One Night Advent Mission with Monsignor James Shea

We’re going “Advent” for this month’s Live at OLG. And we are inviting the entire community to join us! Invite your friends of all ages to this month’s Live at OLG with Monsignor James Shea.

Date: Thursday, December 15th

Time: 6:30 Social | 7:00 Program | 8:30 Conclusion, Social to Follow

Where: Our Lady of Grace, Church

Who: All ages are welcome. The event is geared towards teens and adults.

Childcare: Childcare is free and available for children 1 and up. RSVP during registration required.

Bio: Monsignor Shea was inaugurated in 2009 as the sixth president of the university and, at the age of 34, became the youngest college or university president in the United States.

 

He succeeded Sister Thomas Welder, O.S.B., who had served as president for 31 years.

 

The oldest of eight children, Monsignor Shea grew up on a dairy and grain farm near Hazelton, North Dakota, just 38 miles from the University of Mary campus. He began his undergraduate work at Jamestown College, majoring in English and history. He then entered the seminary for the Diocese of Bismarck, earning a bachelor's degree and a pontifical master's degree (licentiate) in philosophy at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. He studied classical Greek at the University of Texas at Austin and continued at the Vatican's North American College, studying theology at the Gregorian and Lateran universities in Rome. He has studied management at the University of Chicago's Graduate School of Business and is also an alumnus of the Institutes for Higher Education at the Graduate School of Education, Harvard University.

 

Monsignor Shea has worked with Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity at the Gift of Peace AIDS Hospice while teaching religion at two inner-city elementary schools in Washington, D.C. In Rome, he served as chaplain for the Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital and also at the Rome campus of the Center for Catholic Studies at the University of Saint Thomas. Following his ordination to the priesthood in 2002, he returned to North Dakota and served as an associate pastor in Bismarck and Mandan. During that time, he was also the chaplain and an instructor at Saint Mary's Central High School in Bismarck. He then served as pastor to parishes in Killdeer and Halliday (North Dakota), while teaching at Trinity High School in Dickinson. Deeply committed to the education and formation of young people, he has been an inspirational teacher and mentor for many students.

 

Monsignor Shea is a Knight Commander of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. He has served on the National Advisory Council to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Governor's Commission on Education Improvement for the State of North Dakota. (from focus.org/leaders/monsignor-james-p-shea)

Monsignor James Shea

OLG YP Grace Retreat

What: YP Grace Retreat

Where: Alverna Conference Center and Chapel of St. Mary of the Angels - 1175 W. Wabasha, Winona, MN

Who: OLG Young Professionals (ages 21-35)

20 women and 20 men

When: Friday, October 28 7:00 PM – Sunday, October 30 12:00 PM.

Cost: $180

(Full and partial scholarships are available.)

Description:

Join us and bring a friend to our second year of coming to know the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit on our Young Professional Grace Retreat. Take time on retreat to pray, relax, adventure, spend time outdoors, and grow closer to God and others. The weekend is spiritually filling, a step away from the pace of life, and there is enough time to settle in at home Sunday night and get ready for the week ahead. It’s a blessed retreat – but don’t just take our word for it. Here is what two of last year’s participants had to say:

·         “The retreat blessed me with the chance to defer to the direction of our Lord with my time and attention, and I’ve never felt closer to Him. I came back from retreat rejuvenated and with a new commitment to prayer. Not every retreat will be fundamentally life changing, but it certainly was for me, and I cannot recommend the Grace Retreat enough. Opportunities to be with other young adults freely pursuing the Lord together with no distractions are exceedingly rare, but always worth participating in.” – Anonymous

·         “The time that the retreat afforded for prayer and reflection in adoration while tuning out the rest of the world was a blessing. The comfort of being in His presence with no worries and anxiety allowed me to go into those dark areas of my heart and let God give them light. The beautifier from this was taking these reflections into confession and receiving God's grace to begin healing. I am sincerely grateful for the experiences of the retreat and would say that it is a must to go on if you're able, especially in today's world.” - Anonymous

·         80% of last year’s participants strongly recommend the Grace Retreat to others.

·         100% walked away believing that Jesus is someone they can be in a relationship with and know personally and intimately.

If you’ve been looking to take a step in faith, we invite you to take that step on retreat with Our Lady of Grace Young Professionals from October 28-30.

Theology of the Body: A Series for Young Professionals

Why did God create us male and female?

What will lead me to ultimate fulfillment?

What am I made for?

What is the Church’s reasoning behind its teachings on sex?

If you’ve ever asked yourself these questions or are curious to know the answers, this series is for you. Our Young Professionals are meeting on Tuesdays throughout October to walk through Theology of the Body For Beginners together. This 4 week series will include weekly reflections by Jen Messing (see about Jen Messing below), reading Theology of the Body For Beginners by Christopher West, small group table conversation and big group discussion. You won’t want to miss this series - register below now to secure your spot!


Details

When: Tuesdays October 4, 11, 18, 25, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm

Where: Upper Commons - New Building - Our Lady of Grace

What to Bring: Theology of the Body For Beginners by Christopher West (to be handed out at the first session), a pen, and a notebook.

Contact: Tyler McCollum or Kory LaCroix.

Cost: $20. This cost includes your Theology of the Body For Beginners book as well as snacks and drinks throughout the series.


Background of Theology of the Body

If you asked the average person to summarize the Church’s teaching on sex, they might say, “The Church says, ‘Don’t do it.’”. In this series, we look at what the Church actually teaches about sex: Specifically, what the late great Pope, Saint John Paul II has shared on the matter. You might be surprised.

Saint John Paul II spoke on Theology of the Body 129 times during his Wednesday audiences in St. Peter's Square and the Paul VI Audience Hall between September 5, 1979, and November 28, 1984. We do not have the time to read through all his lectures in a 4-week series (or at least not at my reading pace), so we will read through a summary of his teachings, written by Christopher West in his book titled, Theology of the Body For Beginners.


Joining Us

Leading our sessions: Jen Messing (pictured to the right)

We will be joined by Jen Messing, founder of Into the Deep. Into the Deep is an organization that specializes in giving presentations and leading theology of the body-based retreats in both outdoor and traditional settings around the United States, led by Jen.  Her particular gift is to inject the universal language of the theology of the body into a wide range of ages, populations, and subject matter, showing how applicable it is in everyday life and in every aspect of the Catholic faith.

A personal note about Jen’s experience with Theology of the Body: My first exposure to the Theology of the Body involved cassette tapes of Christopher West on a road trip to North Dakota.  I listened to them twice (and many times after that) knowing immediately – like so many others – that this language held the core answers to all the big questions in life.  When I started studying the book for the first time, it took me a year to pronounce “eschatological” without stopping midstream.  I owe much to those who explained all the big theological and philosophical terms to me – people with much greater degrees than I – and so I now put myself at the service of those who want the heart of the message in everyday, applicable language.


Work Day at the Rectory

What: The Rectory needs some work - cleaning the garage, cutting weeds, planting trees, installing cabinets, and more - and we’d love to have you join us in helping out our Priests. Please bring/wear your landscaping work clothes. We will work until the early afternoon with a lunch afterward.
When: Saturday, August 13th (10:00am-2:00pm)
Where: Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church
Who: You and other Young Professionals.
How: Fr. Kevin will provide the supplies for the landscaping and guidance and we will provide the labor. If you can help with installing cabinets and have a drill set, please bring that as well. Additionally, if you would like to wear gloves, you will need to bring your own as we do not have extra.
Why: Get a chance to hang out with Fr. Kevin and give back to the priests who give so much to the parish!

Sign Up Here: Our Lady of Grace Young Professionals: Workday at the Rectory (signupgenius.com)



Burgers, Bottles, & Backyard Games

Summer is here, and you should be too! After the 5pm Mass on Sunday, June 5th we invite all young professionals (21-35) to come out for some outdoor fun at OLG. We’ll be grilling burgers, having refreshments, and playing all of the favorite backyard games (bring a game if you have one you’d like to play!). Come hang out to meet other young professionals, learn about events and opportunities in the OLG community, and enjoy the night. Sunday, June 5th at 6pm.

We need your help!

Interested in helping with setup, welcoming, grilling, or takedown with other young professionals - sign up here!

Live at OLG with Fr. Mike Schmitz

Thursday, May 19, 7 p.m. - Cassidy Hall

Cocktails. Mocktails. Conversations that Matter.

Fr. Mike Schmitz

Live at OLG is a monthly conversation series for young professionals. Imagine a collaboration between a late night show, a cocktail lounge, and the Catholic Church. That’s the vibe at “Live at OLG.”

This month we are engaging in conversation with Fr. Mike Schmitz.

Fr. Mike Schmitz is the director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry for the Diocese of Duluth and the chaplain for the Newman Center at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. His teaching reaches audiences across the world through his weekly podcast, livestream Masses, YouTube channel, and recent effort, "The Bible in a Year," which has been downloaded over 238 million times since it's conception in 2021, holding the #1 spot in all Apple Podcasts for several weeks across all genres. Fr. Mike is one of the leading evangelists of our time, inspiring those he serves to a deeper knowledge and love of Jesus Christ.

Please join us on this great night!

OLG YP Spring Retreat

What: Spring Retreat – OLG YPs

Where: Alverna Conference Center and Chapel of St. Mary of the Angels - 1175 W. Wabasha, Winona, MN

Who: OLG Young Professionals (ages 21-35)

When: Friday, May 13, 7:00 PM – Sunday, May 15, 12:00 PM

Cost: $175

Description:

Sometimes you feel the need to get away. Why? It’s written on your heart. You don’t have to read far into the Gospels to see that even Jesus went away to a lonely place to pray (Mark 1:35). Is a retreat necessary to imitate Jesus? By no means. But it may be the way back to a life centered on Christ and directed toward Love.

Jesus says, “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:31)

Join us in recentering our focus on the Kingdom of Heaven.