Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
We find ourselves in a world where it’s not easy to be a Catholic, and this is true for many reasons. On the whole our culture is turning from faith, finding it restricting and antiquated because of science. The news over these past months and years has made our Church seem weak and broken. So many Catholics have grown up in the Church with little understanding of what we believe and why – identifying as Catholics and yet, through no fault of their own, unaware of what this means. Even the media that surrounds us – movies, television, and music – they all slowly corrupt our sensibilities and pull us from a wholesome view of the world. And this is only the beginning of the challenges facing people of faith.
Nevertheless, God’s grace protects us, and in every age holy men and women come to the fore and work to battle the forces arrayed against us. This is becoming increasingly true in our media driven and technological world as well. On the internet we have figures such as Bishop Barron with his website Word on Fire, and Fr Michael Schmitz with his pithy YouTube videos. On television we have EWTN and our own Catholic Faith Network with their many enriching programs. A wide variety of podcasts discussing different aspects of the faith are available, perfect for listening on a long commute or in a waiting room. They all put the Church out in the crossroads of the world to engage and enlighten. If you are not in the habit of following media of this sort, I highly recommend it. The quality of content continues to grow and can prove invaluable in deepening faith.
One additional resource is available though, which contains many of these elements, and that is the website FORMED.org. It is often referred to as the “Catholic Netflix.” It has great movies of the lives of the saints, educational resources on the sacraments and moral teaching, a large collection of books and talks, and lots of material geared towards children as well. And I’m happy to announce that our parish now has a subscription! This means all these resources are absolutely free.
So I extend an emphatic invitation that all of us sign up and take advantage of this great opportunity. All you need to do is go to the website NotreDameNHP.formed.org and create a username and password. The resources will be instantly available. If you have any trouble please feel free to contact the rectory. I pray this becomes a useful tool for us as we strive to grow in faith and understanding, that we may defend our faith and truly be the light of the world.
Yours in Christ,
Father Scolaro