Gay and Christian: Exploring Vocation, Friendship, and Celibacy

The Saint Benedict Forum was pleased to host Eve Tushnet, Joshua Gonnerman, and Ron Belgau for a powerful symposium on Gay and Christian: Exploring Vocation, Friendship, and Celibacyon Monday, February 22, 2016 at Hope College.  All three speakers gave powerful testimonies and inspired a diverse crowd of 300 students, faculty, administration, parishioners, and others.

The three talks were:

“The Radical Challenge of Gay Celibacy”Eve Tushnet

“A Different Conversation: Changing How We Think about Gay Politics” Joshua Gonnerman

“Understanding the Bible's Teaching on Homosexuality”Ron Belgau

See below for the video of the talks.

Ron Belgau is the cofounder of Spiritual Friendship, an ecumenical group blog dedicated to recovering the Church's traditional teachings on friendship and applying them to contemporary debates about homosexuality. He has studied philosophy at the graduate level at St. Louis University and Notre Dame, and has taught ethics, medical ethics, and philosophy of the Human Person at St. Louis University. He is a nationally known speaker, and in 2015 became the first openly gay Catholic to speak at the World Meeting of Families, in conjunction with Pope Francis's visit to Philadelphia

Joshua Gonnerman is a writer and doctoral student in theology at The Catholic University of America, writing his dissertation on Augustine's theology of grace and predestination. His articles have appeared in First Things, Spiritual Friendship, and PRISM Magazine.

Eve Tushnet is the author Gay and Catholic: Accepting My Sexuality, Finding Community, Living My Faith and Amends: A Novel. She lives in Washington, DC. Hobbies include sin, confession, and ecstasy.  She blogs at Patheos and has covered topics ranging from pro-life horror movies to the US National Figure Skating Championships. She was received into the Catholic Church in 1998.

This event is co-sponsored by Hope College's Religion Department, Women's and Gender Studies, Campus Ministries, Center for Ministry Studies, GRACES, and the Our Sunday Visitor Institute.

Flapjacks with Jack

Many thanks to our friends in the Knights of Columbus Council #7115 (Saint John Neumann) who organized a pancake breakfast at St. Francis de Sales Church in Holland to benefit the Saint Benedict Forum.  It was great to see so many of our friends, fellow parishioners, and students turn out to support our work.  God bless you all and stay warm!

March for Life 2016

Sadly, due to the dangerous weather conditions, the trip to the March for Life was cancelled.  Fortunately, we were not trapped on the PA Turnpike for 24 hours.  Please pray for us as we continue to witness to a culture of life.

Ecumenical Dialogue: What Does It Mean to Be Catholic? (VIDEO)

what does it mean catholic pic

On January 28, 2016, the Saint Benedict Forum hosted a Catholic-Reformed Dialogue about Jack Mulder's new book, What Does It Mean to Be Catholic?(Eerdmans, 2015).  Dr. Mulder's book is the meditation of a Hope College professor and convert to Catholicism from the Reformed tradition.  It was written as an effort to practice robust ecumenism, the idea that different Christian groups should share the distinctive gifts of their own tradition as they walk together toward full Christian unity.

Two Reformed scholars offered generous, yet critical responses to Dr. Mulder's book.  Han-luen Kantzer Komline, Assistant Professor of Church History and Theology at Western Theological Seminary, took up the question of the relationship between Scripture and Tradition.  Lynn Japinga, Associate Professor of Religion at Hope College, challenged Mulder on Mary, development of doctrine, women's ordination, and contraception.  Dr. Mulder responded to each presenter.

This event was co-sponsored by the Philosophy and Religion Departments, Campus Ministries, Center for Ministry Studies, Lilly Group on Robust Ecumenism, the Office of the Provost, and the Our Sunday Visitor Institute.

Calendar of Events 2015-2016

Dawn Eden on Chastity, Duncan Stroik on Architecture for the Poor, Anthony Esolen on the Liberal Arts, Spiritual Friendship authors on being gay and Christian, Sr. Miriam James Heidland on hope....check out our Calendar of Events 2015-16.

Dr. Ortiz on the Journey Home (VIDEO)

Cradle Catholic and director of the Saint Benedict Forum, Jared Ortiz, tells the harrowing tale of how he drifted away from God in his youth and how God slowly drew him back through providential encounters with Muslims, Jews, a few Catholics, and reading a lot of books.  Watch it here: 

Have a Heart: Dr. Anthony Esolen on the Value of a Christian Liberal Arts Education (VIDEO)

by Maria Gowon, Public Accounting Major, Class of 2016

Dr. Anthony Esolen of Providence College lectured on “Liberal Arts and the Christian College in a Post-Christian World.” His lecture drew an eclectic group of educators, students, clergymen and the general public. His talk was similarly eclectic, including a casual recitation of a portion of Dante’s La Vita Nuova and a nod to Kim Kardashian. Even so, his theme was clear. Dr. Esolen spoke of the rare and precious gift that only a Christian liberal arts college can bestow - an education with a heart.

Dr. Esolen described to us the state of the students he is currently teaching. He is grateful for the bright eyed and bushy tailed freshmen who “do not yet have mildew growing on their souls,” but instead have unbounded amounts of enthusiasm. They also have a lot to learn. Many step into his Classics courses never having heard of Milton, Tennyson, or Chaucer. Upperclassmen (who are sans the enthusiasm) are also unacquainted with these literary pioneers. This is not their fault, but rather offers a critique of the present state of high school education.

The American educational system looks bleak: schools eerily resemble prisons or factories, and should it surprise us when form begins to follow function? Class work places an unhealthy emphasis on 20th century dystopian novels and has a strong aversion to anything that even faintly bears the scent of theology. Dr. Esolen holds that the attempt to excise theology and all traces of Christ from high school education has removed the true core - the heart - of education.

According to Dr. Esolen, many secular colleges and universities are no different. Secular universities have abandoned their ties to early and medieval Christian writers. They unknowingly do themselves a disservice by severing themselves from literature brimming with ideas of truth, love, and what it means to be human. Additionally, there is no multidisciplinary dialog. There is no longer a core, no center axle around which the university rotates. Instead, each school or department operates in isolation, training their students in narrow, robotic excellence. Thus, the “university ceases to be a university, but becomes a polytechnical institution,” a place starved of wonder, depth, and meaning. There is no bigger picture, nothing held in common, and nothing to unite a public save a shared zip code.

Dr. Esolen went on to say that polytechnical institutions will not continue to grow unchallenged, for students are not machines made to function in a fractured, utilitarian manner. We are humans, “with great heart.” The Christian liberal arts college, he states, recognizes this. Through a liberal arts education and an abiding devotion to theology, these colleges help students keep their sense of wonder through brushes with beauty, providing a place to practice contemplative longing. Rather than disenchantment, students and professors alike know that they are “related to one another, embarking on a pilgrimage, and bound by something that transcends all of them.” Dr. Esolen related one such brush with beauty by describing how a former student came to know Christ through exposure to great Catholic-influenced literature.

Hope students, I imagine, understand a little about this. It’s the surprising acknowledgement that you can enjoy your general education required courses more than your major courses. It’s the harmony that exists between the Sailing and Physics Clubs. It’s also the dreaded interdisciplinary studies and coffee infused conversations that all center around the question, “Why?”

I was not fooled by Dr. Esolen’s soft-spoken character and his unassuming poetical delivery; his lecture was nothing short of a valiant cry for the preservation of beauty, and a charge for both educators and students to “behold” more often. There was nothing piecemeal or utilitarian in his demeanor; his heart was indeed behind his ribs, in his legs, and in his hands. He was guided by the belief that instruction in love, by love, is an education that makes us more human. And I think he might be right.

This event was co-Sponsored by Hope College's Religion Department,  the English Department,  the Philosophy Department,  the General Education,  Senior Seminar,  and Cultural Heritage Programs; Klesis,  Markets & Morality,  and the Our Sunday  Visitor Institute.

Anthony Esolen teaches Medieval Literature and Theology, Renaissance Literature, and the Development of Western Civilization at Providence College. He is a senior editor for Touchstone: A Journal of Mere Christianity. He is author of Ten Ways to Destroy the Imagination of Your Child and, most recently, Reflections on the Christian Life. Professor Esolen has also translated Dante’s Divine Comedy.

Duncan Stroik on Architecture for the Poor (VIDEO)

LA Cathedral and St. Patrick NYC (2)

On October 15, 2015, Duncan Stroik gave a fascinating lecture, entitled, "Architecture for the Poor."  He asked: What sort of architecture is appropriate for the poor? Should the buildings we construct for the disenfranchised express their poverty through economical materials, humble proportions, and functionalist interiors? Do beautiful, ornate churches disregard those who struggle for basic comforts? A rousing, thirty-minute Q & A session followed Stroik's talk.

The event was co-sponsored by Hope College's Religion Department, the Art and Art History Department, Sociology and Social Work Department, Markets & Morality, and the Our Sunday Visitor Institute.

Duncan G. Stroik is a practicing architect, author, and Professor of Architecture at the University of Notre Dame. His built work includes the Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel in Santa Paula, California, the Shrine Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe in LaCrosse, Wisconsin, and the Cathedral of Saint Joseph in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Prof. Stroik is also the author of The Church Building as a Sacred Place: Beauty, Transcendence, and the Eternal, and edits the journal Sacred Architecture.

Dawn Eden Gives Hope to the Hurting (VIDEO)

By Anna Jones, Religion and Philosophy Major, Class of 2018

It was almost three o’clock, and the afternoon’s talk by speaker and author Dawn Eden was about to begin. Coffee-shop conversation bubbled around me in the Fried Hemenway Auditorium as we waited for her to start. I had heard Eden speak that morning during the Wednesday chapel service and was excited to hear more of her story. The chapel talk had given a brief introduction to the topic Eden was about to discuss at length: “How Jesus' Sacred Heart Healed My Memories.” The talk was linked to her book, My Peace I Give You: Healing Sexual Wounds with the Help of the Saints, which discusses the whole story of her trauma and healing.

Strangely enough, joy was tangible in her presence. Eden had experienced severe suffering and was now in a sense reliving that pain with all of us by retelling her story. She spoke of how she still suffers from PTSD, yet her presence was one of such peace and joy that I couldn’t help but marvel at the work God has done in her.

Raised in a semi-devout Reformed Jewish home, Eden eventually lost her faith in God, seeking love and fulfillment by living a promiscuous life as a rock-and-roll journalist. In the afternoon talk, Eden spoke of how she had blocked out many painful memories, and in so doing brought an even greater pain to herself. Through the mercy of Our Lord and devotion to His Sacred Heart, Eden found the transforming love of Jesus, which turned the suffering of her memory into a pathway that brought her into union with Himself.

That evening in Winants Auditorium, Eden gave another talk entitled, “Thrill of the Chaste: Finding Fulfillment While Keeping Your Clothes On.” This talk touched on the story found in her book of the same name. Eden gave a testimony that recalled the abuse she suffered as a child, her search for fulfillment and value, and her eventual conversion and healing in Christ. Before her conversion, the wounds Eden suffered as a child told her that her value rested not in who she was but in what she would do. She suffered from guilt, made even worse by being told that the abuse perpetrated on her was her own fault.

In spite of this, Eden related that as a child she knew the necessity of love and came to the realization that if we loved one another, there would be peace. Eden related how she pursued an ever allusive “love” by chasing relationships and pushing the physical boundaries of each one. In essence, she was attempting to prove her worth. Her lifestyle was enabled by the rock-n-roll world she chose to be a part of which asked no questions of her about moral rightness. Ironically, it was this very life of wandering that eventually brought Eden to the fulfillment and healing she longed for.

During a phone interview with a member of a popular band at the time, Eden was introduced to a book entitled, “The Man who was Thursday” by G.K. Chesterton. Her interest was piqued and she picked a copy of the book. She was struck by the book’s statement, “The most poetical thing in the world was not being sick.” This struck a chord in Eden’s heart. Eden read more work by Chesterton, which eventually led her to Chesterton’s inspiration, the Bible, particularly the Psalms and the Gospels. Scripture became real and three-dimensional for Eden, not just “flat words on a page.” Through the working of the Holy Spirit she was led become a Christian, eventually discovering the richness and truth of the Catholic Church.

Finding the teachings of the Catholic Church “profoundly liberating,” Eden began to see that Chastity is an active virtue and not a mere restriction. This new found teaching defied the accusations of her wounds and confirmed her identity as a beloved daughter of the living God. Dawn Eden’s story was truly inspiring, filled with joy and grace and the message of Jesus’s redemptive healing which is so needed in this world’s broken culture. Her testimony offers hope not only to those who have suffered as she has, but also to all those seeking a life of abundance in Christ.

Dawn Eden is the author of Thrill of the Chaste (Catholic Edition): Finding Fulfillment While Keeping Your Clothes On (Ave Maria Press, 2015, revised and updated from 2006 edition) and My Peace I Give You: Healing Sexual Wounds with the Help of the Saints (Ave Maria Press, 2012).

All photos by Joy Rhine.

Lecture on Pope Francis with Dr. Eduardo Echeverria

via Shutterstock, rights managed.

The Saint Benedict Forum was pleased to welcome our friend Dr. Eduardo Echeverria, Professor of Philosophy and Systematic Theology at Sacred Heart Major Seminary who spoke on the topic of "Pope Francis's Temptations: The Church in the Modern World" on Tuesday, September 29th, at Hope College in the Maas Conference Room (264 Columbia Ave).  The event was co-sponsored by the Our Sunday Visitor Institute and the Religion Department.

The video of the talk will be available soon.

With Pope Francis's recent visit to the United States and Cuba, many have had an opportunity to learn more about this charismatic and yet humble pontiff.  Nevertheless, the pope is often confusing to many groups of people.  Many appreciate his concern for the environment, his clear opposition to the death penalty, and his devotion to the poor.  Yet, he is also a persistent defender of the traditional family, the right to life at every stage, and religious liberty.  Dr. Echeverria helped us understand what really animates Pope Francis and why he defies so many caricatures of the papacy and the Catholic Church.

Casting the Demons Out....of the Dorm Room

By Colin Whitehead, Religion and Spanish Major, Class of 2017

A blessing of dorm rooms? What’s that about? Well, Christians have been giving thanks and having things blessed for a long, long time. Voyages. Harvests. Marriages. Pets. Building sites, you name it. So, why not bless the place where you live, study, and relate to roommates? Last year, the Saint Benedict Forum organized the first-ever blessing of dorm rooms on the campus of Hope College. The event was such a hit that it was brought back again this year. This year’s blessing of dorm rooms took place during the second week of school once students had time to settle in . . . and to give them an excuse to do some possibly needed housekeeping.

Like last year, Fr. Charlie Brown of St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church in Holland, MI, met a group of excited students at Phelps Dining Hall to share a meal with them.

Joining him this year was a new face, Fr. Bill VanderWerff. Fr. Bill, a recently ordained priest, replaced Fr. James VanderLaan earlier this summer as Associate Pastor at St. Francis de Sales. This meal provided the Fathers a chance to catch up with some students after the long summer break as well as to form new friendships with others. Once the conversation came to an end, it was time to begin the blessings. One student led Fr. Bill to most of the dorm rooms slated for a blessing while another student guided Fr. Charlie to the remaining dorms as well as the cottages and apartments.

Credit should be given to the students, especially the freshmen, who signed up for this event. I am sure it took a good deal of courage for them. It can be unnerving to consider having your new friends see a priest standing in your room performing what looks to them to be a strange ritual. First, the priest begins in prayer. Then he reads a passage of Scripture. He douses the student, room, and roommate with holy water to recall one’s baptism. Finally, a communal Our Father is offered along with a blessing. And, there you have it—the old dorm room has passed away; behold, the new room has come. Or, something like that.

As Fr. Charlie finished blessing a dorm room, a freshman asked him to bless her room. She had seen the announcements but had not signed up. The ability to bring peace of mind to a new student who is still adjusting to Hope highlights the importance of the bridge that the Saint Benedict Forum provides between Hope students and St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church.

Several students shared with me what the room blessing meant to them. Miriam Hernandez, a senior, said, “I feel incredibly privileged to have this opportunity. This for me was yet another way that God allowed me to be in connection with Him through my daily tasks and reminded me that He never leaves my side.” When asked how the blessing will affect the work that she will do in her room, she stated, “[It] makes me feel at spiritual peace, welcomed and comfortable in my room. The blessing affects to a great extent the work that I do. It allows me to relax and focus on my school tasks as I know God is with me.”

Another senior, Ivy Keen, related that the blessing made her room feel more like home. “The sprinkling of water was a significant part of the blessing,” Ivy said. “By consecrating the rooms, it made the blessing more permanent, and this makes my room feel more permanent, like a home.” She said further, “The blessing will help to foster an environment that encourages prayer, relationships, and openness. My hope is that my room will be a place where all of these things can take place, both between me and God and among my roommates and me.”

By inviting Fr. Charlie and Fr. Bill into their rooms, students were able to interact with them in a more personal way than they are used to doing at Mass. As a new school year is underway, and prior to first exams, this could hardly have come at a better time. Thank you to Fr. Charlie, Fr. Bill, and to all who were involved.

“The Saint Benedict Forum and St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church, blessing rooms since 2014.” Now that has a ring of a nice tradition to it . . .

All photos were taken by Aaron G. Estelle.

How I Fell Away from and Reverted to My Childhood Faith (AUDIO)

On July 8, Dr. Jared Ortiz was interviewed by Gus Lloyd on his show Seize the Day. He spoke on how he fell away from Catholicism and how God drew him back through books and people. The segment was broadcast on Sirius XM Radio's channel 129, the Catholic Channel. Listen to the interview here.