Sunday, December 3, 10, & 17
9:45am-10:45am
CTK School Library
Acknowledged as one of Southern literature's unquestionable literary-theologians who represents the post-Vatican II Catholic imagination, Tim Gautreaux's canon emphasizes postconciliar Catholic thought through his exploration of the themes of community and social action. His stories are constructed on questions of moral imperatives; however, the most righteous course of action is not always immediately obvious for Gautreaux's characters. As readers, we enter into the gray tension between what one thinks is right and just and what is compassionate and merciful. For Gautreaux, the fundamental questions are "Why are we here?" and "How should we live?" From Gautreaux's canon we shall study the short stories "Attitude Adjustment," "Good for the Soul," and "The Piano Tuner." The lecturer is Victor Judge who serves as the assistant dean for academic affairs at Vanderbilt University Divinity School and as lecturer in literature and religion.
Session 1 & 2 - "Attitude Adjustment" and "good for the soul" (PDF)
With rare exceptions, Christians spent two millennia believing that we have little to learn from Jews, or even that Jews pose a threat to Christianity. From the rise of Christian empire to Inquisition to Shoah, it seems like Jew-hate has long been the shadow cast by Christian love. But what if Jews do not need to become Christians to participate in God's plan for restoring the world? What if Catholics have something crucial to learn from God's covenant of faithfulness to the Jews, a gift and call of which God has never repented? What can we do about the wounds we have inflicted on those whom Pope John Paul II called our elder brother?
This series will feature speakers from local synagogues to teach us more about Jewish life and practice today, interspersed with discussions that focus on the history and theology of Catholic-Jewish relations. All are welcome.
9/3 – An Orientation to Jews and Catholics in History (Jon Stotts)
9/10 – Everyday Jewish Practices (Rabbi Rami Shapiro)
9/17 – Vatican II and Jewish-Catholic Relations (Jon Stotts)
9/24 – Interpreting the Jewish Scriptures (Patty Marks, The Temple)
10/1 – Anti-Judaism: Mending our Myths and Misconceptions (Jon Stotts)
10/8 – Being Jewish in Nashville (Panel Discussion)
10/15 – Jewish Worship and High Holy Days (Rabbi Strosberg, Sherith Israel)
Session 7 - Jewish High Holy Days
Session 6 - Being Jewish in Nashville (Panel Discussion)
Session 4 - Interpreting the Jewish Scriptures, Presented by Patty Marks
Handouts
Handout
Session 3 - Vatican 2 and Jewish-Catholic Relations
Handouts
Notra Aetate
Session 2 - Everyday Jewish Practice, presented by Rabbi Rami Shapiro
Handouts
Jewish Morning Blessing
Session 1 - An Orientation to Jews and Catholics in History (Jon Stotts)
Medieval Spain witnessed a fascinating era marked by the coexistence of Christians, Muslims, and Jews on the Iberian Peninsula under Muslim rule.
Despite significant conflicts and tensions, it was a time of cultural exchange, intellectual flourishing, and significant advancements in various fields such as science, art, architecture, medicine, and philosophy.
Join Dr. Howard Miller, associate professor of history, politics, and philosophy at Lipscomb University, for two presentations on the complex dynamics of religious coexistence during this period.
Sunday, August 07th & 27th
9:45am-10:45am
West Wing of the Parish Center
During December, we were introduced to the canon of the contemporary Irish writer Claire Keegan whose novella titled Small Things Like These served as the foundation for our Advent studies.
For the month of June, we resume our exploration of Keegan’s writings by reading the novella Foster in which the author embeds a re-imaging of the Lucan narrative of the prodigal son.
Set in rural Ireland in 1981, the novella unfolds from the perspective of a young, unnamed girl whose parents “foster” her to an aunt and uncle for the summer before she returns to school; however, during the days of her fosterage, she learns different lessons in familial love.
The lecture series will be delivered on June 4, 11, 18, and 25, by Victor Judge, the assistant dean for academic affairs and lecturer in literature and religion at Vanderbilt University Divinity School.
"A time is coming when men will go mad, and when they see someone who is not mad, they will attack him, saying, 'You are mad; you are not like us.” -St. Anthony the Great
As Christianity began to spread across the Roman empire in the 4th century, thousands of men and women fled to the deserts of Egypt, Syria, and Palestine to seek God in simplicity and silence. The wisdom of these seekers was captured in "The Sayings of the Desert Fathers," an anonymous collection of stories and aphorisms that paint a delightfully human picture of early Christian attempts to become holy. As our Lenten journey toward Easter begins, what can we ordinary Catholics learn from the successes -- and failures -- of these remarkable women and men who renounced everything to follow Christ?
2/26 – Who are the Desert Fathers and Mothers?
3/12 – Dead Or Alive? Empire, Church, and the Desert
3/19 – A Ballad of Love and Hate: God, Neighbor, and Self in Desert Spirituality
3/26 – Fighting with Demons: Thoughts and Desires in the Spiritual Life
4/2 – Becoming Like Fire: What It Means to Be Saved
Rowan Williams - Where God Happens - Life, Death, and Neighbor
Session 3 Powerpoint Slides (PDF)
Peter Brown, "Church and Empire," The Rise of Western Christendom (2013) (PDF)
Session 2 Powerpoint Slides (PDF)
Sayings of the Desert Fathers and Mothers Handout (PDF)
"The Wisdom of the Desert" by Thomas Merton Handout (PDF)
Session 1 - Foundations - Please read Chapters 1-13 for this session as we will be in conversation around inner transformation; juxtaposing Lauren Olamina with Jesus, her country and community with our current society, and Earthseed with Christianity.
We will lean on Cynthia Bourgeault’s 2018 article on the Wisdom Tradition for The Center for Action and Contemplation to ground our discussion: https://cac.org/daily-meditations/the-wisdom-tradition-2018-01-28/
The Church has always held that the Bible is greater than the sum of its parts. We throw around terms like “inspired” and “authoritative” to speak about the scriptures, but what exactly do we mean?
In this series, CTK parishioner Justin Brinkley will explore why the scriptures are important in the authority and life of the Church, helping us to read them through the lens of the incarnate, crucified, and risen Christ as individuals and as a community. Anyone with an interest in the Bible is welcome to participate!
In the novella Small Things Like These by contemporary Irish literary artist Claire Keegan, the national scandal of the Magdalene laundries is narrated in understated prose so stark and quiet that we as readers are rendered breathless. During the Advent Season of 1985 in the town of New Ross, the protagonist, Bill Furlong, makes a discovery while delivering coal to the Good Shepherd Convent. The revelations that ensue become the catalyst by which Bill confronts his past and the silences of a town controlled by the Church. Awarded the 2022 Orwell Prize for Political Fiction, Small Things Like These is a moral study in resistance to complicity. The lecturer for the series is Victor Judge, the assistant dean for academic affairs and lecturer in literature and religion at Vanderbilt University Divinity School.
Audio recording available upon request.
Audio recording available upon request.
According to the synod report published by the Diocese of Nashville earlier this year, Catholics in this diocese demonstrate “a clear struggle regarding the issues surrounding the LGBTQ+ community,” a struggle shared by Catholics all over the world.
To help us examine the complicated relationship between the Catholic Church and the LGBTQ+ community, CTK’s Sunday morning adult education is offering a series in November focusing on Jesuit priest James Martin’s book Building a Bridge, published in 2017 with an Imprimi potest. Martin argues that the role and inclusion of LGBTQ+ Catholics in the Church must be examined with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. What can we learn from this book about our parish, our diocese, and the global church?
Limited copies of Building a Bridge are available on a first come, first served basis. Contact Jon Stotts.
Digital and hard copy excerpts from the book will be provided for participants. For the second week, we'll read pp. 29-75.
On October 11, Pope Francis celebrated Mass in St. Peter's Basilica to mark the 60th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council.
No one expected Vatican II to make any major changes. Yet it became the most significant religious event in the 20th century, with much of its vision still unrealized.
What made the Council necessary? How did the landmark decisions of the Council come about? What do we have to learn from Vatican II today? Join Dr. Jon Stotts, CTK director of adult faith formation, on Sunday mornings in October in the West Wing for a presentation on these questions and more. All are welcome!
Holy Labor and the Right to (Dignified) Work
Presented by Aimee Shelide Mayer
9:45am, Sunday, September 11 & 18
West Wing of the Parish Hall
Work is made for humankind and not humankind for work. Since the Industrial Revolution, our Church has reiterated that "work expresses human dignity and increases it" (Pope John Paul II, Laborm Exercens 9). But a stagnant minimum wage and Right to Work laws in Tennessee hurt workers and devalue human dignity.
In honor of Labor Day, this series will use Catholic Social Teaching as a foundation for exploring a new "Nashville Living Wage" campaign, federal pro-worker legislation including the PRO-Act and the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, and a problematic "Right to Work" constitutional amendment on our November ballot. While intentionally featuring the voice of working people, Aimee Shelide Mayer, Nashville Representative of the Catholic Labor Network, will guide these discussions.