Wintry Weather Winds Up!

CBS students and auditors are reminded that it is your responsibility to check each week for any cancellation notifications that might be in effect for your class. These notices appear on the official records site for St. Thomas Seminary known as "STSRegistrar."

Test yourself today, to be sure you can access the notifications before you need to on some snowy day. Your CBS student ID is the password you'll need to log in.* Here are several ways to link to the STSRegistrar site you need:

• Go to www.CatholicEdAOHCT.org and click on the link to STSRegistrar found on both the "Beyond the Basics" and "Student Matters" pages. 
• Or go directly to STSRegistrar at: http://www.stsregistrar.org/cgi-bin/CBS/cbsstudentlogin.pl.

Students who do not have access to the internet must either 1) during office hours, contact the OEEC office  (860-242-5573, ext. 2670), or 2) outside office hours, make arrangements with a fellow-student to get the information by email or telephone. OEEC office hours are M-F 8:30-4:30.

MOST IMPORTANTLY: KEEP YOURSELF SAFE! Cancellations will be made based on the locations of classes and the teachers. If conditions differ at your location, use your judgment and err on the side of safety. Later on you can speak to your teacher directly to let them know what happened.

*Login instructions are included with the OEEC website links, as above. Or click on this link. Jennifer McClintock and Kelsey Meczywor can assist you, if you are having trouble logging in (860-242-5573).

Spirituality of the New Testament Book of Hebrews

Register now for the second in our series of Catholic Biblical School continuing education offerings, Tuesday, November 14, 6:30-8:30 p.m., at St. Thomas Seminary. Fr. Frank Matera, the pastor of St. Mary, Simsbury, and Catholic University New Testament Professor Emeritus. will lead us in exploring the New Testament book of Hebrews.

Online registration is required by November 8 at https://goo.gl/forms/n6P9STaxz0vfFADH2.

All are welcome! Bring a friend. The continuing education series is intended for Biblical School graduates but is open to anyone who wants to engage the Bible more deeply.

This offering could be used as a make-up for certain CBS requirements. Contact BJ Daly Horell to find out more: catholic.biblical.school@aohct.org.

WANTED: Missionary Disciples

The Hartford Catholic Biblical School wants to know how you are living as a missionary disciple by

Jackie Welgowski, Pat Keck, and Carol Moriarty
CBS alumna and missionary disciples

promoting devotion to God's Word, the Bible, within the Archdiocese of Hartford. We are planning a display for National Bible Week (November 12-18) and invite you to send photos and a brief description of a Bible-based ministry you are involved with for inclusion in a display at St. Thomas Seminary.

Are you a lector? A catechist? Do you lead a prayer group? Are you leading Bible study or RCIA? Bible-based ministries come in many different forms, happen in many different places, and are led by people with a variety of gifts (but the same Spirit inspires each!). Whether or not you are a Biblical School alum, we'd like to hear how you are witnessing to the power of God's Word in your community.

Some examples can be found in this blog under the title, "Living and Leading in God's Word." Here are three examples to start with:

• Nancy Stimac, Class of 2011
• Tom Hynes, Class of 2019
• Leslie Roncari Marconi, Class of 2015

Please submit by November 8, 2017 to: catholic.biblical.school@aohct.org. Electronic submissions preferred. All submissions become the property of the Archdiocese of Hartford and cannot be returned. Sponsored by Catholic Biblical School and Archbishop O'Brien Library, St. Thomas Seminary.

Little Rock Connections ~ Good News for Today

Check out the Liturgical Press/Little Rock Scripture Study blog. This month's post by Dr. Mary Elizabeth Sperry, USCCB Associate Director of Permissions, explains the origins and focus of National Bible Week (Nov. 12-18, 2017).

Click here to find out more: http://cdnlrss.blob.core.windows.net/email/2017/oct/lr_connections/default.html.

USCCB National Bible Week Nov. 12-18, 2017

How will you celebrate God’s Word in your life during the USCCB's National Bible Week? Let us know what you have planned in your faith communities. Here's what you we have planned for you:

• Invite a friend to attend Catholic Biblical School (CBS) open classes (free of charge) during National Bible Week. Registration is required so we can ensure everyone has a seat at the table. Click here to see class dates and locations, and to sign up to attend: https://goo.gl/forms/0L6cAPVcB01yJYpo2.

• Special Event: The Spirituality of the Book of Hebrews, with Fr. Frank Matera, November 14th, 6:30-8:30 p.m. at St. Thomas Seminary (light refreshments beginning at 6:00 p.m.) Click here to register by November 8: https://goo.gl/forms/KIcxzINM7iLZCbXM2.

• Monday Mass at St. Thomas Seminary Chapel, with Fr. Roland LaPlante, Senior Priest, 12:10 p.m. (Giveaways planned.)

• Check out the Archbishop O'Brien Library exhibit, Missionary Discipleship and God's Word!

Some CBS  2017 graduates: Patty Patrone-Onofrio,
Laura Carnein; Lisa Pelletier; Therese Cuccia

Current Student Reminder: Tuition Due

With the exception of students who are enrolled in a payment plan, all current students in the Hartford Catholic Biblical School are expected to complete their tuition payments in October. Total tuition due is $350 (less any scholarship funds received).

For-credit students are also reminded that your $80 administrative fee is due this month as well, for a total payment of $430.

If you have not already made your final payment, please send a check payable to OEEC for the remaining amount to: Office of Education, Evangelization and Catechesis, Attn. Jill Costa, Archdiocesan Center at St. Thomas Seminary, 467 Bloomfield Ave., Bloomfield, CT 06002.

As Sandy Everett, Year 3 student, reminded me yesterday, tuition in most Catholic Biblical Schools across the country are typically much higher than our tuition! Thanks for responding promptly in this matter.

Hasmonean coins from the era of John Hyrcanus I, 127-104 BC(E).
Not redeemable for CBS tuition!

Added Value! CBS Audio Presentations Online

I'll be the last to suggest that the Hartford Catholic Biblical School (HCBS) rides the cutting edge of technology. We're slow to keep pace, but we do get there eventually.

Take our new initiative this fall. Students currently enrolled in the Catholic Biblical School core courses can now access class lectures online, from the Office of Education, Evangelization and Catechesis website: www.catholicedaohct.org. Three of our teachers are offering recordings of class lectures in CBS 100 (Year One, Alexis Chacchia); CBS 200 (Year Two, Amy Ekeh); and CBS 400 (Advanced Year, Orange Workbook, BJ Daly Horell). Students can now review class lectures in audio form as they prepare their self studies (homework) each week. 

Demonstrations of the system were provided at each of our Opening Scripture Days. If you are a current student and need help gaining access, please contact us in the Office of Education, Evangelization and Catechesis and ask for tech assistance: (860) 242-5573. 

Now, once you've registered and can log in, you'll see a list of sound files that have file names that look like this: 10.04.17 CBS 400 1.5 BJ. That indicates the date of the lecture (October 4, 2017) the course number (CBS 400/Advanced Year, Orange Workbook), the lesson number (Unit 1 Lesson 5) and the initials of the instructor (BJ, for BJ Daly Horell). 

And you'll probably notice that we are still working out some of the kinks, so please bear with us! For example, the sound quality of the CBS 400 recording this week is not what I wished for. We will persevere, however, and we expect eventually to have a library of 120 lectures available online for students in the HCBS core program.