Do you have the courage to be catholic
In celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Catholic Church’s Second Vatican Council, a conference with the theme, “Holy and Heroic: The Courage to be Catholic” will be held on Dec. 8.
With over 30 years in his ministry, international speaker John Beaulieu from the Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio, will be the main speaker. He will discuss how Catholics can be heroically holy in their daily struggles. John Beaulieu has worked in the Christian Outreach Office of Franciscan University, and presently is its director for Evangelization and Engagement.
The Parents for Education Foundation, Inc. (PAREF), a network of 16 schools based in the Philippines, in partnership with EWTN, Parousia Media, and Steubenville Conferences of the Franciscan University of Steubenville, is organizing the event.
In a press conference recently, John Beaulieu, Dr. Raul Nidoy, and Danny Moran, talked about how we can grow stronger and more courageous as we move on to the post-pandemic era.
John Beaulieu believes that despite the challenges and hardships presented by the post-pandemic era, people have to entrust their fears to the Lord, quoting Joseph Piper who once said: “Courage is fear that has said its prayers.”
To do this, the conference speaker heavily emphasized the need to pray, read the Bible and frequent the Sacraments, “to put us in contact with the living Word of God” as a means of entering Him. “This is so important: receive the sacraments. They give grace to us and draw us closer to Christ,” Beaulieu said.
“We are slowly going back to how our lives used to be, but it’s not as simple as we thought,” according to PAREF chair and president Danny Moran. He said that many changes and new challenges have occurred whether it be in the business sector or one’s own spiritual life.
“What are these difficulties now and how do we cope with all of these things? There has to be a lot of adjustments, but the bigger challenge is how we can be holy and heroic in this era,” asked Moran.
He suggested beginning wherever we are — at home, in our daily lives, facing the situations that we encounter daily. Whether it’s academic, athletic, or even professional, there has to be a lot of adjustments.
Dr. Raul Nidoy, an atheist-turned-Catholic theologian and publisher of the book Jesus-Centered: A Guide to Happiest Life, emphasized that the goal of the JCL conference is to help Christ reach everyone and each one all over the world.
The organizers also hope the conference will help people realize the beauty of living ordinary holiness amid their daily circumstances.
Launched in 2020, JCL had more than 70 renowned international and local speakers, reaching over 40,000 people from around the world. JCL 2022 will feature three talks from John Beaulieu addressing three target audiences: students, parents, and educators.
Everyone is encouraged to join this free online conference by visiting https://jesus-centeredlife.org/ and registering at http://bit.ly/JCL2022.
For information, like and follow the Facebook page, JesusCentered Life. For other inquiries or partnerships, interested parties may email jesuscentered@paref.edu.ph.
