Enriching. Informative. Explore the depth and breadth of the Catholic faith at St. Mary's One Topic One Night evenings. These evenings provide our parish community a platform to foster dialogue, cultivate enriching ideas, and continue an appreciation of learning as an active and lifelong process.
What is One Topic One Night?
The One Topic One Night Speaker Series provides our parish community a platform to foster dialogue, cultivate enriching ideas and continue an appreciation of learning as an active and life-long process. Speakers present a topic and allow time for questions and answer on that particular topic, usually finishing within an hour. The format and topics will vary, but the idea is to provide opportunity to dialogue, grow and learning together. The One Topic One Night series will return in the fall with a hybrid learning style, so as to best continue safe practices as long as necessitated by this pandemic.
one holy catholic apostolic church
Recent One Topic One Night
The most recent One Topic One Night covered talk on Marriage, and Why Marriage is only between a Man and a Woman. It was the first attempt at a hybrid learning style: one audience gathered in person, practicing safe distancing, and another group listened online. (Thank you to those who were online as we continue to work though the tech issues to continue to provide these learnings. Your kindness and patience is certainly appreciated.)
Here are some highlights.
God created mankind in his image; in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and God said to them: Be fertile and multiply. Genesis 1:27-28a
Beginning with a relevant quote from Pope Francis, the dignity and wholeness of the human person was emphasized. Defining people by only one aspect of their life, such as sexual preference, is a reductionist approach to identity. God only and ever sees us as His beloved sons and daughters, the principle identity of our baptism. In nature, marriage is properly between one man and one woman. Science helps us understand this through biology, anthropology, and sociology. If marriage is meant for the unity of the couple and the propagation of offspring, then, biologically, the design and function of the human body demonstrates this fact. Furthermore, anthropology demonstrates the essential function of the family as a communion of persons. Finally, sociology affirms that children flourish in life with the healthy influence of a two parent household with a mother and father. Our faith "baptizes" these scientific facts in Genesis with the four principles of marital union and conjugal love: complementarity where the differences in the sexes dynamically complement one another, permanence and fidelity where the commitment provides for family life, and procreativity where the love is fruitful not sterile.
In conclusion, we must show love, respect, and compassion toward our brothers and sisters who experience homosexual inclinations. And, we rightfully affirm and assert the truth of faith and reason.
Saint Joseph, patron Saint of the Church, pray for us.
Saint Mary of Gostyn, pray for us.