Indianapolis parish to host annual Lenten speaker series

By Sean Gallagher

Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Parish, 520 Stevens St., in Indianapolis, will host its 17th annual Lenten speaker series titled “Spaghetti and Spirituality,” on Wednesday evenings in Lent, starting on March 15 and ending on April 5.

Prior to dinner and each week’s presentation, the Blessed Sacrament will be exposed in the parish’s church for adoration following the conclusion of an Anglican Use Mass celebrated at noon. An ordinary form Mass, celebrated in English, will start at 5:45 p.m.

A light, meatless pasta dinner begins at 6:30 p.m. at Msgr. Priori Hall. Each presentation will begin at approximately 7:15 p.m., and ordinarily concludes by 8:30 p.m.

Holy Rosary parishioner Julie Lehner helps organize the series, and is looking forward to it this year.

“When we learn more about our Catholic beliefs, we can better live out our lives with faith and with joy,” she said. “This year, we have some amazing individuals whose thoughts and ideas will sink in and inspire you day to day.

“Maybe it will feed your prayer life, help you approach that person at the office or pique your curiosity about something and make you hungry to learn more.”

Patty Schneier will begin the series on March 15 with a presentation titled “One Step Away,” in which the Catholic author and former radio show host will reflect on her journey of faith through suffering, pain and in facing her own mortality.

On March 22, Father Joseph Newton, archdiocesan vicar judicial, will speak on the topic, “Is There Catholic Divorce? The Current Canonical Status of Marriage.”

As leader of the archdiocesan Metropolitan Tribunal, Father Newton and his co-workers strive to further the salvation of souls by offering pastoral care and guidance to people across central and southern Indiana seeking a declaration of nullity (commonly called an “annulment”) of a previous marriage.

Dr. Scott Sullivan will give a presentation on March 29 titled, “Did Jesus Really Rise from The Dead? How to Use Reason and Evidence to Make a Case for the Resurrection of Jesus.”

Sullivan earned a doctorate in philosophy at the University of St. Thomas in Houston. Through his production company, Classical Theist, Sullivan seeks to strengthen the faith of Catholics by introducing them to the Church’s intellectual tradition.

A convert to Catholicism and a native of southern Indiana who now lives with his wife and eight children in Texas, Sullivan was previously a competitor in international kickboxing and holds a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

The last presentation in this year’s “Spaghetti and Spirituality” will feature a concert by the St. Ambrose Schola Cantorum sacred music choir from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music in Bloomington on April 5.

The concert, titled “A Bullet Train through Western Music” will help attendees learn about the role the Church has played over the centuries in the development of music in western culture.

The concert will take place in Holy Rosary Church after the evening’s supper in the parish’s Priori Hall.

The addition of a sacred music concert is new to “Spaghetti and Spirituality,” which has focused on speakers in the past.

“Music points us to heaven, what we’re striving for,” Lehner said. “This is a narrated concert. It takes us on a jaunt through the rich musical legacy of holy mother Church, and gives commentary that connects the dots. So we’ll get to think about how the Church has influenced art and culture from the beginning, and how that continues into today.”
 

(People interested in attending any of the presentations are asked to call Holy Rosary Parish at 317-636-4478 by no later than 5 p.m. on the Monday prior to each seminar. A $7 freewill offering is suggested. For more information about “Spaghetti and Spirituality” or to register for sessions in the series, visit www.holyrosaryindy.org.) †