Boadt Medal Awarded - Sr. Doretta D'Albero, ASCJ

In conjunction with our twentieth anniversary celebration last Friday evening (5/1/15), the Catholic Biblical School awarded the 2015 Fr. Lawrence Boadt Memorial Medal to Sr. Doretta D'Albero, Class of 2013.

Fr. Boadt was Paulist priest and a great friend to the Hartford Catholic Biblical School. He worked closely with our students and graduates every year, even during his final illness in 2010. He had a gift for making the complexities of OT texts accessible to the minds and hearts of ordinary folks. The Archdiocese of Hartford’s undying respect for Fr. Boadt and his work is commemorated in the annual presentation of the Fr. Lawrence Boadt Memorial Medal, which is given to a graduate of the Catholic Biblical School who demonstrates excellence in the study of Scripture and a record of promoting devotion to God's Word in their way of living.

Sr. Doretta lives the gospel message every day through her religious vocation, in her work at Apostles Immigration Services in New Haven, and in providing adult education programs at the Caritas Christi Center in Hamden.

If you know a CBS graduate who has earned your respect as a student of Scripture and a leader in fostering devotion to God's Word (Jesus Christ) in Scripture, contact the Office of Religious Education and Evangelization. We will send you a nomination form for the 2016 Boadt medal, which is scheduled to be awarded at next year's Celebration of Sacred Scripture.

Celebrating 20 Years!

On Friday, May 1st the Catholic Biblical School (CBS) of the Archdiocese of Hartford celebrated its 20th anniversary at a joyous reception with more than 150 people attending.

The celebration began with a prayer service designed and led by Angela Pietrowski Arpino, Class of 2008 and the 2010 Boadt Memorial Medal Recipient.  All 495 graduates of the Catholic Biblical School were remembered in prayer by name, and Biblical School students and alums proclaimed Scripture in word and song.

Hosted by Archbishop Leonard P. Blair, the reception and dinner provided an opportunity for students and alums to reminisce and share the renewed faith that the Catholic Biblical School has continued to provide them, through the years. Fr. Christopher M. Tiano and Ms. BJ Daly Horell paid tribute to Biblical School founders, Msgr. Michael Motta and Sr. Jewel Renna, who were present for the occasion.

For information about CBS and how to enroll, call: 860-242-5573 ext. 2679 or 203-880-4807.

Sr. Jewel Renna, CND; CBS Co-founder, with alums Sanita Gingras and Angela Arpino

Text for the Advanced Year Summer Assignment

FYI: I am in the process of changing the summer reading and writing assignment for students entering years three and four (CBS 400) this fall, so you will not need to purchase the O'Connor text, The Wisdom Literature. It is a wonderful read and a recommended text, but it will not be required this year.

Weekly Bible Study - John 15:1-8

3 May 2015
5th Sunday of Easter   

Time-lapse photography offers us a unique glimpse into the workings of plant

life. We may observe fragile tendrils of a vine as they reach out and wrap themselves around other branches, embracing and holding them tight in the process. It is no coincidence that Jesus uses this image to detail his relationship to the Father and describe his life within us.

Jesus uses an analogy to speak of the relationships between the Father (the “vine grower”) himself (the “vine”) and of his disciples (the “branches”). These are more than just familiar images. The analogy brings our attention to the connections between the vine, the vinegrower and the vine's branches. There are mutual responsibilities within this connectedness. The Father creates and sustains the life of the vine. The Son embraces, cares for and nurtures his own, his branches, sharing the life given by the vine grower with the branches. We not only remain secured to the vine, we draw from the very life of the vine to bear fruit: which is the reason the vine grower (God) planted the vine in the first place.

“Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.” The branch cannot survive unless it is firmly attached to the source of its life. There is more to this analogy than a relationship of intimacy between Christ and his followers. This image suggests an integration of the disciple into the very life of Christ with God in the Spirit.

The follower not only draws life from the vine, but must “cultivate” that life and, as Jesus says, allow the Father to prune the branch. We draw from the divine nourishment as we nurture our inner life in communion with the church, through prayer, Scripture study, worship and sacraments. The follower who draws life from the vine must also bear fruit for others.

In his letter to the Galatians, St. Paul enumerates these fruits: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.  The health of the branches is evidenced in the fruit it produces. Bearing fruit is our way of giving glory back to the Father.

It is as simple as the everyday images that Jesus uses to speak of the kingdom of God: We draw our life from God and our nourishment from his Son that the church may bear the fruits of God's Spirit.

The author, Ms. Barbara Gawle, leads Bible studies at her parish, Incarnation Church of Wethersfield, CT. She is a CBS graduate and the 2012 recipient of the Biblical School's highest award, the Lawrence Boadt Memorial Medal.