Defending the Faith Conference Equips, Inspires, Empowers

August 02, 2013 - 8:53 PDT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA ADVISORY

STEUBENVILLE, OH (August 2, 2013) - July 2013 was in its final days, but there was one more thing to be done before the close of the Franciscan University of Steubenville summer conference season. It was time for Defending the Faith 2013.

Held primarily in the Finnegan Fieldhouse, with workshop sessions in various campus locations, the July 26-28 conference offered daily Mass, confession, eucharistic adoration, free time to meet the speakers and fellow participants, and a plethora of great talks under the theme "Faith Transforming Culture."

"I want to encourage you, to encourage others, to keep that commitment to Christ front and center. Renew your commitment daily. Build relationships, because the world wants to tell us that we're alone," said Teresa Tomeo, author, Ave Maria radio host, and popular speaker.

Tomeo, in her talk, "Becoming 24/7 Catholics," listed some common ailments that prevent Catholics from becoming fully invested in their faith, both inside and outside the Catholic box. These included "holy osmosis," thinking that simply sending one's children to Catholic school would foolproof them from falling away from the faith; "chronic Catholic curmudgeonitis," focusing on all of the problems in the Church and ignoring the good, beautiful things; and only going to Mass on Christmas and Easter.

Embrace your Faith

Tomeo took a positive approach to Catholics who only go to church twice a year, explaining that if we want them to return fully to the Church, to "always welcome them with love and open arms."

Similarly, Franciscan University president Father Sean Sheridan, TOR, explained in his homily that, "we should be grateful to God that he is so patient with us," and that God is always waiting for us to come back into a more complete union with him.

"We are all human beings and by the grace of God he allows us to grow into those persons that we were created to be," said Father Sean. "We should be grateful to God that he continues to send people into our lives to be able to help us with that process."

Following God's Lead

Kimberly Hahn, popular speaker, author, and mother of six, explained how crucial it is to set a good example of the Catholic faith for one's children: "We have opportunities to model for our children compassionate care and sacrificial service.

"We talk about dying to ourselves and it sounds so grand and glorious, but maybe it's not laying down our life as much as it is laying down the remote. Choosing to spend time instead of watch TV. Or laying down the fork when food's getting cold so you can go change a diaper. Or laying down a good book to take out the trash," she said.

Likewise, Dr. Edward Sri, a founding leader of the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS), and professor at the Augustine Institute in Denver, Colorado, said that Catholics should model their lives according to the Blessed Mother's life.

"She was endowed with unique gifts and privileges like no one else. But she also was a human person and she faced various trials and sufferings in her own life like we do," said Sri. "She faced many moments of discernment, moments of uncertainty, moments of darkness, and the Bible even reveals that there were times when Mary did not understand. She still had to walk by faith and not by sight."

When it comes to trusting in God's providence, keeping in mind his Divine Fatherhood is important. Dr. Scott Hahn, in his Saturday night keynote talk, explained that God "loves us as a Father, more than we can imagine, but he loves us too much to give us problems that we can handle ourselves. He gives us problems that we can only handle with his help."

We ask you, humbly, to help.

Hi readers, it seems you use Catholic Online a lot; that's great! It's a little awkward to ask, but we need your help. If you have already donated, we sincerely thank you. We're not salespeople, but we depend on donations averaging $14.76 and fewer than 1% of readers give. If you donate just $5.00, the price of your coffee, Catholic Online School could keep thriving. Thank you. Help Now >

Hahn, the Father Michael Scanlan, TOR, Chair of Biblical Theology and the New Evangelization at Franciscan University, explained that this help comes to us in Christ under the appearances of bread and wine: the new testament and new covenant.

"But that new testament, that new covenant, doesn't deliver us by getting us out of problems, it delivers us through those problems as we carry our crosses, as we endure all that the world has to throw at us like it threw at him," he said.

Catholicism as Counter-Cultural

Dr. Peter Kreeft, prolific author and philosophy professor at Boston College, offered his thoughts on one of the Catholic Church's many counter-cultural stances: the defense of traditional marriage.

"Right now, it's fashionable to be 'gay-friendly.' In past time, it was fashionable to be 'gay-hating.' Hitler exterminated homosexuals along with priests and Jehovah's Witnesses and Jews. So if the values of your culture come from consensus, there's nothing to stop that from changing once again," Kreeft warned.

But the underlying theme, said Kreeft, is that "every single human being, no matter what his sexual orientation, is ontologically good, created in God's image, so good that Christ died for him. And he's called to be a saint. Homosexual or heterosexual."

Keeping with the tradition of a conversion testimony at the conference, Jason Stellman, a recent convert to Catholicism, shared his story Sunday morning. There were many things that Stellman was unsure about when he first looked into Catholicism as a prominent Presbyterian pastor. But one thing was certain: the Church is not afraid to go against the cultural norms.

"As audacious as the Catholic Church comes across, it's as audacious as Jesus came across. The Catholic Church kind of acts the way Jesus acted. By saying things that may not fit in well with the religious elite or the status quo of the culture," said Stellman, who came into the Catholic Church in September 2012. "And that's what the Catholic Church is. It is an extension of Christ's ministry. It is the mystical body of Christ."

With the powerful talks and many opportunities for participants to grow in community with other like-minded Catholics, it may have seemed hard to go home on Sunday. Bishop Jeffrey M. Monforton of the Diocese of Steubenville, said in his homily at the conference's closing Mass that, "All we have to do is ask," for help with the tasks that lie ahead.

We're Back - Greatest Meat on Earth

"As you and I depart this conference today, as ardent as our faith may be today, may we keep in our hearts the words of the late Cardinal Henri de Lubac, 'the Church is a perpetual construction site.' And so, we are witnesses to faith always. Ask Jesus Christ: he will always provide."

For more information about Franciscan University of Steubenville conferences, visit www.franciscanconferences.com.

Contact

Franciscan University of Steubenville
http://franciscan.edu
OH, 43952 US
Tom Sofio - Associate Director of Public Relations,

Keywords

Franciscan University of Steubenville, conferences, defending the faith

Category

Spirituality

We Will Pray with You: Light Your Virtual Prayer Candle

More Catholic PRWire

Showing 1 - 50 of 7,177

• « Prev
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• 7
• 8
• 9
• Next »

When Pope Francis Arrives in North America, There is Only One Network to Watch: EWTN Global Catholic
EWTN Global Catholic Network
September 16, 2015 - 5:17 PDT

GHIRELLI'S WORLD MEETING OF FAMILIES ROSARIES NOW AVAILABLE
The Word Out | Marketing For Catholics
September 11, 2015 - 11:44 PDT

The Synod on the Family: Addressing the Instrumentum Laboris
Franciscan University of Steubenville
September 11, 2015 - 10:26 PDT

OCP Artist, Pedro Rubalcava, Writes Song for Pope Francis' Visit
OCP (Oregon Catholic Press)
September 10, 2015 - 2:50 PDT

Pre-Synod Conference unites Cardinals and men and women living with homosexual tendencies
September 09, 2015 - 2:58 PDT

The Rigging of a Vatican Synod
September 02, 2015 - 3:44 PDT

17 Cardinals and Counting
August 31, 2015 - 3:38 PDT

19th Annual Carnival Announced for St. Ann's Parish
August 28, 2015 - 9:20 PDT

The John Paul II International Film Festival Marks Its Five-Year Anniversary
August 27, 2015 - 6:09 PDT

OCP Pledges to Support the V Encuentro
OCP (Oregon Catholic Press)
August 27, 2015 - 2:51 PDT

Thu, Sept 24, 2015- Mass & Healing Service with Fr. Angelos Sebastian Our Lady of Grace Catholic Chu
August 26, 2015 - 4:03 PDT

Grief, Death, Eternal Life Explored in New Catholic Title by PBM
Pauline Books & Media
August 25, 2015 - 3:55 PDT

How do we live the truth in love when the culture says we're haters?
August 25, 2015 - 9:52 PDT

Right Next to Disneyland: Theater Meets Faith
Saint Luke Productions
August 19, 2015 - 1:29 PDT

OCP Parish Grant Program to Distribute $200,000 to U.S. Parishes
OCP (Oregon Catholic Press)
August 18, 2015 - 1:23 PDT

Franciscan University Joins With UK School to Offer Online Master of Catechetics Degree
Franciscan University of Steubenville
August 05, 2015 - 2:20 PDT

CONOR GALLAGHER NAMED PUBLISHER OF TAN BOOKS AND SAINT BENEDICT PRESS
Saint Benedict Press & TAN Books
July 20, 2015 - 12:49 PDT

Thérčse Drama Surprises Audiences
Saint Luke Productions
July 16, 2015 - 12:35 PDT

Catholic Press Association Honors Liguori
Liguori Publications
July 10, 2015 - 8:29 PDT

Crosier Order elects master general and councilors
June 26, 2015 - 2:06 PDT

Shop Holy Cards

World Library Publications Honored With Three Paul Revere Awards
World Library Publications
June 23, 2015 - 4:11 PDT

Indie Catholic Authors June Ebook Sale Offers the Faithful 17 Books Outside the Mainstream
Four Waters press
June 23, 2015 - 12:10 PDT

Limitless Love in Action: First Steubenville Youth Conference Inspires Teens to Bring the Fire Home
Franciscan University of Steubenville
June 18, 2015 - 2:03 PDT

Franciscan University of Steubenville Athletic Director Enshrined in Sports Faith Hall of Fame
Franciscan University of Steubenville
May 29, 2015 - 1:53 PDT

AWARD-WINNING CATHOLIC AUTHORS TEAM-UP TO PROMOTE HEALING THROUGH FORGIVENESS
Pauline Books & Media
May 27, 2015 - 12:32 PDT

NY CONCERT FOR NEPAL 5/31
May 27, 2015 - 1:22 PDT

Who's responsible for designing the designer?
May 19, 2015 - 11:12 PDT

Thu, Jun 11, 2015- Mass & Healing Service with Fr. Bill Adams at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church
May 13, 2015 - 4:21 PDT

Your search for true happiness is over
May 05, 2015 - 1:22 PDT

ValLimar Jansen's latest album "a soulful experience"
OCP (Oregon Catholic Press)
April 30, 2015 - 1:33 PDT

Uncovering the roots (and branches) of the greatest revolution in the American Catholic Church
April 28, 2015 - 9:45 PDT

NYC May 8, 2015 Spring Fling Catholic Singles Mingle Fundraiser
The Catholic Fellowship
April 18, 2015 - 9:07 PDT

Thank A Nun Day
Image Books/Random House
April 15, 2015 - 12:32 PDT

#TweetingwGod dares young people to believe
April 14, 2015 - 9:54 PDT

Experience Beloved: Finding happiness in marriage
April 13, 2015 - 1:27 PDT

Archbishop Aquila, Dr. Edward Sri and other experts to participate in 'Beloved' telepress conference
April 07, 2015 - 4:51 PDT

Nobis Media, Marketing & Web Development Company
April 01, 2015 - 5:49 PDT

Catholic toymaker puts Faith in hands and mouths of babies: Pope Francis doll added to line of toys
The Word Out | Marketing For Catholics
April 01, 2015 - 3:48 PDT

Concert Series Concludes with Winthrop University World Percussion Ensemble
April 01, 2015 - 2:48 PDT

Birth Choice Health Clinics Announces Transition to Obria Medical Clinics and Plans for Expansion
March 28, 2015 - 10:43 PDT

Download 100's of Prayers for free

OCP releases expanded edition of Mass of the Sacred Heart
OCP (Oregon Catholic Press)
March 24, 2015 - 4:43 PDT

Archbishop Aquila, Dr. Edward Sri and other experts participate in 'Beloved' tele-press conference
March 21, 2015 - 11:57 PDT

Priest and Seminarian Join National Three-Point Contest to Benefit Marriage Ministry
Paradisus Dei
March 13, 2015 - 10:20 PDT

Shroud of Turin Exhibit At Holy Spirit Brighton
Holy Spirit Catholic Church and School
March 12, 2015 - 3:58 PDT

Flor y Canto campaign invites the Hispanic community to share their stories
OCP (Oregon Catholic Press)
March 11, 2015 - 4:40 PDT

Crisis Pregnancy Center Dream Becoming Reality
TRFC Inc.
March 10, 2015 - 6:36 PDT

Crisis Pregnancy Center Dream Becoming Reality
TRFC Inc.
March 09, 2015 - 7:04 PDT

Join RealOptions 2015 Walk for Life and 5K Run!
RealOptions Pregnancy Medical Clinics
March 09, 2015 - 2:40 PDT

New Orchestra Comes to Mary's Nativity Church
March 09, 2015 - 12:06 PDT

Paradisus Dei Offers New Marriage Program to Churches at No Cost
Paradisus Dei
March 05, 2015 - 6:25 PST

• « Prev
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• 7
• 8
• 9
• Next »