“Wisdom has built her house...she has prepared her food, she has mixed her wine; she has also set her table; she has sent out her maidens, she calls from the tops of the heights of the city: "Whoever is naive, let him turn in here!" To him who lacks understanding she says, "Come, eat of my food and drink of the wine I have mixed...proceed in the way of understanding." (Prov. 9:1-6)
Come and partake of Wisdom’s feast as we dive into the gift of Theology of the Body left to us by St. Pope John Paul II. St. Mark’s has three main opportunities for you to pull up a chair to the feast of knowledge: prepared by the late Pope, garnished through translation by Dr. Michael Waldstein, plated by Dr. Christopher West of the Theology of the Body Institute, and served to you by St. Mark’s parishioner, Scott Byers, a recent graduate of the Institute. These courses are offered year-round and provide a layered understanding of what it means to be created in the image of God…created in the image of Love.
Layer One
“An Introduction to the Theology of the Body” – Adult Catechesis provided through a series of 8 video sessions on DVD or online with accompanying group discussion. This course provides the foundation and basic knowledge of the Pope’s teaching. In this course, you will learn about the analogy of spousal love proclaimed throughout the Bible, the true meaning of the body as God intended, the salvation history of humankind, the basis for our Sacraments, and much more.
Layer Two
“Into the Heart” – The follow-up series to the “Intro to ToB”, this 16-part course takes us deeper and deeper into the Great Mystery of God revealed to us in the Incarnation, our creation as male and female, and the call of the two to become one flesh. We will look at the Church’s teaching on procreation and birth control in Humanae Vitae (Of Human Life), discuss the sacrificial role of the Bridegroom in Ephesians and Tobit, and take the long journey from head to heart as we transition from knowledge to understanding. Typically held from August to December.
Layer Three
“Fulfilled: The Promise of the Christian Life” – In this newest series by Christopher West, we will take another journey through this 12-part series to allow the teachings to travel from body to spirit as we transition from understanding to wisdom. As the first disciples were told when they approached Jesus, “Come and see.” This study shows us that our Catholic faith is not a religion of law, but a religion of longing which we will “see” as we explore elements of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Creed and how they relate to the Theology of the Body teachings. This course is supplemented with Christopher West’s book Fill These Hearts.
Keep in mind, there is never a point in our earthly faith journey when we can say, “I have reached my destination…I’m done.” It is an ongoing process to keep learning more about the God who made us and to continually seek a deeper relationship with Him. Please consider joining us for the following opportunities.
Fulfilled – Three opportunities
January 16 - May 1, 2023, from 6:30 - 8:00PM on Mondays online via Zoom Register here.
January 18 - May 3, 2023, from 6:30 - 8:00PM on Wednesdays in-person in Holy Family room Register here.
Tuesday in-person – April 11 - June 27, 2023, from 6:30 - 8:00PM in New Legacy room Register here.
Introduction – One opportunity
Wednesdays in-person – May 10 - June 28, 2023, from 6:30 - 8:00PM in Holy Family room Register here.
Into the Heart – Next available in August 2023
Each course will be $20 per person – This includes the cost of the Student Guide and online access to the videos. In person courses may be paid for at the first course or via Venmo. Online courses, please use Venmo. Please make Venmo payments to @ScottByers71.
For more information regarding the course or to discuss alternative payment options, please contact Scott Byers, Course Facilitator, at 210-867-8055 or scott.byers@att.net.
Please click the left button below to register for Fulfilled.