Parousia Podcast with Scott Hahn!

Welcome to another month! In the month of May, the Church dedicates this time to Our Lady, Mary. Let us turn to her during these difficult times of COVID-19 and ask for her protection. With the cancellation of face to face events due to the lock down, we have shifted many of our activities online. We continue to bring you weekly Podcasts in both video and audio format but more so in recent times we have been utilising Facebook LIVE to all, for more interaction, with some of the worlds best speakers.

Above: Dr Scott Hahn with Charbel Raish on the Parousia Podcast

One name you may be familiar with is Dr Scott Hahn. He was generous enough to give us 90 minutes of his time. He spoke about his latest book Hope to Die which is a fantastic read and now available in Australia through Parousia! Dr Scott Hahn also live-streamed this interview on his page and the St Paul Centre for Biblical Theology as well. As a result over 42,000 people listened in from across those platforms! 300 people shared the post and 700 comments and questions were posted. This was an incredible moment for us and allowed us to reach more people in this one show than all the others combined.

What a blessing it is to be able to use the internet in reaching people around the world! Thanks again to Dr Scott Hahn and the St Paul Centre. Please get a copy of his latest book Hope to Die from our website. Please subscribe to our Parousia Podcast as we now are on all of the major podcast platforms. The number of shows is growing each week with at least one new show each week but sometimes up to three shows, including some live ones too. Please help spread the word!


Above: The various guests on our Parousia Podcast in the last month

Theology of the Body Virtual Conference

Earlier this month there was the first free Theology of the Body Virtual Conference. It was a huge success with over 70,000 registrations over the weekend and 50+ speakers from all over the world. 

A highlight for us of course was our very own home grown speaker in Simon Carrington from Fire Up Ministries. 

He shared a powerful talk about his struggle with the speech impediment he carries. It was very inspiring and I highly encourage you to get the premium pass and listen to his talk.

Christopher West, Jason Evert, Fr Donald Calloway, Chris Stefanick, Damon Owens were among the huge line up of speakers. If you missed the conference, you can purchase the premium pass for $129US and you will get ongoing access to all of the talks, plus bonus programs from the Theology of the Body Institute. If I can encourage you to visit www.fireupministries.com and support both the TOB Institute and Fire Up Ministries.

Parousia was blessed to be a partner and affiliate of this conference and we will bring you more updates about developments from both the Theology of the Body Institute and the exciting new organisation, ‘Catholic Virtual Conference’, which we will be partnering with for future virtual conferences. It just goes to show what is possible if we put our minds to something and really step out in faith and trust God. A great effort by all involved!

Free Online Bible Studies

We have begun our online bible studies and they have been very well attended. With a maximum of 100 registrations per study, we have filled up the Thursday night study with Unlocking the Mystery of the Bible, which is great! There are still spots for the other three studies. All studies start at 7:30pm and go until 8:30pm via Zoom.

On Mondays, my colleague Matthew-Hermann Tague, is leading the study on Altaration which is a 5 part study on the Mass. It is very engaging, featuring Fr Mike Schmitz and Mark Hart.

On Tuesdays I am leading Chosen, a 24 part study which is a catechetical program going through the Catholic Faith. This program has high impact videos and over ten presenters including Chris Stefanick, Jason Evert, Jackie Francois-Angel, Sarah Swafford, Leah Darrow, Deacon Harold, Chris Padgett and more!

I am also leading a study with Jeff Cavins on the very popular program Unlocking the Mystery of the Bible on Thursdays. It is full now and we are looking at putting on an extra one soon, so watch this space!

The final study is on Mary with Dr Ed Sri and facilitated by Matthew Tague called Mary: A Biblical Walk with the Blessed Mother. This is an 8 part series going through the key moments in Mary’s life based on scripture. It is an eye opener! During this month of May, I highly recommend you do this program.

It is not too late to register to these free studies. Simply go to Study Groups where you will see all four bible studies. You need to register your name and email and then an email will be sent to you with instructions on how to access the videos via the Ascension Press portal for free online as well as the Zoom link for our evening discussions each week.

You can purchase the student books via our online store and get 20% off when you get the optional extra reading books as well. You need to register first to get the code so you can receive this discount. If you can’t get the workbooks, there is a way to see the PDF versions during the studies once you register. I encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity!

Catholic Virtual Conferences

We have partnered with 3 other virtual conferences this month. With all the lock down laws, its exciting to see Catholic organisations come together and facilitate these free online conferences. The first conference we are partnered with is A Renewed Hope online conference by Smart Catholics. This is a brand new organisation that is giving speakers a platform to promote their work. I encourage you to visit them at www.smartcatholics.com. I will be sharing my testimony in a 20 minute segment. The conference is May 17 to 19 so please check that out.

The next event is the Chastity Project’s Catholic Love Life Virtual conference with over 70 speakers from May 22 – 24 (USA time). To find out more about this one, please visit https://chastity.com/conference/.

Finally, the third opportunity this month is the Pentecost Pilgrimage organised by Australians with speakers from around the world. I am also sharing my testimony in this pilgrimage and whilst this is already underway, it continues until May 31. It is different from the others as it is a 6 week journey leading up to the great feast of Pentecost. Over 80 countries have participated in this online pilgrimage and its so encouraging to see the feedback which is very positive.

Other online conferences are being organised in June and July so stay tuned for those – we will keep you updated about them. Thanks be to God the collaboration between Catholic Apostolates is now very strong and I pray it continues even once COVID-19 setttles.

As you can see, there is a lot happening even though live events and bible studies have been cancelled. We are also preparing for a free 33 day consecration to Jesus through Mary daily email program from May 25 to June 27 so please visit our website about that and sign up! Please remember us in your prayers as you all are in ours.

God Bless you,
Charbel Raish – Director

*Featured New Release CD* The Death of the West – Robert M. Haddad

While the Western world sees itself as modern, wealthy and progressive, it is currently undergoing a profound existential crisis. This crisis threatens faith, family and our understanding of truth. However, what the West is currently undergoing is not something new; it occurred also to the Roman Empire and led to its eventual demise. As the book of Ecclesiastes (1:9) says, “There is nothing new under the sun.” How is the West currently like the old Roman Empire and what can we do to avoid eventual disaster?

Meet Your Mother – Dr Mark Miravalle – Paperback

MARIAN THEOLOGY MADE EASY! 

Ever wonder why so many people pay so much attention to Mary, the Mother of Jesus? From the most ancient traditions of Mary in Christianity to the “Hail Mary” pass in American football, the Mother of Jesus has pervaded most world cultures for the last two thousand years. But could the Mother of Jesus also be your mother? That’s the question explored in the exciting new book, Meet Your Mother. This easy-read pocket book on Mary covers all the major teachings about the Mother of Jesus, but is particularly written for the person who has little or no background knowledge about her.

Total Consecration to Jesus Through Mary – EWTN Original Series (4 DVD Set)

Fr. Melvin Castro takes you on a journey through the historical, scriptural, and theological foundations of the process of total consecration to Jesus through Mary, based on the works of St. Louis de Montfort. Joining Fr. Melvin are priests of the Institute of the Incarnate Word discussing the rich history of total consecration. Plus Journalist Veronica Jimenez interviews Marian devotees whose decision to make the total consecration to Jesus through Mary shaped their lives. This EWTN Original Series is shot on location at Our Lady of Peace Shrine in Santa Clara, California. 4 discs/6.4 hrs.

Hope to Die: The Christian Meaning of Death and the Resurrection of the Body – Dr Scott Hahn – Emmaus Road Publishing (Paperback)

As Catholics, we believe in the resurrection of the body. We profess it in our creed. We’re taught that to bury and pray for the dead are corporal and spiritual works of mercy. We honor the dead in our Liturgy through the Rite of Christian burial. We do all of this, and more, because when Jesus Christ took on flesh for the salvation of our souls he also bestowed great dignity on our bodies. In Hope to Die: The Christian Meaning of Death and the Resurrection of the Body, Scott Hahn explores the significance of death and burial from a Catholic perspective. The promise of the bodily resurrection brings into focus the need for the dignified care of our bodies at the hour of death. Unpacking both Scripture and Catholic teaching, Hope to Die reminds us that we are destined for glorification on the last day.

Parenting for Character: Equipping Your Child for Life **Revised and Updated Edition** – Dr Andrew Mullins (Paperback)

Parenting for Character is a practical manual to help parents develop in their children qualities necessary for a happy and fulfilling adult life. These include sound judgement, responsibility, self-control, integrity, perseverance, courage and resilience. In this book, Andrew Mullins argues that parents need to help build character: it does not just evolve. The advice for parents in Parenting for Character is clear and simple: lead by example, ensure that good habits are encouraged repeatedly, nurture the spiritual dimension in your life, and show love and affection to your partner and children.

Your Truth, My Truth: How to Understand and Refute Relativistic Thinking – Karlo Broussard

“It may be true for you, but not for me.” How often have you heard this during a discussion with friends or family, or maybe in an online debate? Whether you’re talking about faith, morality, politics, or just the basic notion of truth, it seems that so many people are captive to the notion of relativism—the belief that reality is something we decide rather than discover. In Your Truth, My Truth, Catholic Answers apologist Karlo Broussard breaks down this modern intellectual cancer that has infected schools, courts, and even churches throughout the Western world.

Contact to Listing Owner

Captcha Code