Adventure Bible Studies

These classes are open to everyone, it is not necessary to have taken the beginning Timeline class.  If you are new to the Great Adventure series, we suggest taking the 24 week Bible Timeline class as that covers the entire Bible focusing on the salvation story found in 14 narrative books.  This Timeline class would be excellent for those with children in the 3^rd grade Great Adventure for Kids classes that start this fall.  The Great Adventure Kids is a dynamic new learning system designed to teach children the story of the Bible in a fun and interactive manner; for more information contact Donna Gaffney.  The cost for any of these classes covers the student workbook.  Each class is a combination of individual reading, group discussion and a video presentation by Jeff Cavins or Dr. Tim Gray.

 The Bible Timeline is the first foundational study in The Great Adventure Bible Study Series. It is basic enough to suit those who haven't studied the Bible before, while at the same time offering ways to go deeper that will challenge the Bible study veteran.

 1st Corinthians covers the conflicts of the early Christians in Corinth and in many ways it is similar to our struggles today as Christians. With divisions, immorality, persecution, and other trials of the faithful, the message of St. Paul to the Corinthians is a much-needed message for our own times.

 Acts is the third Step in The Great Adventure Bible Foundational Study Program, Acts: The Spread of the Kingdom, builds on The Bible Timeline and Matthew by showing how Christ’s Kingdom on earth is empowered to carry out his work in the world

 EPIC - The history of the Church is the story of our family. It is the epic story of our ancestors in the Faith – the heroic men and women who shaped civilization and spread the Gospel throughout the world.  For more information go to: http://ourcatholichistory.com/

For more information on any of the Great Adventure classes call Eric (719.598.3595) or go to their site: http://biblestudyforcatholics.com/ .  To sign up, fill out a registration form available at the sign-in room or Parish office; fees can be paid at the first class meeting.  Or click here to register online.

 Denver Catholic Biblical School (CBS)

We are very excited to have a new set of CBS classes starting this fall here at St Patrick.  Through lectures by outstanding Biblical Scholars, small group discussions and weekly course work you will be guided through the Bible, bringing God’s word alive and relevant to your world today.  Plan to attend one of the information sessions August 9^th or 30^th here at St Patrick.  Flyers are available at the welcome tables with additional times and locations in the Denver area.  For more information call Mary Ann or go to their web site: http://www.sjvdenver.edu/about-the-seminary/biblical-school

Denver Catholic Catechetical School (CCS)

“Pillars: A Journey through the Catechism of the Catholic Church" is an exciting new 2 year course offered for the first time by the Denver Catholic Catechetical School.  This is a wonderful opportunity to make that in-depth study of the Sacraments, Christian Morality and Prayer.  To enroll call the Catechetical School at 303.715.3195 and ask for an application; flyers with more information are available on the welcome table just inside the Church.

We know you will be richly blessed with any of these outstanding studies as you continue your faith journey! 

Blessings… St Patrick Adult Faith Formation Team

Mary

Our Blessed Mother

Mary, the Mother of Jesus Christ our Lord has a special and well-deserved honor in the Catholic Faith. She was chosen to be the Mother of Our Heavenly Father’s only Son and she was conceived without sin (even original sin). Not only was this a tremendous and great privilege, it was the most significant of all human accomplishments, second only to those of our Savior, Jesus, her son and our Lord. Luke 1:48 says that “all ages” will call Mary blessed, and generations of Catholics have been and still are proud to call this remarkable woman our Blessed Mother. She is the model of motherhood, of motherly love and the profound example of the strong nature of women. Her profound “fiat” to the will of our Heavenly Father to conceive Jesus in her womb, brought to fulfillment an ageless plan of God to bring into the world the savior of all humankind. Unlike other Christian faiths, which misunderstand our loyalty to Mary, Catholics have developed a very special devotion to her. We honor her in a special way, not worshipping her, but praying to and asking her for intercession and help. We do not ignore her or demote her to a status of insignificance. Mary is more than just a vessel through which Jesus was born. She cared for and loved Jesus, nursed Him, raised Him and stood by Him even to His death on the cross. The very prayer we recite extracted from Sacred Scripture and the words of Gabriel states it all: “Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you” (Luke 1:28) Mary is the faithful “handmaid of the Lord” (Luke 1:38). Elizabeth praised Mary: “Blessed are you among women” (Luke 1:42). She lived up to those accolades. Very few references in the New Testament are dedicated to Mary, but our love for her has grown over the centuries as if volumes of sacred text were written about her. Since, we are the Body of Christ, the Mother of Jesus Christ is our mother also. Mary was one of us and, in the Catholic Church, she has the status of reverence deserving of the true Mother of Jesus (Who was both God and man). Although, Mary was not the source of Jesus’ divine nature, she was the mother of His human nature. Jesus was both human and divine from the moment of His conception. Mary is the Mother of Jesus Christ, who is both God and Human, and therefore it is proper for us to call her the “Mother of God”. Jesus wants us to love His Mother as our mother also. Her fullness of Grace is an example of the glory of God. Her selection as Jesus’ mother was not random, and her being our Mother also is not just a gesture but a profound act of reverence and thanksgiving to God, the Father, for the birth of Jesus. Every time we ask her help in prayer, we are asking the help of the very Mother of Jesus, the same woman Jesus loved and adored. As with all mothers, her motherly instinct loves all of us as her human children given to her to intervene for and to assist; to be concerned for and to nurture. Her special position in our Church is a faithful testimony to the very God who calls and loves us as His Children also, His sons and daughters. She should not be forgotten or dismissed as ordinary. Her reverence in the Catholic Church keeps alive, in no small way, one example of the immeasurable love of God and all He bestows upon us. And so we pray: Hail Mary, full of Grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen!

Blessed Mother, please pray for us!

- RCIA Team

The Rite of Acceptance and Welcome into the Order Of the Catechumens

The Rite begins at the entrance of the Church. The Inquirers, accompanied by their Sponsors, are greeted with joy and happiness by the Presider and will be introduced to the Assembly of the Faithful. This Rite is of the utmost importance and significance. The Inquirers are, for the first time, assembled during a liturgy after completing the period of the Precatechumenate. Here in this Rite, our Inquirers declare their intentions to the Church and the Church in return accepts them as persons desiring to continue their journey into the Catechumenate. This Rite is the first consecration by the Church in recognizing that the fundamentals of Christian teaching have taken root in these individuals. In this Rite, the Inquirers seek and gain the acceptance of the worshiping community. Some of the Inquirers who are unbaptized will publicly declare their intentions to continue their faith journey toward full initiation.

The Rite of Welcoming is for baptized inquirers who are seeking to become Candidates and become more enlightened to the teachings of the Catholic Faith. Through this Rite all are one step closer to God, Initiation and Full Communion. The Community promises to be with the Catechumens and Candidates on their journey and to pray for them as they walk further along their journey and into deeper study and more thoroughly profound teachings of the Catholic Church. The Rite of Acceptance and Welcome is a beautiful Reception of the Catechumens and Candidates with an equally beautiful Celebration of the Word.

Sponsors accompanying the former Inquirers during this Celebration perform a beautiful gesture of blessing and support. The Community witnesses the blessings and through their promises and prayers gives the Catechumens and Candidates a true feeling of support and love. Through their responses the Sponsors and Community state their firm belief in following Christ. After the Liturgy of the Word, the Catechumens and Candidates are dismissed to a meeting place where they will reflect more deeply upon the Word of God spoken and proclaimed during the Celebration with a strong encouragement of looking forward to the time when the Catechumens and Candidates will fully participate in the sharing of the Lord’s Table.

RCIA Team