ASHEVILLE — It can be hard for Catholic singles to meet people who share their values.
To help overcome this challenge, St. Lawrence Basilica parishioner Elizabeth Harris created Asheville Christian Quick Connect events in hopes of helping others make connections with those of a similar faith background. Quick Connect is a speed-dating style event for Christian singles aged 25-45 looking to meet that potential special someone.
The second event, held at Habitat Brewing Co. Nov. 18, was an intimate group of seven participants. Last year, the event drew eight.
Harris said she hopes she can attract more people to these events and host them twice a year – in the spring and fall.
“I think it’s a really good start,” Harris said. “Even with the small group, I feel it’s quality over quantity. Those who participated seemed to get a lot out of it.”
Jake Flannick, 31, and a St. Lawrence Basilica parishioner, says he thought it was worthwhile to attend.
“I felt like I met people, even the men, that I’d like to have a friendship with,” he said. “I was happy I went.”
Elizabeth Spika, 28, agrees.
“The event was a lot of fun, very welcoming to all who walked in, a very nice way to spend a Saturday,” she said.
“The real reason I attended was to make friends. I’ve been in Asheville for four months, and I’ve never had anyone to really hang out with. Now, I have two girl friends and a guy friend.”
Spika said she’s between parish homes, attending St. Eugene Church as well as St. Lawrence Basilica with a guy she met through the event.
“I feel I would definitely do it again, even just to make more friends,” Spika said.
To kick off the Nov. 18 Quick Connect, married couples spoke about their relationships. Afterwards, participants divided into pairs and were given about 10 minutes to talk with each other. Harris provided a list of suggested questions – more “intentional” than basic get-to-know-you questions – such as “what does your prayer life look like?” and “how do you envision balancing marriage and having a family?”
At the end of the event, participants had the opportunity to exchange contact information. Then they enjoyed more social time to grab a bite and a drink and continue to mingle, Harris said.
Although it is open to any Christians, all but one participant at the November Quick Connect was Catholic.
“I reached out to many Christian denominations in surrounding areas,” Harris said. “I’ve made it an ecumenical event, as Asheville has a small Christian base in our age range.”
Harris brought the idea to host these events to Asheville after attending a Catholic speed dating event in Philadelphia during Pope Francis’ U.S. visit.
“I’m single, and I’ve felt like it’s difficult to meet faithful singles looking for marriage,” Harris said. “I like the philosophy of dating for marriage, not to just fill a void or whatever.”
The event encourages friendship, and many successful marriages start with friendship, she said.
Flannick said he was a little apprehensive to attend his first speed dating event.
“Among people in our age group here, it seems like there are few people who are religious,” Flannick said. “It’s hard to meet someone of the same faith.”
Married couples speak to participants of Asheville Christian Quick Connect at Habitat Brewing Co. Nov. 18.( Photos provided by Elizabeth Harris) While the sense of “intentionality” of speed dating made Flannick a bit uncomfortable, he said that focus also made it easier to talk with others who share his values.
The majority of the fee to participate in the Quick Connect event is donated to charity, Harris notes. This year, $80 was given to Clean Clothes for Dignity. Last year’s event raised money for Homeward Bound.
“As Christians we’re called to give back and be charitable,” Harris said. “I like to raise awareness for different non-profits as well.”
To learn more about future Asheville Christian Quick Connect events, contact avlquickconnect@gmail.
— Kimberly Bender , online reporter
VATICAN CITY — As the Church marks the 25th anniversary of the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, promoting it as a means of teaching the truth about faith remains a challenge and a priority.
Since its publication in 1992, the catechism has been translated into 50 languages, including Swahili, Japanese and Gaelic, and it is also available in Braille, video and digital editions.
Nevertheless, in today’s digital age, when people have limitless access to information with the click of a mouse or the swipe of an app, opinions and even “fake news” can either inform or misinform Catholics on the principles of the Catholic faith.
“Society is changing in a very massive way, and it’s much more difficult to reach people,” especially in the digital age, Katharina Karl, professor of pastoral theology and religious education at the Philosophical-Theological University in Muenster, Germany, said.
This ongoing challenge was what prompted the Catholic Church a quarter of a century ago to create a go-to reference that synthesized Church teaching and serve as a guide for the faithful.
The idea of a compendium of Catholic doctrine was one of the fruits of the 1985 Synod of Bishops marking the 20th anniversary of the conclusion of the Second Vatican Council.
After requests from participants for a point of reference “for the catechisms or compendiums that are prepared in various regions,” St. John Paul II accepted their proposal, “considering it as fully responding to a real need, both of the universal Church and of the particular churches.”
“The presentation of doctrine must be biblical and liturgical. It must be sound doctrine suited to the present life of Christians,” St. John Paul wrote in his Apostolic Constitution “Fidei Depositum” (“The Deposit of Faith”) Oct. 11, 1992.
Entrusting this task to 12 cardinals and bishops, the pope chose Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the future Pope Benedict XVI, to lead the commission responsible for the drafting of the catechism.
While the need for a text that clearly explained the Church’s teachings was welcomed, some criticized it for being too static or dogmatic and not in line with the spirit of the Second Vatican Council.
“It was said that the catechism failed to take into account the theological developments of the last century, particularly exegetical developments; it was not ecumenical; it was not dialogical” as it made affirmations as established beyond dispute, Cardinal Ratzinger said Oct. 9, 2002, during an address commemorating the catechism’s 10th anniversary.
The future Pope Benedict responded to those opinions by seeking to explain “what a catechism is and what is its specific literary genre,” as well as its proper purpose and doctrinal relevance.
The catechism is “a proclamation of faith,” of witness, for the teaching of the faith, he said. It presents a “given that precedes us,” but whose doctrinal formulation develops in the church, he said.
After his papal election, Pope Benedict continued to urge Catholics to use the Catechism of the Catholic Church as a handbook to rediscover the truths of faith and a deeper knowledge of church teaching.
“Read the Catechism of the Catholic Church and rediscover the beauty of being Christian, of being Church, of living as part of the great ‘we’ that Jesus formed around Him to evangelize the world,” Pope Benedict said in 2012.
In his speech marking the 25th anniversary of the Catechism of the Catholic Church Oct. 11, Pope Francis said the catechism is not only an important tool for believers to understand the faith, but also provides concrete answers to new challenges.
Just as the challenges people face evolve, so does the Christian response since “the word of God cannot be preserved in mothballs as if it were an old blanket to protect against insects,” he said. In fact, “the word of God is a dynamic reality that is always living, that progresses and grows, because it is stretched toward a fulfillment that men and women cannot stop,” Pope Francis said.
Austrian Cardinal Christoph Schonborn of Vienna, who served with then-Cardinal Ratzinger as co-editor of the catechism, told Vatican Radio Oct. 12 that while the development of Church teaching evolves over time, the Church and the Gospel don’t change.
“We must change. This catechism is only 25 years old. The previous one – the Council of Trent – lasted 400 years. Therefore, I hope this catechism is at the beginning of its work for the Church,” Cardinal Schonborn said.
Despite the catechism’s accessibility and continuing development, “there is still a lot to do,” Karl said.
In her Oct. 11 talk, Karl emphasized the need for Catholics to have a formed conscience – rooted in the teachings of the catechism -– that will allow for a “dialogue with God.”
“The catechesis today needs to create a space for people to enter into dialogue with themselves in the first place. It’s something they need to be taught in such a way that in the end it may become a dialogue with God,” she said.
— Junno Arocho Esteves, Catholic News Service