The Essentials
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The Essentials is an 8-week mini-course on the basics of the Catholic Church with a concentration on What Makes Us Catholic or different from other Christian denominations.
Attend any or all sessions which interest you or fit your schedule! It's a smorgasboard of Catholic identity.
Concentrating on particular Catholic worldviews, beliefs, practices and church structures, the course assists Catholics who need a refresher course or an introduction to their faith or for those active Christians from another Church interested in learning what makes Catholicism different from their own upbringing.Starts Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018!
John Osman, Ph.D. is the Director of Evangelization and Catechesis at our parish and an adjunct professor at the Loyola Institute for Ministry in New Orleans. He has worked on the parish and diocesan levels to create programs such as a 10-month training for catechists of adults and online retreats. He has taught the history and theory of catechesis and liturgical catechesis and has presented at various diocesan, state, and regional religious education conferences to hundreds of catechetical leaders on the topic of pastoral ministry in a digital age. He holds a B.S. in Computer Science from the University of Missouri-Rolla, an M.A. in Theology from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas, and his Ph.D. in Catechetics from The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC.
Mrs. Genoveva Zamarron and her family recently joined St. Vincent de Paul Parish. Genoveva and her husband are both teachers. She teaches middle school and her husband teaches elementary. Their son attends school in the Round Rock ISD. Genoveva has a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in Theology from St. Mary's University in San Antonio and a Master’s in Education from the University of Miami. Proficient in Spanish and English, she assists Dr. Osman in The Essentials courses and looks forward to aiding the attendees in their faith journey.
Thursday nights, 6:30 - 8:30 pm
PAC
Feb. 15 thru Apr. 19
Attend any or all sessions which interest you or fit your schedule!
No Registration required. Admission is Free!
Course OutlineDate Topic (Guest Lecturer) Feb. 15 Introduction and Overview of Catholic Worldviews (Dr. John Osman) Feb. 22 How Catholics Read the Bible (Mrs. Gina Simmons) Mar. 1 A Walk through the Mass (Fr. Ed) Mar. 8 Ritual, Liturgy and the Sacraments (Dr. John Osman) Mar. 22 Mary (Fr. Bruce Nieli, C.S.P.) Apr. 5 The Communion of Saints (Mrs. Genoveva Zamarron) Apr. 12 The Social Doctrine of the Church (Mrs. Genoveva Zamarron) Apr. 19 Church Structure and Organization (Mrs. Helen Osman)
Mrs. Gina Simmons fell in love with Scripture study in 2002 and facilitates Bible studies at our parish. She has led A Quick Journey Through the Bible, The Bible Timeline, A Biblical Walk Through the Mass, Unlocking the Mystery of the Bible, The Book of Isaiah, The Origin of the Bible, Revelation-A Kingdom Yet to Come, The Bible and the Virgin Mary, and Follow Me-Meeting Jesus in the Gospel of John. Gina and husband, Richard, have three children and she loves to share the Word of God with others.
Fr. Ed Koharchik, MA, MLM, MAPS, is pastor of our parish. He holds Masters degrees in Liturgical Studies and Liturgical Music, both from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., and a Master of Arts degree in Pastoral Studies from The University of St. Thomas in Houston. Fr. Ed was a team member with The North American Forum on the Catechumenate for twenty years and served on the Diocesan Presbyteral Council, the Diocesan Liturgical Commission and the diocese's RCIA task force.
Fr. Bruce Nieli, C.S.P. is an evangelist and missionary based at St. Austin Church in Austin, TX. As part of the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy, he was named a Missionary of Mercy of Pope Francis. A native of Long Island, NY, Fr. Bruce was ordained in 1973. He is past director of evangelization of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Mrs. Helen Osman is a church communication specialist having worked with multiple levels of church organizations. She is president of SIGNIS (World Catholic Association for Communication) and was chief communications officer of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, organizing media preparations for the visits of Pope Benedict XVI in 2008 and of Pope Francis in 2015. She previously served as editor and communications director for the diocese of Austin.