2021 Highlights

Above: Jeff Cavins and Fr Mike Schmitz, through ‘The Bible in a Year’ podcast have helped millions to read the bible. This billboard also appeared in Time Square New York.

2021 is a year to remember. In this final newsletter of the year, I want to reflect on the highlights of 2021 and share the many blessings our Lord has granted us, even throughout another year of lockdowns and more COVID-19 developments. Right from day one this year, we had the launch of a brand new podcast by Fr Mike Schmitz for Ascension called ‘The Bible in a Year’. As the name suggests, Fr Mike has simply read a few chapters a day from the bible and then offered a short daily reflection and commentary afterwards. What seemed to be a simple idea turned out to be one of the most powerful and successful evangelisation initiatives in the world! What made this unique was that the reading plan followed the Great Adventure Bible timeline series, developed by Jeff Cavins.

Above: The Great Adventure Bible was the most popular Bible this year

As you may know, Parousia have partnered with Ascension and we have been promoting, distributing and facilitating the Great Adventure Bible studies for a few years now. It has been one of the most effective ways to form Catholics and bring them to a deeper understanding of and love for the faith. As a result of this podcast, not only have we seen a spike in people reading the Bible, but we’ve found that so many people have discovered Parousia for the first time as a result of this podcast. The Great Adventure Bible sold out internationally multiple times. The print runs could not keep up with the demand. At a time when the Bible is criticised more than ever, it’s great to see such a massive worldwide craving for the Word of God!

The Year of St Joseph

Another major highlight in 2021 was ‘The Year of St Joseph’. What a blessing this focus on St Joseph has been, following on directly from the release of Fr Donald Calloway’s popular book ‘Consecration to St Joseph’ towards the end of last year. So many people around the world have now done this consecration and it’s a beautiful thought that we now have an army of people guided by this great saint. Parousia partnered with Marian Press, the publishing arm of the Marian Fathers, which enabled us to print the book locally. Thousands of books were distributed this year and it has officially become the most popular title in the Parousia range for 2021. It was great to see not only individuals completing the consecration, but also parishes and groups as well. Parousia just recently completed an online consecration within our Parousia World platform. I encourage everyone to do this consecration and maybe even share a copy with your parish priest.

More Virtual Conferences and Pilgrimages

For the second year running, we have organised and promoted regular online conferences. The year started off with the ‘Take and Read Bible Conference’, with Steve Ray and the Virtual Catholic Conference team. We also organised our own Lenten Pilgrimage with Steve Ray. This was a powerful journey through the stations of the cross. We have re-run the Rosary and Advent Pilgrimages and Divine Renovation have held their first online conference for Australasia, which was well attended. There were many other conferences in which I personally contributed presentations throughout the year.

Parousia Bible Study was Launched!

When we heard that the St Paul Center had produced a brand new study on the Bible and the Mass and named it ‘Parousia’, we were naturally excited! Years ago, I was trying to decide if ‘Parousia’ would be a good name. The release of this program, carrying the same name, was the final confirmation for me that it was a good choice. Dr Scott Hahn has previously made reference to ‘The Parousia’, but many people didn’t understand what the word meant. Now, with this beautifully produced study, you will not only come to understand the meaning of the word ‘Parousia’ as ‘Presence’ and ‘Future Coming’, but it will also deepen your appreciation for the Mass in a whole new way. Parousia has partnered with St Paul Center to produce the student book for our local audience, which is available now!

Parousia Podcasts Expanded This year!

The Parousia Podcast expanded further this year, with various series’ being launched. As you may know, for many years we had the ‘Parousia Hour’ hosted by myself and Salwa Elias. This later became known as simply the ‘Parousia Podcast’. We’ve now grown the Parousia Podcast network to include ‘Parousia World Spotlight‘, with Matthew-Hermann Tague, ‘Defend the Faith Live‘, with Robert Haddad and ‘Speakin’ with Deacon‘, with Mark Griffin and Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers. We have also produced a nine-part series with Steve Ray on ‘The Footprints of God‘ and a series on ‘Sacred Heart Apologetics‘, with Raymond de Souza. There are plans for further growth next year, so stay tuned! With growing activity inside of ‘Parousia World’ (now over 3000 members worldwide) it is an exciting place to interact with like minded Catholics. It’s free to join. I hope to see you see you on the inside!

Parousia Academy Launched in 2021!

With growing anticipation towards the end of last year, we finally launched the ‘Parousia Academy‘ in June! This academy offers an adult education level, faith formation ‘Certificate for Mission’ that aims to help raise the evangelist leaders of the future! Twleve courses are required to obtain the certificate. Five of these courses have now been released and we’re getting ready to launch the sixth course, on the topic of ‘Faith and Science’, presented by Fr Robert Spitzer. These 12 hour courses are available to everyone from the low cost of $99, with bonus notes and assessment questions for those seeking to be graded. We have thirty students enrolled so far and we hope to grow this number into the new year, especially once we get all twelve courses launched. If you have not yet looked at the academy visit https://www.parousiamedia.com/academy/.

EWTN & Parousia Content

Earlier in the year, I had the privilege of being interviewed by both Doug Keck and Fr Mitch Pacwa S.J., from EWTN. I was discussing my book, ‘How Islam Led me back to Christ’. It was aired during prime time in the States and across the world. Parousia have really valued our partnership with EWTN and are looking forward to releasing more Australian based content for the network. Did you know we have over 1,000 videos now on our YouTube channel? Well over one million views now and just coming up to twelve thousand subscribers.

We would love for the subscriber base to grow so please subscribe to get the latest free videos. We also have a paid video service called ‘Parousia On Demand‘, which really has grown in 2021. We have now released over 500 videos there. There will be more content available next year, including more movies, so please look out for that. Please consider subscribing to this platform. Alternatively, all monthly donors to Parousia pledging $30 or more will be granted complimentary access! Please visit our website to learn more and to discover other free content, including our ‘The Narrow Gate‘ blog. Thank you all again for your prayers and support. Wishing you all a blessed Advent and Christmas season.

God Bless
Charbel Raish – Director

Beloved and Blessed:

Biblical Wisdom for Family Life

– Kimberly Hahn (Paperback)

What is the secret to a strong marriage and family? The answer is simple and difficult at once. Proverbs 31 tells us that a wife who loves the Lord with all her heart can fully give herself to her spouse and children.

In Beloved and Blessed: Biblical Wisdom for Family Life, Kimberly Hahn provides insight into the most important relationships in a woman’s life. In this six-part Bible study, discover Scripture, Catholic teaching, and practical wisdom that will shape your understanding of

• Marital intimacy
• Responsible Parenthood
• Financial Planning
• Discipline
• Faith Formation
• and Educating Children

Perfect for personal or group use, Beloved and Blessed will help you transform your home into a place of deep and abiding love.

Nine Days to Strengthen Your Faith

– Fr. Jacques Philippe

Simply defined, faith brings us into direct contact with God. As Christians, faith is our strength because it teaches us to rely on God in all circumstances. Faith, which is often lived most ardently while one is experiencing spiritual devastation, bears the fruit of peace, hope, and love. Spend nine days with Fr. Jacques to reflect on your faith and learn how to deepen and strengthen it so that it can keep you focused on God in both times of ease and times of difficulty, just as he faithfully keeps his focus on you.

The True Meaning of Christmas

– Dr Michael Patrick Barber

Join Dr. Michael Patrick Barber as he discusses the true meaning of Christmas, and what that means for us as Catholics during this holy season. Through biblical evidence and deep reflection, he reveals the connections between the mystery of Christ’s birth and the modern-day traditions of the mass. Listen to this presentation to discover more insight into the real reason for the Christmas season.

The Pivotal Players

– Robert Barron

In two thousand years, the Catholic Church has yielded countless saints, artists, mystics, and scholars. But among them are figures that are truly pivotal—men and women who not only shaped the life of the Church but changed the course of civilization.

In this vibrant book based on the multi-part film series CATHOLICISM: The Pivotal Players, Bishop Robert Barron draws readers into the life and work of twelve Pivotal Players—from great saints such as St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas to literary masters such as G.K. Chesterton and Flannery O’Connor—who personally demonstrated the dynamics of the Christian faith in their distinct time and place. These stories capture both the great variety of personalities and vocations in the Catholic Church and the harmonies between them, all oriented to its ultimate purpose: to be salt and light for all the nations.

Elegantly designed with full-color images and photography, The Pivotal Players is a unique journey into the truth and beauty of Catholicism as exemplified in the concrete lives of some of its most fascinating figures.

Prophecies Concerning the Coming of Christ

– Dr Robert M. Haddad

In this presentation Robert Haddad outlines over thirty Old Testament prophecies identified by the Gospel writers as referring to the future Messiah and fulfilled by Jesus of Nazareth. These prophecies are contained in books written over a span of thirteen centuries and predict all the principal aspects of the Messiah’s life, including his birth, preaching, miracles, betrayal, passion death, resurrection and glorification in Heaven.

There are also prophecies concerning the destruction of Jerusalem and the triumph of the Church. This is a must see presentation and one that should be distributed to all people of good will, including Jews, Moslems and atheists.