HCBS Bears Fruit in the Bible Belt!

A graduate of the first class of the Hartford Catholic Biblical School, Mr. Jerry Siegmund now of Myrtle Beach, SC, is the founder of a new four-year Biblical School patterned after the CBS in Hartford.  The new Biblical School is centered in St. Brendan the Navigator Catholic parish, just over the North Carolina border from Jerry’s home.

Since graduating from the Hartford CBS, Jerry has taught a variety of  programs on different books of the Bible and has long felt that parishioners would benefit from a more in-depth course such as the Catholic Biblical School provides.

The program will be open to members at St. Brendan’s and other surrounding parishes as well as non-Catholics. Unlike our program in Hartford, St. Brendan's will not be able to repeat each year for a new incoming class due to lack of teachers. So if any recent graduates from our CBS are looking for a place to retire and still keep up your scripture work, check out St. Brendan's!

--Submitted by Jerry Siegmund, Class of 1999

June News in Faith Formation

What's happening in the Biblical School, adult spirituality, catechist enrichment, youth ministry? It's all here in the May 2010 newsletter, ORE Connections. Click here to explore what's happening this month in faith formation in the Archdiocese of Hartford.

Take special note of the listing of our 2010 CBS Graduates and the listing of 2010 recipients of the Basic Certificate in Biblical Studies.

Graduation Retreat and Ceremony

This year's Graduate Retreat (Mount Nebo Day) is scheduled for Saturday, June 5, 8:30-2:30. Graduating fourth-year students are invited to gather as a class in an atmosphere of prayer, reflection, study, and fun.

The CBS Graduation will take place in the St. Thomas Seminary Chapel on Sunday, June 13, at 3:00 p.m. A reception will follow.

Both events require advance registration. Contact BJ Daly Horell at cbs@orehartford.org or 860-243-9465.

April "Bible Blog" Winner—A Rap by Margaret Hurley

The King is Dead: Rap of the Amalekite

(To the new king, David: Based on 2 Samuel 1:1-16)

(I come from the king,
He is laid very low;
Jonny's no better,
You don't wanna know!

King Saul said, "Come here,
I'm in a bad way,
Could ya do me a favor?
I don't wanna stay!"

I looked him in the eye,
I could see he was done.
"You're goin' to die
And you're not the only one."

I took off his crown
And his armband too.
I knew you would need them
To prove your throne is True.

You killed my people
But now you're a king,
Why can't we be friends
And start a new thing?

You're gonna write history—
The winners always do!
I hoped for a reward
But I met my Waterloo!

For bringing bad news
I shouldn't have to "fry."
I should'a known better
Than to trust this guy!

CBS Announces—"Bible Blog" Contest Winners for April and May

Mr. Tom Melesky and Ms. Margaret Hurley, both students in the Hartford Catholic Biblical School, are the winners for April and May in the CBS Fifteenth Anniversary "Bible Blog" Contest.

Thank you to all who have submitted your reflections in the last six weeks. Entries received between now and June 30, 2010, will be eligible for publication as our June contest winner.

And remember: You don't have to be a CBS student or graduate to enter our monthly contest! For contest details, click here or email BJ Daly Horell, Coordinator of the Hartford Catholic Biblical School.

Whom Do You Seek? The Christian and the Word of God

"I suggest that the Christian should not look to the OT [Old Testament] for rules to obey, models to follow, or norms by which to judge orthodoxy (or orthopraxy). The OT is fundamentally, and at its deepest level, a witness to the ongoing attempt of men and women in a specific community to understand, in faith, what was happening in their lives and to respond to what they believed was the saving activity of God in their lives. For us Christians the OT is the story of our roots. The importance of such a foundation story for establishing a sense of identity scarcely needs comment. The OT is, indeed, a resource[,] but it is not a set of norms."

by Frederick L. Moriarty, SJ

Fr. Frederick L. Moriarty, one of the greatest Catholic teachers of the Old Testament in the twentieth century,

May News in Faith Formation

What's happening in the Biblical School, adult spirituality, catechist enrichment, youth ministry? It's all here in the May 2010 newsletter, ORE Connections. Click here to explore what's happening this month in faith formation in the Archdiocese of Hartford.