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Top Catholic speakers to encourage young adults to evangelise

Young Catholic adults today face many challenges in life that their parents and grandparents never faced. Militant atheism and secularism of the type popularised by Richard Dawkins and others are increasing in popularity and the beliefs of Christians are rarely understood and often mocked.

At the same time, young adults may be so immersed in the virtual worlds of Facebook, Bebo and online gaming, in their job or their studies, or in music and socialising, that they shut out all of the bigger questions about life.

This August, Catholics in the 18 to 35 age group will be assembling at Fawley Court in Henley between the 8th and 10th of August to turn their minds to the burning question of how we can reach out to and explain our faith to people in the modern world: how do we bring the message of the Gospel to a sceptical and frenetically paced world? How can we use the power of the internet and other technologies to evangelise?

The organisers of the event, two young priests Fr Andrew Pinsent and Fr Marcus Holden, have called together an eminent team of experts to address the conference.

• Fr Thomas Crean OP:  author of A Catholic Replies to Professor Dawkins
• Roy Schoeman:  Jewish convert, author of Salvation is from the Jews
• Fr Jerome Bertram CO:  historian, spiritual writer, author of The People of the Gospel and other works
• Fr Reto Nay:  Scripture Scholar, founder of gloria.tv (online Catholic video sharing website)
• Fr John Saward:  Oxford University theologian, writer, author The Beauty of Holiness and the Holiness of Beauty
• Joanna Bogle:  broadcaster, writer, blogger, author of Feasts and Seasons
• Walter Hooper:  C.S. Lewis’s former secretary and biographer, editor of numerous editions of his works
• Raphaela Schmid:  Philosopher, Senior Fellow of Becket Institute, TV Presenter 

Delegates will also have many opportunities for socialising, networking, and participating in activities. Daily Mass, eucharistic adoration and confession will also be available.

There are still places available for those wishing to take part in this excellent opportunity for strengthening faith and understanding: visit www.evangelium.co.uk for more details, or call 07526 908741. The conference will be held at Fawley Court, Henley-on-Thames, Oxon., (home of the national shrine to the Divine Mercy) from 8th to 10th August 2008. Accommodation is available: price for full board is just £85, thanks to sponsorship by the Catholic Truth Society.

Download the conference brochure (Adobe Acrobat PDF).

Download the Conference Programme (Adobe Acrobat PDF).

Members of the press who wish to report on the conference are welcome to attend: please contact the organisers [enquiries@evangelium.co.uk] to arrange for your press pass. The organisers are also available for interview.

This conference is being run in association with the Catholic Truth Society. CTS is the publisher of the Evangelium resources for catechesis authored by Frs. Holden and Pinsent.

Following this week’s General Audience, Pope Benedict XVI offered warm words of encouragement to the apostolic work of the Catholic Truth Society (CTS).

Bishop Paul Hendricks , chairman of the CTS, met the Pope after the Audience in St Peter’s Square and personally presented him with a boxed edition of the CTS New Catholic Bible , published six months ago to wide acclaim, and soon to be reprinted due to popular demand. This presentation echoes that of 1956, when Pope Pius XII was presented with the CTS’s Douay Bible.

The Holy Father expressed great interest in the Bible, which is designed to support closely the liturgical and sacramental life of the Church, and encouraged the CTS in its important work of evangelisation and education.

Bishop Hendricks was accompanied in Rome by Fergal Martin , CTS General Secretary, and Piero Finaldi , Editor, who were closely involved in the development and completion of this major publishing project.

Mr. Martin commented,
“I’m delighted that Pope Benedict was so interested in our work and particularly in our New Catholic Bible. It was a memorable day, and a joy to be so close to the Holy Father, on behalf of all of us in the Society.

“I carried with me the intentions, hard work and prayers of so many people involved in our apostolate over the years, especially the thousands of CTS Members and supporters both in Britain and around the world. It has been a great blessing for the CTS, a great encouragement – in the year of our 140th Anniversary.”

Piero Finaldi, who managed the Bible project, added:
“The CTS Bible has been a real labour of love for myself and for Fr Henry Wansbrough OSB . Throughout, we have been inspired by the principles set down by Pope Benedict when he was in charge of the Pontifical Biblical Commission. So after 3 years’ work it was great to be able to present the Holy Father with a version of the Word of God which embodied his clear vision of how best to help the faithful.”

“The theme of the General Audience was also especially encouraging for us. Speaking on St Gregory the Great, the Holy Father reminded us that this saintly pope was a ‘passionate reader’ of scripture, from which the Christian can draw ‘daily nourishment for his soul’. This accords very well with our original intention in creating this Bible. When he referred also to the successful mission that Pope St Gregory sent to England, the Pope reminded me of the pastoral care that every Pope has for each nation of the world, including ours.”

CTS’s New Catholic Bible is the only English edition that contains exactly the same Scripture text as used in the Catholic Liturgy. It was designed to help people understand the word of God in the Mass and the sacraments, and contains indexes and notes to help the reader find the daily Mass readings and get a deeper understanding of them. The Bible was created in 4 bindings to suit different budgets and uses: Compact, Standard, Travel and Presentation.

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Fr Jeremy Davies, diocesan exorcist for Westminster in England, has provoked a wave of international media interest with his new booklet “Exorcism” published by the Catholic Truth Society (CTS).

National newspapers including the Daily Mail , The Tablet and the Catholic Herald in Britain, and even the Daily News and Analysis in India, have picked up on the story, resulting in some fascinating but highly inaccurate headlines: “Yoga and horoscopes can lead to possession by Devil, claims Cardinal’s exorcist”, being one.

Despite the focus of the news coverage on the more sensational aspects, such as how sexual promiscuity and dabbling in the esoteric can draw you under the devil’s influence, Fr Davies’ booklet treats the subject with the sobriety that you would expect from a former medical doctor with years of experience as a priest and exorcist.

The booklet, part of CTS’s well known ‘Explanations’ series, is an authoritative presentation of what Christians understand about exorcism in practice and in scripture, and the nature of ‘satanic possession’ in the present day.

Fergal Martin, General Secretary of the CTS, commented “It is very well written on a subject which, rightly or wrongly, interests a lot of people. It is treated sensibly by the author who said we should have no difficulty in talking about this subject because Christ has conquered the Devil, and we can therefore approach this with confidence.”

With the “Blogosphere” now also buzzing with the story, Mr Martin is also delighted that many people from all over the world are now arriving at the CTS website to purchase this inexpensive booklet and read it for themselves. To buy copies, click here .

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Thanks to the support offered by CTS Members, we’ve recently been giving away to university chaplaincies copies of our colour illustrated booklet guide to the Catholic Faith, CREDO. CTS believes strongly in supporting young students who often find their beliefs challenged at university and need a deeper and more reasoned understanding of the Catholic faith. Similarly, CREDO offers those interested in the Catholic faith the opportunity to find out more.

Ray Bayliss OPL, Catholic Lay Chaplain at Keele University, reports:

“Keele is a campus University with The Chapel right in the centre. The Chapel is a local ecumenical partnership and Christians from across the spectrum worship here.

“The Catholic congregation is a formal partner in the LEP where it joins with the Anglican/Free Church (URC, Baptist, Methodist) congregation. In addition there is a very active Evangelical Christian Union that is affiliated to The Chapel but not part of the LEP. Consequently Catholics at Keele practise their faith in an arena where they are always being asked questions – some of which are genuine enquiries about Catholic teachings, some of which are more aggressive attempts to discredit.

“Many are not able to explain their faith to others in a clear and accessible way (perhaps because they arrive at University without appropriate catechesis). CREDO is a wonderful publication that should help to overcome that problem.

“It is being made available free of charge to all members of the Catholic congregation (and to all genuine enquirers about Catholic belief ) thanks to the generosity of CTS. Genuine ecumenism can only come from a spirit of generosity in understanding. In this light, CREDO is helping Catholics and others here at Keele to understand the balance of faith and reason to be found in Catholicism.”

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The Catholic Truth Society, which this year celebrates 140 years since its foundation, has signed an historic agreement with St Pauls Publications of Strathfield, NSW, for the distribution of CTS’s publications in Australia.

Fergal Martin, General Secretary of the CTS, called this “A wonderful new opportunity to extend CTS’s apostolate within Australia. CTS offers a unique range of accessible and authoritative publications explaining the Catholic faith, and this new venture will allow us to help many more people to come to know and love this faith in a deeper way. We are delighted to be working with St Pauls.”

Negotiations are also currently underway for securing distribution in North America.

Pictured: Top, Fr Michael Goonan SSP (St Pauls Publications) & Fergal Martin (CTS)

Bottom: Piero Finaldi (CTS), Fr Michael Goonan SSP (St Pauls Publications), Richard Brown & Fergal Martin (CTS)

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The Catholic Truth Society is delighted with the warm reception that has been given to its EVANGELIUM multimedia course in the United States. Teachers and students alike have been impressed by the beauty, clarity and conciseness of the course for sharing the riches of the Catholic Faith. EVANGELIUM is now used extensively in two US archdioceses, Saint Paul-Minneapolis and Saint Louis, and has been taken up by individual parishes across America.

Archbishop Raymond Burke of Saint Louis writes, “I am pleased to commend EVANGELIUM, which provides an excellent means to grow in knowledge of our Faith. In other words, it is a most worthy tool of the New Evangelization.” On a similar note, Father Joseph Johnson, Rector of the Cathedral of Saint Paul writes, “Evangelium has been a wonderful addition to the Cathedral’s programs and we are grateful for all your hard work.” The course has also received an outstanding commendation from one of America’s most respected Catholic teachers and academics, Professor Eleonore Stump (pictured), “EVANGELIUM is the standard by which other courses will be measured.”

According to Fr Andrew Pinsent, who co-authored EVANGELIUM (pictured top with co-author Fr Marcus Holden) and is completing a doctorate in philosophy at Saint Louis University, three elements have combined to make EVANGELIUM a success in the United States, “First, people appreciate the fact that the course is thorough and trustworthy. Teachers and students are pleased to have a balanced presentation of the Catholic Faith, based on the Catechism and without any personal agenda. Second, the course is extremely concise, which is important in an age when many people, especially in the United States, lead very busy lives. Third, the course is beautiful.” Indeed, commenting on the striking visual aspects of the presentations and Participant’s Book, Fr Johnson adds, “EVANGELIUM uses the power of images, which people of all languages can connect to. Plus it uses masterpieces of art.” While this uptake of EVANGELIUM has been encouraging, Fathers Pinsent and Holden are looking towards future development. “Summer 2007 saw the publication of the first extension to the product range, the pocket-sized CREDO booklet for mission situations. Current feedback from users suggests three further areas for fruitful development: the expansion of the Presenter’s Guide to include theological background notes for presenters; the development of a DVD version; and an advanced EVANGELIUM course in Catholic Church history for post-RCIA students. God willing, this defines our three-year publication programme from 2008 to 2011 respectively.” Father Pinsent adds that strong interest has been expressed in Switzerland, Holland and the United States for French, Dutch and Spanish language versions of the course.

Due to the popularity of EVANGELIUM, the Catholic Truth Society has established a direct distribution channel in the United States. The course is now sold locally through Catholic Supply of St. Louis, Inc, one of the largest Catholic goods retailers in the world.

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It’s always amazing to hear how far our publications travel! In the following message from a military chaplain in Afghanistan, you can read about how the work of CTS helps priests and laymen employed by the armed forces.

“As in any Parish, the priest’s daily work of celebrating the Sacraments, teaching the Catholic Faith and shepherding Christ’s Flock continues in the ‘parishes’ of the Military Ordinariate of Great Britain – wherever they are.

“I was delighted to receive a bumper pack of CTS publications for use with my soldiers here in Afghanistan who have just the same needs as those serving back home in the UK or Germany. Just because they are risking life and limb fighting the Taliban doesn’t mean that my flock isn’t interested in deepening its knowledge of our wonderful Catholic Faith. And I’ve always got a handful of “nibblers” on the go who are just curious about the Faith.

“Talk to any Military Chaplain and he’ll tell you that soldiers on operational duty are, perhaps uniquely, open to the grace of the Holy Spirit and hungry for knowledge of the Faith. I don’t think I have ever done an Operational Tour without returning home with at least one more Catholic than we came out with!

“And that’s where the CTS booklets are so great. Compact, goodlooking, wide ranging subject matter and easy to read – they are just the job to have at the back of the Church Tent for all kinds of people to drop in and read (even at the most unsocial hours!).

“My favourite CTS publication at the moment is the new CREDO: The Catholic Faith explained, by Frs. Holden and Pinsent. This little booklet is excellent and I would recommend it to all priests who are looking for good, solid Catholic teaching to give their potential converts. It’s ideal for us in the Military – since we are used to processing information in a concise and logical way without lots of touchy-feely psychobabble. CREDO is a colourcoded presentation of the Catholic Faith based firmly on the 1994 Catechism of the Catholic Church. Straightforward, informative and Orthodox: Fathers – you just can’t go wrong with it!

“The photos included were taken at the Initiation into the Christian Faith (Baptism, Confirmation and 1st Holy Communion) of Capt Jim Chatman RSIGS in Afghanistan last Christmas. I was the celebrant and his Sponsor was Capt Mick Sim REME. Thanks to CTS, Jim had lots of opportunity to read round the subjects we covered in our instruction classes before making up his mind to become a Catholic Christian.

“Thank you CTS for your wonderful Apostolate – you’re really helping priests like me to present the truths of the Catholic Faith to a young, principled and genuinely interested audience, many of whom have never even set foot inside a Catholic Church before. Please pray for all HM Armed Forces serving here in Afghanistan and in Iraq – and for their Chaplains.”

Father David Smith RAChD
Chaplain 4 Regt RA, Op Herrick VII [Sep ‘07 – Apr ‘08]

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A prison chaplain from Cape Town contacted us recently, asking for materials for his inmates. CTS sent him free copies of CREDO to assist him in his pastoral work. In the following message he told us how CTS publications help him in his work.

“The Evangelium course, the classic Simple Prayer Book, How to Pray the Rosary and your holy cards help me to catechise unchurched Catholics. Most inmates at a Cape Town prison where I work part-time as Catholic chaplain haven’t been inside the church since they were very young.

“I have a difficult task of handling people of sharply varying levels of intellect, education, age, etc., and the leanness of Evangelium permits me to mediate the material without the student becoming overwhelmed by a thick, wordy tome.

The eurocentric graphics haven’t been a put-off – these, too, can be ‘mediated’!

“And you are in step with current thinking. My brighter students, for example, Latin American kids caught acting as drug ‘mules’ – for quick dollars – respond to things like the Big Bang and Creation talk. For others? Does Jesus still love me after I what I have done? With your material, I can move into those questions, too.

“CTS, you are great. Thank you.”

Fr Richard Reese OFM Cap
Cape Town, South Africa

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