New Student Scripture Day September 9th

All first-year students in the Catholic Biblical School are required to attend our Opening Scripture Day (orientation and first lessons) at St. Thomas Seminary, Bloomfield, on September 9, 2017, 8:50-3:00 p.m.

Stephen J. Binz, author and independent scholar, will introduce us to the Old Testament and to our first weekly lesson, I.1 Call of Moses.

If you haven't scheduled your enrollment interview yet, what are you waiting for? Call Jill or BJ at 860-242-5573.

Last Call to Enroll in CBS Fall 2017

Read the Bible, Reap Deep Rewards, and Rise to New Life in Christ Jesus!

Bible classes in Waterbury, Milford, Hamden and Bloomfield are starting September 9. We still have a few more spots! Is the Lord calling you to a meaningful encounter with God's Word? Call today to find out more about all that the Hartford Catholic Biblical School has to offer your journey in faith. Ask for Jill or BJ: 860-242-5573.

Read, Reap and Rise to New Life!

God's Word is alive and brings life. The Catholic Biblical School is "on tour" this month throughout the Archdiocese. Our Information Fairs are informal settings to learn more about what we offer and to discern whether the Biblical School is a path to which you might be called at this time in your journey of faith.

If you are interested in learning more about the archdiocesan Biblical School, register and join us for one of the Info Sessions scheduled this month:

• St. Thomas Seminary, Bloomfield: Aug. 15, 7:00 p.m.

• Christ Redeemer Parish Center, Milford: Aug. 21, 7:00 p.m.

• Caritas Christi Center, Hamden: Aug. 23, 10:00 a.m.

• Our Lady of Loreto Parish Center, Waterbury, Aug. 24, 6:30 p.m.

At each event you will have an opportunity to enroll for this fall's first-year programs, to be held in the same locations, at the same times as our Info Fairs.

Click this link to let us know you're coming: https://goo.gl/forms/MuNWiAxJf8MKd3uF2.

Or check us out online at: http://catholicedaohct.org/basic-information. What do you have to gain? Life in Christ Jesus our LORD and brother.

Engaging the Bible for Missionary Discipleship

Are you a missionary disciple?

Are you a baptized Christian?

To what extent have you encountered the love of God in Christ Jesus?

Do you experience the urgency of living actively as a disciple of Jesus?

If you are still unsure about how to be a missionary disciple, come to one of our CBS Information Sessions this month:

• St. Thomas Seminary, Bloomfield: Aug. 15, 7:00 p.m.
• Christ Redeemer Parish Center, Milford: Aug. 21, 7:00 p.m.
• Caritas Christi Center at Sacred Heart Academy, Hamden: August 23, 10:00 a.m.
• Our Lady of Loreto Parish Center, Waterbury, August 24, 2017, 6:30 p.m.

Engaging the Bible in your now and your everyday is a life-giving practice for being a missionary disciple.

Missionary Disciple #3

So what does it mean to be a missionary disciple?

Linda Mickiewicz, an ordinary Catholic
 who excels in missionary discipleship,
receives the Boadt medal from Archbishop Blair.
.

It means that if we truly follow Jesus, truly live with Christ in our hearts, then the love of God overflows into our now and our every day.

The bishops tell us that missionary disciples are Christians who 1) have known Christ and 2) seek to help others share in Christ’s life-giving gift of himself to humankind.

Pope Francis explains it this way, “every baptized Christian is a missionary disciple to the extent that he or she has encountered the love of God in Christ Jesus.”*

That's it. No donning a safari hat or hiking boots. No particular training. (Although lifelong learning, beginning with Sunday mass, is an important part of being a baptized Catholic.)

So, are you baptized? To what extent have you encountered the love of God in Christ Jesus? To exactly that extent, you are equipped to live as a missionary disciple.

*The Joy of the Gospel, No. 120; http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20131124_evangelii-gaudium.html).