I'm Going Back to School

Here's something that you might  find interesting. I'm going back to College to get  a Masters degree in Theology. So why would a sixty-six year old retired dude want to do something like that? Shouldn't I be kicking back, taking it easy?

I am a cradle Catholic. I first became interested in Theology many years ago, at a family Thanksgiving dinner, my older brother announced that he was agnostic. He eventually left the Catholic Church and now identifies as an atheist.  I didn't have any answers to my brother's objections, but promised myself that I would attempt to find answers.  A lot of his beliefs came from Bart Ehrman. He would also read: Sam Harris,  Raymond Brown,  Hans Küng and others.  In my mission to find answers,  I would  listen to and watch EWTN radio and TV. I would read The National Catholic Register. Father Corapi and Catholic Answers Live were some of my early sources for information.
I began attending the Midwest Catholic Family Conference and reading books by  Steve Ray,  Tim Staples,  Dr. Scott Hahn, Trent Horn, Peter Kreeft, David B Currie, Carl E. Olson, Marcus Grodi, CS Lewis, and Dr. Brant Pitre. I've watched videos and listened to talks by Fr. Chris Alar, Fr. Michael Schmitz, Dr. Edward Feser, Fr. Spitzer. Fr. John Riccardo, William Lane Craig, Dr. Craig Blomberg, Gary Habermas, Mike Licona,  Gregory A Boyd, and Lee Strobel. I always wanted to learn more

When I retired almost three years ago  I made a commitment to teach PSR at my parish. For those of you who aren't Catholic or don't know, PSR stands for Parish School of Religion.  It's what used to be called CCD  (Confraternity of Christian Doctrine) when I was growing up. The definition of confraternity is a brotherhood. We had our CCD on Sunday mornings between the 9 and 11 O'clock Masses. It's for kids who don't have a Catholic school  or for kids who go to public school. PSR is how these kids learn their Catechism. At my parish we have classes on Wednesday nights from 6:30 - 7:30pm. Classes started after Labor Day and go until May.   I teach 5th Grade.  We teach them about the Sacraments.

I made this commitment because over the years,  it has hurt me to see too many Catholics who don't know their faith.  They don't know how to explain what the Catholic Church teaches.  Why do we believe what we believe?  I had two choices.  I could sit back and complain about it,  or I could get up and do something about it. I love learning about my faith.  I love sharing my faith. I love Jesus Christ! I love the Catholic Church.  I believe it to be the OneTrue Church that Jesus Christ started.  Jesus Christ is my ticket to heaven. The Catholic Church is my vehicle to get there.

Going back to school and studying Theology is a great way to learn about my faith.  I can't think of a better way to: 1) Come up with answers for my atheist brother,  2) become a better Catechist and PSR  teacher, and  3) learn how to improve my spiritual life and share it with others.  The best part is that I am receiving a tuition free scholarship  to get a masters degree at Newman University. 

So back in August,  I  spotted the following advertisement on the Facebook page of a friend who worked in the Admissions department at Newman University here in Wichita.

One of the requirements was to be a Catechist, a PSR teacher or OCIA  teacher in the Wichita Diocese.  Check.  I would meet that requirement. The Facebook post that led me to this program/scholarship  said "any bachelor's degree". My degree was in Business Administration and Economics.  My GPA  was 3.094. Check. It looked like I would qualify for this scholarship.

Excited and interested,  I went to the  Newman  University website to check it out and it said... "Bachelor’s degree in theology or related field, such as philosophy or history from an accredited college or university with a GPA of 3.0 or higher."  That confused me because her Facebook post said "any degree." I pointed that out to her and she put me in touch with the Dean of Catholic Studies. He told me that was a misprint on the website  and they would take any BA degree. I was definitely interested  but after talking to the  Dean,  I found out that their quota was full for the fall  semester but they put me on a list and I would get in on the next opening if someone drops out,  or possibly in the summer or fall semester next year.  

Well, I couple of weeks later,  he called me back and told me that an opening had come up and I could get in mid semester.  I would have to move quickly. I needed to go online and register,  get my  transcript  sent from my previous school to Newman, write an essay telling them why I was interested in the program, get a letter of recommendation from my pastor,  and go online and enroll. Got all of that done, hope I didn't forget anything.  Then  I got an email officially welcoming me to the program and I started on October 13th and still needed to get my textbooks

I am in the MTS program,  It's not as intense as the MA program. The program is 30 credit hours. That's 10 classes.  Watch the short  6 minute video below which explains how it works. Students take  one class at a time.  Each class lasts 8 weeks. In all including summer semester,  it's a little over 2 years. Most is online  and there are textbooks required for each class.  Each week, there are two video modules, assigned reading,  and discussion in study groups on the course website. Three weeks into the program  students come to campus for an intensive weekend. We also had to do a six to eight page research  paper. 

https://youtu.be/PoxyuxsTjUg?suCPe4b-q3E3QnUNt

The Master in Theological Studies degree (M.T.S.) is intended to deepen the theological understanding of diocesan catechists and teachers of religion. It prepares students to explore and explain the Catholic theological tradition and provides a solid grounding in that tradition. The program is intended for those working in catechetical ministry in a Roman Catholic context and anticipates questions that frequently arise in the classroom and during the RCIA process. The MTS program prepares students to teach in Catholic high schools, apply to hospital chaplaincy programs, or work in parishes or diocesan offices. It also prepares lay people to teach classes in Parish Schools of Religion (PSR), teach or direct the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) and participate in other parochial ministries.

The Department of theology offers two degrees in its graduate program of theology. The Master in Theological Studies (MTS) provides a solid grounding in the Catholic theological tradition and is intended for those working in parish ministry in a Roman Catholic context. 

The Master of Arts (MA) in Theology  has more rigorous requirements and is intended to prepare students to teach theology in a classroom setting as well as preparing those interested in pursuing doctoral work in theology. The MA degree requires some different course work than the MTS degree; it also requires the completion of a thesis and a comprehensive examination, as well as foreign language requirements, none of which are required for the MTS.

The tuition free scholarship is made possible through the Catholic Diocese of Wichita... The St. Maria de Mattias Endowment is a fund of the Catholic Diocese of Wichita which is intended to support innovative catechetical programs in order to help strengthen religious education in the Wichita and Dodge City Catholic Dioceses.

Through the support of the St. Maria de Mattias Endowment and the through the generosity of the Most Reverend Carl Kemme, Bishop of Wichita, a limited number of full-tuition scholarships are available to qualified catechists of the Wichita and Dodge City dioceses. To qualify for a full-tuition scholarship, students must be active in the catechetical ministry within the Diocese of Wichita or Dodge City at the parish level and must also have the approval of their pastor. DRE’s; RCIA catechists; Youth Catechists; Adult Education Catechists and any other catechetical ministry at the parish level supported by the local pastor qualify a student to receive a full-tuition scholarship from the St. Maria de Mattias Endowment.

https://newmanu.edu/academics/graduate-programs/theology/scholarships

Thanks to Newman University, Bishop Kenme, and the Diocese of Wichita for making this opportunity possible. 

And so I've completed my first class, a study on saints Athanasius, Augustine,  and Aquinas.  My first thought is to admit a preconceived notion that I always had, that Catholic Doctrine was "set in stone." That's one thing that I  always liked about the Catholic Church.  You could read the Bible and even some of the early Church Fathers and see something similar to what we have today. Boy was I wrong.  I had skipped over these three outstanding theological minds. While today, I will admit that Catholic Doctrine is not "set in stone, it does  have a strong foundation and is very stable on its its established teachings.

The Church has adapted and evolved over time. That's where the A-Team, as Professor Papsdorf calls them come in. It is exciting to see how they were all responding to issues of their time, addressing new societal issues or interpretations of scripture. But in the end it all fits together like, solving a jigsaw puzzle.  How exciting it was to see how things developed historically and how we got from point A to point B. I think what we can learn today is that teachings can and do change, although today,  probably more cosmetic changes. I don't think we're going to see any new major doctrinal changes. Hopefully we shouldn't get too troubled when things like the recent Church Synod take place, because in the end, I think that the Holy Spirit is watching over us. Just in case, I hope that we will always have some strong minds similar to the A-Team who are ready to step in and defend the faith should modern day heritics come forward.  And didn't Jesus give us a guarantee that the Church would not be overcome with evil?

Matthew 16:18 And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church,* and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.

What I liked most is that all of their teachings gave me a handbook, setting goals, kind of like a road map, on how to achieve perfection and get to the end. But too often we get off the road. We have temptations in our journey. Fr Aaron at Mass a couple of weeks ago, gave us a golf analogy. He tells the story of his uncles going golfing. ⛳ Occasionally they would take their grandmother with them.  One time she made the comment that she couldn’t understand.  The flag is over there, but you hit the ball that direction, and you hit it the other direction.  Why don't you hit it towards the flag? He says that's the last time grandma went with them.  But isn't that the way our journey is? Even though we know what the ultimate goal is, we make choices that take us off course. 

What I like about the readings  form  the A-Team is that they also showed us how to fight temptations that we will encounter in our daily journeys. They gave us a road map. Some of my favorite readings were Life of Antony,  Augustine against the Pelagians, City of God,  the Summa Theologica,  especially St Thomas Aquinas Five Ways, and the chapters on Vices and Virtues. And the Sacraments which I will definitely take advantage of in my 5th Grade PSR class.  I also enjoyed figuring out Faith and Reason. Wow! So much there. While eight weeks is just enough to wet the appetite,  hopefully,  someday I'll have time to sit down and really soak all of this in.

The spring  semester starts on January 19th.  The two classes that I will be taking ar "New Testament Theology" and "The Four-Fold Gospel".

7 Quick Takes – My First of Hopefully Many

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This is my first venture into the 7 Quick Takes arena. Hopefully there will be many more. Let me start by introducing my self. My name is Terry Brennan. Everyone must come from somewhere. Even though I was born in West Virginia, I have lived in Kansas since I was 9 years old so I call myself a Kansan. First and foremost, I am a Catholic and a Christian. I am also a 3rd degree member of the Knights of Columbus. My faith is important to me. I am also a sports fanatic. I am a die-hard St. Louis Cardinals fan. I am also interested in politics and consider myself to be a conservative.

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Why am I doing this? As you can see from my blog, I have been neglecting it lately. This is an attempt to jump start something that I enjoy doing. I probably won’t be here every Friday as I also have a 9-6 job. But hey, at least it’s a start.

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If you haven’t noticed, Wichita and Kansas have been in the news recently. I am proud to announce to this community that as of last week, the Catholic Diocese of Wichita will have a new bishop. We have been without a bishop since April of 2013 when now-Archbishop Michael O Jakels was named head of the Archdiocese of Dubuque, Iowa. Msgr. Carl A Kemme of the Diocese of Springfield, Illinois will become the 11th bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Wichita on May 1st. Welcome to Wichita Bishop-elect Kemme!

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If you are a sports fan, then you might have noticed that a basketball team from Kansas is now the only undefeated team in the country. No it’s not the Kansas Jayhawks, although they are also having a good year too, having clinched at least a share of the Big 12 title for the 10th straight season. It’s the Wichita State Shockers. After a final 4 run last season, the Shockers are 30-0 so far this year. Coach Greg Marshall recently spent a day on the ESPN networks, and last week they showed up on the cover of Sports Illustrated beating the famous jinx by winning their next two games after that issue came out. Actually it was Syracuse who lost their first game of the season the day that the issue came out. I can’t predict when this team will lose their first game, but in Wichita, we are enjoying the ride

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Recently, the Kansas Legislature attempted to pass a bill that would give conscience protection to Christian business who refused to do business by participating or validating the marital choices or civil union choices of their customers. This is a right that is protected by the 1st Amendment of the US Constitution. But in many states, Christians businesses, and churches have been sued for refusing to do business with and participating in homosexual marriages. The house passed the bill but the Senate decided not to pursue it because it was too broad. I am hoping that the Senate will take up the issue at some time maybe with a bill similar to the one in Arizona as we really need to protect our freedom to exercise our religions as we want, not as some government official or activist group thinks we should practice it. Here’s a great article that tells why this legislation is needed. http://m.cjonline.com/blog-post/contra-mundum/2014-02-14/why-hb-2453-needed-now

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Speaking of homosexual marriage, I have always known that according to the Bible it is wrong. Until just recently I have never had the occasion to defend the teaching of the Church on this subject. At some point I hope to do a more extensive blog post on this subject. In the meantime, here are some excellent links to articles and resources that would help a Catholic or Christian in defending these attacks on the Sacrament of Marriage.

http://www.catholic.com/documents/gay-marriage

http://streetevangelization.com/homosexuality/

https://www.osv.com/TabId/735/ArtMID/13636/ArticleID/8254/

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/03/21/archbishop-cordileone-gay-marriage-catholic-church/2001085/

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While watching The Journey Home this week on EWTN (a show on Catholic television where converts or reverts to the Catholic faith are interviewed about their journey) the guest, Rick Fee, a former Lutheran, said that he set out to prove the Catholic Church wrong. I'm not sure how many times I've heard converts say that same thing only to find out that the Catholic Church was the one and only true church founded by Jesus Christ. I challenge anyone who thinks the Catholic Church is wrong on any one of their teachings to do the study and research. But beware. You might be surprised to find out how wrong you have been.

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

To My Friends

Today, Friday, April 23, 2010 will be one of the most difficult days of my postal career. I have been working at Chisholm Station for a long time (since January 1998). I have made many friendships during my 12 years at Chisholm. Now it is time to move on. Tomorrow, I will begin anew at Munger Station. The reasons for this move, well let’s just say that I really needed a change of scenery. I know in my heart that this is the right move for me. The hard part is saying good-bye to all of those who I have gotten to know over the years. That however doesn’t mean that these friendships have to end. Maybe our paths will cross again some day. At least there is hope. If not, then I guess that’s the way it was meant to be.

A wise man once said,

"Make new friends and keep the old; one is silver and the other gold. A circle is round-it has no end; that's how long I want to be your friend. "

Thanks to all of my friends.

Things That Matter

Have you ever been so passionate about something that you felt like you had to shout it out to the whole world? Was this cause so important that perhaps you could make a difference, and maybe even save the lives of others?

I have a cause that I feel is that important and I recently responded with a letter to the editor of the Wichita Eagle. The letter was published. (It’s not the first time I’ve had one published.) The next day, a friend of mine suggested that I get a hobby.

In this country we have the freedom to speak up and express ours opinions about things that are important to us, even if others may not agree. People in other countries don’t always have what we call “freedom of speech”. We should not take this right lightly. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”

My letter was in reference to another letter that suggested that it was wrong for the Catholic Church to use communion as a weapon for politicians who oppose the Church on the issue of abortion. This was in reference to Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-Rhode Island, a Catholic, who recently criticized the nation’s Catholic bishops for their opposition to the health care reform unless the Congress restricts federal funding for abortions. You can read the story here on my blog. Here’s my letter to the editor which was published on Sunday November 29, 2009. http://www.kansas.com/opinion/letters/story/1075675.html The bold print is what the Wichita Eagle edited out of my letter.

The Catholic Church is not a cafeteria where one in disagreement can pick or choose what they want to believe. One cannot start pulling pages out of “The Bible” or “The Catechism of the Catholic Church” just because they don’t agree with what the Church teaches.

Name withheld (Communion Should Not Be a Weapon) was wrong in saying that the bread symbolizes Christ’s body. The bread actually becomes the true body and blood of Jesus Christ! That’s why Bishop Thomas Tobin was right in asking Rep. Patrick Kennedy not to receive communion. Through his actions and statements, Kennedy was in a state of sin. The Church teaches, “Anyone conscious of a grave sin must receive the sacrament of Reconciliation before coming to communion”.

In his letter to Kennedy, Tobin uses this occasion as a “teaching moment” not just for Kennedy but for all Catholics. Bishop Tobin offers Kennedy the opportunity “…to enter into a process of discernment, conversion, and repentance”. Bishop Tobin also explains the obligations of Catholics and describes what it means to be a Catholic, “…that you are part of a faith community that possesses a clearly defined authority and doctrine, obligations and expectations. It means that you believe and accept the teaching of the Church, especially on essential matters of faith and morals….

You can read the full text of the letter at the web site of “The Rhode Island Catholic”. http://www.thericatholic.com/opinion/detail.html?sub_id=2632

It obviously made an impact on at least two other people. One looked up my name in the phone book and called me thanking me for expressing my opinion. The other also looked up my name and sent me a letter also thanking me and saying that it inspired her to write to the hierarchy of the Church on this issue.
Here is the text of her letter to me. I’ve omitted her name for privacy reasons.

Dear Mr. Brennan,

I am writing a big Thank You to you! You have voiced the opinion of many area national and international Catholics.

We are constantly bombarded by the media, enjoining us to fit the Church into our lives instead of the other way round. We’re told what to believe by atheists and Protestants.

You have inspired me to write to our hierarchy urging them to follow the Church even when their teachings are difficult.

Sincerely,

Name Withheld

To my friend who suggested I get a hobby. This is my hobby! In some ways it is more of a hobby because it is only through Jesus Christ and His Church that we will get to heaven. That makes it a way of life. It is our job on earth to get to heaven and take as many people as we can with us. Most people write to be heard and to inspire others. It is obvious that my letter to the editor did just that. This is the reinforcement I need to continue my hobby (way of life) of writing whenever I feel that I have words of wisdom to share.

My Wake Up Call

About 2 month ago, I got my “wake up call”. As I usually do every year I took a week of vacation to watch March Madness. See "March Madness and the KU Jayhawks". At the start of my vacation I was noticing some tightness and tenderness in my calf muscle below the knee. As the week went on and I was up and around running errands, the soreness went away. Then came Thursday of March Madness week and I sat around for four days watching college basketball. When I went back to work on Monday, I once again noticed the tightness and soreness. I thought it could be anything. Maybe it was a pulled or strained muscle. In the past, I had a history of inflamed arteries in that leg, but nothing serious and with antibiotics they always got better. In February, I was also diagnosed with a bronchial infection. As fate would have it, over a month later, I was still dealing with this infection. It just wouldn’t go away. On Monday I called my doctors’ to schedule a check up for Tuesday morning.

When taking a shower on Tuesday morning, I noticed that my right leg was swelled and much bigger and redder than my left leg. The doctor scheduled an x-ray to check out my lungs. Next I received a sonogram where they found a blood clot on the inside of my leg, above the knee. Next they scheduled a CT-Scan where they discovered that part of the clot had broken off and gone to my lungs. I had a pulmonary embolism.

I wouldn’t be going home that night. I would get an ambulance ride to the hospital where I would spend the next thee days. I would spend the next four weeks at home laying around with my legs elevated before I would go back to work.

Among the causes of blood clots also known as Deep Vein Thrombosis, DVT are prolonged sitting, such as during a long plane or car ride, prolonged bed rest or immobility, obesity, damage due to injury, and inherited blood conditions. Possibly my week of watching college basketball was not very good for me, although I am on my feet all day while at work. I am not the most active person when away from work and I will be the first to admit that I am overweight. I don’t recall injuring my leg; however I am always bumping it against something at home or at work. My dad also has a history of blood clots that started when he was about my age. I suppose the cause for my blood clot could be any combination of these.

The blood clot should dissolve on its own. There are things I can do to lessen my chances or to prevent another blood clot. Now, I will probably wearing support stockings or compression socks for the rest of my life. I will also be taking blood thinners such as coumadin or warfarin. My other big lifestyle change will include walking regularly to get exercise and stimulate circulation.

I guess that I am lucky to have gone to have gone to my doctor on that March morning and I am lucky to be alive. It could have been much worse. However it is something that I can live with. I can make changes to my lifestyle and life for a long time with this condition. Many people do. Getting in shape is something that I have put off for a long time. Now I have received my “wake up call”! Now, I know what I have to do!

Why I Blog

When growing up, I always enjoyed sports (In fact, some might call me a sports fanatic.) and thought that I might enjoy being a sports journalist. I didn’t do much writing as a child or a teenager, and got my first chance to write while in high school. During my senior year, I had an elective to fill and the opportunity arose to join the staff of our school newspaper “The Oracle”, as the sports writer. I gladly accepted, typing my articles on a typewriter. Thank God for computers and word processing software. I even competed in the Kansas Scholastic Press Association Contest, winning third place in sports writing.

I went on to college the next year and graduated with a BA in Business Administration. Three years later, I had a job as a clerk with the U S Postal Service. Twenty-four years later, I still work as a distribution clerk for the Postal Service. During that time the only other writing that I’ve done was as editor of the newsletter, and as president for our local Catholic singles group where I had my own column.

I have always wondered what if instead, I had gone on the study journalism? What if I had followed that dream? This blog is my opportunity. I have no idea where it will take me. Chances are, it will just end up being a hobby, but I owe it to myself to try something that I have always enjoyed doing.

I am not sure where this blog will go. Since my childhood, my interests have expanded and so I will be writing on more than just sports. Topics will include sports, religion, politics, and anything else that I find interesting.

What might I gain from this experience?

• It will give me a record of my thoughts and a place to share and save them.
• It will force me to learn and read in order to gather input for my output.
• It will give me the opportunity to learn and play with new technology.
  
  So Welcome to "Terry’s Tidbits". Please come in, stay for a while, and feel free to comment is you wish.

Why am I Catholic?

I really liked this video and think that it explains a lot about my faith. The video was made by Katerina Mare. It was made for a Confirmation Retreat to accompany a "Why am I Catholic?" talk. The slideshow gives six reasons for being Catholic: 1) the Eucharist, 2) the Church, 3) the Sacraments, 4) Mary, 5) Marriage (actual and spiritual), and 6) Communion of Saints. Eventually, as time allows, I hope to do a post on each of these reasons. The video is filled with images and quotes from saints, popes, and theologians associated with each point. This can be a good resource for talks, RCIA, youth groups, adult study groups and more! The song for the video, which I also really liked is "Jesus Christ You are my Life," the theme song from the 2005 World Youth Day. The song was composed by Marco Frisina, an Italian from Rome. He wrote the Italian refrain, and a verse for Spanish, Italian, and French soloists. Marco's brother wrote the English refrain. Bro. Rufino Zaragoza, is a co-composer and translator of the song. https://youtu.be/2QliM7ApyiA