Enriching. Informative.
Explore the depth and breadth
of the Catholic faith at
St. Mary's One Topic One Night evenings.
What is One Topic One Night?
The One Topic One Night speaker series aims to provide our parish with a platform to foster dialogue, cultivate enriching ideas, and continue an appreciation of learning as an active and lifelong process.
The name says it all: in one night, usually in under an hour, we dig deep into one specific topic. Previous topics included subjects such as,
- Celibacy and the Priesthood
- Relativism
- Forming a Catholic Conscience
- What the Church Teaches: End of Life Issues
These evenings explore issues and topics of our faith in a more in-depth manner than can be covered in a homily, and provides time for follow-up questions and answers.
one holy catholic apostolic church
Recent One Topic One Night
A recent ONE topic ONE night discussed a foundational faith topic: Prayer. Using examples from Saints, Scripture and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Father Keith explained how prayer is the most practical thing we can do to actively receive the Lord.
Here are some highlights.
“If you knew the gift of God and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” John 4:10
Jesus is the living water, prayer allows us to drink from this living water. Prayer is not a “to do” but rather it is a receiving—a way of being drawn into, being invited to participate in the relationship and love of the Trinity. The first and greatest form of prayer is the Liturgy, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Holy Communion, union with God, is the most profound prayer we can do or receive, since God is made present to us in Holy Communion.
Another form of prayer can be easily remembered by the acronym ACTS:
A—Adoration, expression of love,
C—Contrition, recognizing we are all sinners, express sorrow, apology for sin
T—Thanksgiving, recognizing God is the source of everything good, and so the proper response is gratitude
S—Supplication, not only assailing God with our needs, but also moving beyond wants and needs to desire for God, desiring a heart for God
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux also gives an outline of prayer: illumination, purgation and unity. Prayer is unity with God; a covenant relationship in which both parties labor to love one another. Saint Ignatius of Loyola details the prayer process as Aware, Acknowledge, Relate, Receive and Respond.
Prayer is staying in union with the God who loves us; it’s the dynamic energy of the spiritual life.