Just Faith

JustFaith is an introduction to and an experience of Catholic teaching on social justice. The JustFaith program encourages its participants to think about and discuss issues of social justice in the context of our faith. It consists of reading about, listening to speakers, watching videos of, discussing, and experiencing conditions that cry out for action by people of faith.

One of the first books in the program, The Challenge and Spirituality of Catholic Social Justice, by Marvin L. Krier Mich, summarizes the seven themes of social justice:

1. Life and dignity of the human person
2. Call to family, community, and participation
3. Human rights and responsibilities
4. Option for the poor and vulnerable
5. The dignity of work and the rights of workers
6. Solidarity
7. Care for God’s creation

JustFaith meets from September through May, during which it presents each of these seven themes, explains its relationship to our current society, and describes the opportunity within the JustFaith program to explore what we can do not only to identify the challenges before us, but to choose how to make a difference. For more information, email Suzanne Richer, Director of Social Justice for St. Paul’s at smricher@aol.com.

Bible Study
A Treasure House of Old and New

In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus says, “Every scribe who has been instructed in the kingdom of heaven is like the head of a household who brings from his storeroom both the new and the old.” Mathew’s Gospel is itself a treasury of the old and the new. If you would like to know more about the treasures to be found in Matthew’s Gospel, why not join one of St. Paul’s Bible Study groups this Fall as we read and discuss Matthew’s Gospel? No special knowledge or prior Bible study experience is required.

St. Paul’s Bible Study groups meet on Wednesdays, either in the daytime (between 9am-11:30am) or in the evening (7:30pm-9pm). Join the group whose time of day is more convenient for you, even alternate groups since both groups cover the same lesson on the same day.

The first meeting will take place on Wednesday, September 22. The course calls for 10 meetings. There is a charge of $13 for course materials which include a booklet of commentary, a Study Guide and Lecture Transcripts. It will also be helpful if you have a Bible of your own because many of the Discussion Questions refer to other sections of the Bible that are not in the Commentary or Study Guide. If you are interested in joining a Bible Study Group or would simply like more information, please call Don or Joan Luecke at 609-799-8047 and leave a message on their answering machine. It will be helpful if you can call by the end of February so that we can order enough study materials for everybody and get materials into your hands a week before the first meeting. Please speak clearly when you leave your name and number so thay can call you back.

Parish Library

The parish library, located in the Spiritual Center (Church basement), is open each Sunday from 9:30am - 1pm and Sunday from 6pm - 8pm. The library has over 1400 books and AV materials in several different categories, including Catholicism (doctrine, history and theology), Children, Espanola, Family and Parenting Issues, Fiction, Grief and Loss, Jesus, Liturgy and the Sacraments, Mary, Moral Issues, Peace and Justice, Reference (Encyclopedias, Commentaries), Religious Education, Saints, Self-help, Spirituality and Prayer. Books are available for two-week loans; AV materials, for one-week loans. Please visit it if you are looking for a variety of books on spiritual and religious subjects.