Please join us for our fall forums and new course.
Blessings,
Bridget Mary and Mary Theresa
PCS FORUMS – Fall 2022:
Unpacking
the Aramaic Prayer of Jesus
Presented by Rev. Dr. Patricia Fresen, RCWP
Thursday, September 15, 2022
1pm EDT – FREE
Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82317381167?pwd=YkpwaGJTcldBVXNnczhIT2dhZjVpUT09
Meeting ID: 823 1738 1167
Passcode: 073283
Rev.
Dr. Patricia Fresen was born in South Africa, studied theology in
Rome at the University of St. Thomas and the Gregoriana, and was then invited
to join the faculty of the National Seminary in Pretoria. She later
completed the Doctorate in Theology and after that she taught theology at the
Catholic University in Johannesburg. However, as a direct
result of her ordination to the priesthood in 2003, Dr. Fresen was forced to
leave the Dominican Order, of which she had been a member for 45 years; and she
had to vacate her position at Catholic University. She subsequently left her
homeland to take up residence in Germany. In recent years, Dr.
Fresen has returned to South Africa. Ordained a bishop in 2005, Dr.
Fresen has ordained many women priests in Europe, Canada the USA and now South
Africa. She has been a well-respected conference speaker and retreat
leader in all those countries. At present, her most
frequently-requested topics are on the translation of the Gospels from the
original Aramaic, which was the language of Jesus. She did a course
with Prof. Neil Douglas-Klotz on the Aramaic of the Gospels and she says it was
life-changing. She will speak in a PCS forum on 15th September
about the Our Father translated from the Aramaic.
PCS FORUM: A
Conversation with James Carroll
author
of The Truth at the Heart of the Lie: How the Catholic Church Lost Its
Soul - FREE
Tuesday, September 27, 2022
7pm EDT
Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89017542054?pwd=UXlXWmxabUkzdnlkY0MvQVBFSkZMZz09
Meeting ID: 890
1754 2054
Passcode:
955561
James Carroll weaves together the story
of his quest to understand his personal beliefs and his relationship to the
Catholic Church with the history of the Church itself. From his first awakening
of faith as a boy to his gradual disillusionment as a Catholic, Carroll offers
a razor-sharp examination both of himself and of how the Church became an
institution that places power and dominance over people through an all-male
clergy.
Carroll argues that a male-supremacist
clericalism is both the root cause and the ongoing enabler of the sexual abuse
crisis. The power structure of clericalism poses an existential threat to the
Church and compromises the ability of even a progressive pope like Pope Francis
to advance change in an institution accountable only to itself. Carroll traces
this dilemma back to the Roman Empire and the Middle Ages, when Scripture,
Jesus Christ, and his teachings were reinterpreted as the Church became an
empire. In a deeply personal re-examination of self, Carroll grapples with
his own feelings of being chosen, his experiences as a priest, and the moments
of doubt that made him leave the priesthood and embark on a long personal
journey toward renewal - including his tenure as an op-ed columnist at The
Boston Globe writing about sexual abuse in the Church.
Ultimately,
Carroll calls on the Church and all reform-minded Catholics to revive the
culture from within by embracing anti-clerical, anti-misogynist resistance and
staying grounded in the spirit of love that is the essential truth at
the heart of Christian belief and Christian life.
Please read the book
before participating in the forum. James will be focusing on his Epilogue: A
Catholic Manifesto.
NEW
PCS COURSE:
PCS 507 - After Jesus, Before Christianity
Cohort begins Wednesday, October 5, 2022
at 7pm EDT
Cost: $100
Register now at:
https://pcseminary.teachable.com/p/pcs-507-ajbc
The course begins with a recognition of assumptions of those earliest years after Jesus and which ones we ought to question. The main topics we plan to cover include examples of women in leadership roles, ancient understandings of gender, the painful reality of living with Roman violence; diverse ideas regarding self-identity, suffering, and death among Jesus’s followers; wide-ranging views of Jesus, Paul, and Mary, the Magdalene; the variety of texts available before there was any such thing as a New Testament, and new perspectives on so-called “Gnosticism” and “heresy.”
The content is divided into six sections which include inspirational introductions, lectures, and resources for further study. Throughout the course, there will also be opportunities for reflection and sharing with fellow students.
Dr. Shirley Paulson and Dr. Deborah N. SaxonCourse Facilitators
Shirley and Deb were active participants in Westar Institute’s Christianity Seminar that led to the production of the book, After Jesus Before Christianity. They bring insider knowledge of the work of the seminar over its eight years and the conclusions that have now come together in book form. This course highlights the most important of these findings—new discoveries regarding the followers of Jesus in the first two centuries C.E. These breakthroughs in understanding have implications for our thinking and practice today. To be forewarned, some of these realizations challenge traditional views, but they also liberate us from outgrown practices that probably never even started with Jesus or his apostles.
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