Father Christopher Zugger

All these are at 7 pm at Saint Thomas Aquinas Church, in their hall

Jan 20 – Introduction to the Eastern Catholics

Did you know that the Catholic Church is actually a family of Churches, all entrusted to the guidance of the Pope? The large family of Eastern Churches has a rich legacy of art, prayer, worship. The Eastern Catholic Churches are those Eastern Christians who have united with the Holy See of Rome out of conviction that Catholicism has the fullness of revelation. To adhere to these Unions has often required heroic determination, as these people have experienced fierce persecution by opponents and frequent misunderstandings by Roman Catholics. Join  us as we present Father Christopher Zugger, from Our Lady of Perpetual Help Byzantine Catholic Church as we begin a journey of exploration of fellow Catholics of whom we know all too little. This talk will give an overview of the formation of these Churches, the challenges to their union with Rome, and some of the brave witnesses who gave up everything so as to remain Catholics.

Jan 27 Spirituality of Catholic East

Did you know that the Hail, Holy Queen which concludes the Rosary is actually an Eastern Christian prayer from the 600s? Have you ever heard of the Jesus Prayer? Each of the Eastern Christian families – Armenian, Byzantine, Coptic, and Syriac – have treasures of prayer and different approaches to God. In this talk,  Father Christopher Zugger, from Our Lady of Perpetual Help Byzantine Catholic Church will give us a taste of these prayers and customs from throughout the church year. We will meet famous saints in their writings such as Basil the Great and John Chrysostom, and lesser known but very important writers like Gregory of Narek and Ephrem the Syrian. The talk will include a presentation on how icons are made and the messages that they contain.

Feb 3 Worship and Liturgy of the Eastern Catholics

 There is an ancient story that when the ambassadors of Saint Vladimir the Great attended their first Divine Liturgy in the Byzantine Rite, they told their prince that the experience was so awesome that they no longer knew if they were still on earth or had been lifted up into heaven. Eastern Christian worship is designed to affect all of our senses so as to truly lift up our hearts to God.  Father Christopher Zugger, from Our Lady of Perpetual Help Byzantine Catholic Church will go over some of the prayers, architecture, and art of the Eastern Churches, with a display of some treasures from the parish and explain how they are used. Did you know that not all Catholics use flat hosts? Or that Eastern liturgies always include Our Blessed Mother in the prayers? Or that the fact that we use English and Spanish in the Roman rite today is due to centuries of examples by the Eastern Catholics? Come and get a taste of heaven in our last presentation on the Catholic East.