Past Programs Offered for Adult Faith Formation

Making the Most of Your Marriage: Building a Relationship that Will Last a Lifetime-September/November 2006

OLC offered a seven-week marriage enrichment program every Sunday at 7:00pm, beginning September 17, 2006 for couples who were married; couples who were engaged to be married; couples who may just have been “thinking about” getting married; and anyone else (single or otherwise) who wanted to have a deeper understanding of the male-female relationship as lived-out in Christian marriage.

When we read about a “marriage enrichment” program, for most of us, our eyes gloss over and we quickly pass on to the next item. We do this because we say “my marriage is solid … it doesn’t need any help ... or, it's great as it is.” Unfortunately, this is the attitude that results in the 50% divorce rate that we have in the United States with the fastest growing segment of divorce occurring in couples who have been married 20 years or more.

This program was not intended just for couples whose marriage is “in trouble”…although it was helpful to them. It was for ALL couples who wanted to make their relationship as good as it can be and learn new tools, new skills, and a new understanding for making their marriage and their relationship last a lifetime.

The program focused on the following areas and topics:

1. Designed to be Different ... Balancing the Challenges and Benefits of Two Distinctive Personalities

2. Where have all the Flowers Gone? ... Doing Your Best for the One You Love the Most

3. Striking the Perfect Match ... How Birth Order Affects Who You Are and the Marriage of Your Dreams

4. Looking for Love in Two Special Faces ... How Kids Grow and Thrive Through Mom and Dad's Relationship

5. Don't Rock the Jukebox! ... Resolving Conflicts by Turning On and Tuning In

6. Sex Begins in the Kitchen! ... How to Light the Fire and Keep the Flame Burning

7. Enjoying the Journey ... Becoming ONE in a Marriage That Will Last a Lifetime

Healing the Hurts We Don't Deserve:
Forgiveness Seminar/Workshop-July 2006

What do we do when someone we trusted has betrayed us? Do we have someone in our past who has done something to us that is so hurtful, so grievously wrong, that we are not able to forget it, and it infests our very being so much that it even makes us sick to think about it?

Hanging on to old memories, old hurts, and old pain can be toxic and poisonous to our entire being. The only way to get over the misery and resentment of a deeply painful hurt is to forgive the people who did such unspeakable harm to us...even if they do not want to apologize or ask for forgiveness...even if they are no longer with us...even if it is God...even if we are the ones who committed the unspeakable hurt.

This all-day, God-centered seminar/workshop focused on healing the hurts we don't deserve. Using a spiritual framework, we explored what forgiveness is; why we need to forgive; how to forgive; whom we should forgive; forgiving the "unforgivable;" forgiving God; forgiving those who are dead; and forgiving ourselves. The day concluded with a Spirit-filled Forgiveness & Healing Ceremony celebrating our taking the first steps on the road to forgiveness and self-healing.

The fee for the Seminar/Workshop was $25/person which includes refreshments (coffee, tea, soda, water) throughout the day; snacks; and lunch was provided. The Seminar/Workshop ran from 10am to 5pm; with registration check-in and coffee/refreshments beginning at 9:15am.

The Seminar/Workshop was open to everyone, regardless of religious background. Participants found it useful to bring along a notebook and a Bible.

Following in the same vein as “An Ordinary Day with Jesus” and “If You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat,” Deacon Don presented “The Life You’ve Always Wanted” on the six Fridays of Lent from February 11 through March 18.

PARABLES 101 (An Introduction to the Parablesof Jesus): September-November 2004

Parables are designed to catch people off guard and to elicit an immediate response. Parables capture the listener and make him/her a participant, overturning their world view and leading them to call into question their most basic values.

If a parable has to be explained, it loses much of its force, just as a joke does when someone doesn't get it and needs an explanation (just ask Fr. Raff!). For this reason, we in the 21st Century are at somewhat of a disadvantage in studying the parable. Unlike the original listeners in Jesus' time who usually understood the context and points of reference in a parable, we often miss many of those points.

The objective of "Parables 101" was to discover the point of a parable by understanding its cultural and literary context. We then moved to a self-examination of how we can apply that parable's moral and spiritual teaching to our own individual, personal lives.

"Parables 101" met in The Gathering Place Banquet Hall on Thursday at 7:30pm for six consecutive weeks beginning on September 30. Deacon Don presented the program which was open to the entire community.

“Everything You Wanted To Know About The Bible But Were Afraid To Ask:” January 12 - February 9, 2004

Have you ever wondered how Noah got all those animals on his ark? Not sure about the difference between a “Catholic” Bible and a “Protestant” Bible? Ever been curious about who wrote down what Jesus was thinking when he was alone in the desert? Want to know what the Book of Revelation says about the future? Or you just want to understand the Bible better?

Deacon Don presented "Everything You Wanted To Know About The Bible But Were Afraid To Ask" on Monday evenings at 7:30pm in The Gathering Place beginning on January 12 through February 9. Please note that this is not a “Bible Study” program; it is, however, an excellent way to build a foundation for future personal or formal Bible Study.

"If You Want to Walk on Water, You've Got to Get Out of the Boat:" October-November 2003

Presented by Deacon Don, this six-week program invited participants to step out of their boats of comfort, enter into the risky waters of life, and walk toward Jesus. Applying the Matthew 14 story of Peter's step-of-faith to contemporary discipleship, this Scripture-based program asked participants to consider the incredible potential that awaits those who fearlessly trust in God. They were led to discover the skills of "water-walking"--how to discern God's call, transcend fear, risk faith, manage failure, and trust God. The program showed how to answer Christ's call to greater faith, power-filled deeds, and a new way of letting God revive dormant gifts and dreams.

"Everything You Wanted To Know About the Catholic Church, But Were Afraid To Ask:" October-November 2003

Fr. Raff and Deacon Don held an open-forum on Tuesday nights for six weeks where all in attendance were invited to ask or discuss any and all questions/issues surrounding Catholicism. For example, all the stuff that bugs you, puzzles you, makes you wonder; makes you angry, keeps you awake, puts you to sleep, forms a knot in your stomach; makes you afraid of confession or anything or anyone else; makes you feel guilty, unworthy, scared, bad, glad; anything that makes you say: "Who in the world...? " "Why in the world...?" "What in the world...?" "I'm curious about ...?"

Our Lady of the Chesapeake sponsored a seminar and workshop on "The Secrets of Extraordinary Marriages" given by psychologist and marriage therapist Dr. Phil Robison, PhD at The Gathering Place amidst a festive "wedding reception" atmosphere together with refreshments and wedding cake. The workshop was oriented to all couples who wanted to improve their marital relationship: newlywed, married for a long time, married for a short time, engaged to be married, and those who may be just thinking about getting married. Drawing on over 400 studies, Dr. Robison presented the five secrets of couples who manage to have "Extraordinary Marriages" in this age of high divorce rates and high marital cynicism.

Deacon Don presented a four-week program on "The Christian Moral Life as Response to the Love of God" at The Gathering Place . The program covered such topics as the nature of Catholic morality, virtue, sin, conscience, ethics, moral decision-making, and what it means to live a Christian moral life as response to the love of God. On the last evening, the participants discussed and analyzed a current moral issue as a case study for moral decision-making.

Fr. Walter Paulits, our Founding Pastor, presented a program on the monastic practice of "Lectio Divina" or "Divine Reading. Fr. Walter described the program as follows: Monks spend several hours each day on this special kind of reading which is at the heart of their monastic life. It consists of consecutive reading of books of the Bible or other texts based on Sacred Scripture. The reading has almost nothing to do with the number of pages read, but has everything to do with the quality of the reading. The monks would use the reading to enter into prayer, so that perhaps only a few lines would be sufficient to keep a monk in the loving presence of God. Great liberty is involved; and so is the fundamental attitude: "In this reading, God is speaking to me. Listen!" And there is absolutely no reason why this kind of reading should be only for monks--anyone and everyone can practice it. The program presented and allowed the participants to actually practice this monastic technique of reading and praying Sacred Scripture.

On Wednesday, March 12, at 7:30pm, Deacon Don presented a program on the Eastern Catholic Church. It covered the history of the Eastern Churches, how the Eastern Orthodox-Roman Catholic Church schism came to be, differences and similarities in theology, sacraments, liturgy, and customs at Lent, Easter, and Christmas.

Deacon Don presented the program "A Day with Jesus--Experiencing the Reality of God in Everyday Life." The program was designed to help us learn to recognize and welcome God's presence into every moment of our lives. Too often people spend months or years not knowing how to approach their spiritual lives. This program was aimed to teach us to: invite Christ to work alongside us; recognize and hear the Holy Spirit's voice; use the spiritual pathways that best connect us to God; eliminate the hurry and simplify the pace of our lives; wake up and go to sleep in Jesus' name; open everyday relationships to God; spend soul-replenishing time alone with God; plan, commit to, and actually experience an entire day with Jesus.

This program was less "academic" and more "spiritual" than the "101" programs previously presented, and emphasized growth in our spiritual lives by developing a process to see God in all aspects of routine daily living. The program was especially meaningful for those of us who were feeling stressed out and needed to have God somewhere in our lives; or if God seemed, at times, to be some distant being that we couldn't connect with.

Deacon Don offered "Bible 101: An Introduction to the Scriptures" as a general introductory overview of the Bible. Presentations addressed: what the Bible is; why it is considered the holy book of Christianity; how the Scriptures were formed over time; literary forms found in the Bible; the meaning of Inspiration; the establishment of the Canon of Scripture; an overview of the Hebrew Scriptures/Old Testament; comparison and origin of the various translations of the Bible; an overview of the Christian Scriptures/New Testament; Biblical Fundamentalism; Catholic Bible Study; and some of the foundational stories of the Bible to include the Exodus event and the basic message of Jesus in the Gospels.

Father Walter invited everyone to a series of discussions on the Pastoral Theology of Fr. Karl Rahner, SJ., who was perhaps the leading theologian of the 20th Century. He was an expert consultant and adviser to two German cardinals during the Second Vatican Council and was instrumental in the creation of many of the council documents. His pastoral theology is best seen in the homilies he preached all his priestly life. His language is simple and his ideas are profound. Father Walter presented and discussed topics such as: God, Everyday Spirituality, the Church, Letting God Enter Into Our Lives, and so on. Excerpts from Fr. Rahner's writings were distributed for explanation and discussion. The program ran from the end of the Christmas Season through all of Lent.

In Luke's Gospel, we read that one of Jesus' disciples asked: "Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples." In response to this, Deacon Don offered a four-week program giving a general introduction and overview of prayer which he called "Prayer 101." The program discussed: what prayer really is; why we may experience obstacles to prayer; how to overcome those obstacles; and why the "Our Father" is the bedrock of Christian prayer.