Converting to Catholicism: Her Testimonial and more from Mrs. Kimberly Hahn

As we prepare to welcome Mrs. Kimberly Hahn at St. John the Evangelist for her capstone presentation in our Marriage-Building Speaker Series on May 18th, the following resources are presented to help you get to know Mrs. Hahn better.

Don't Forget about these Related Events at SJE:

Wednesday, May 1st: Mom & Tot small group study featuring DVD presentations by Kimberly Hahn.  > Read More & Register

Saturday/Sunday, May 4th/5th:  15-Minute Faith Formation after the 5 pm, 7:30 am and 9:30 am Masses will feature a brief review of Dr. & Mrs. Hahn's book Rome Sweet Home.

Stop by the Lending Library to borrow titles by Mrs. Kimberly Hahn!

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From EWTN's The Journey Home with Scott & Kimberly Hahn 9/6/2010:  Kimberly shares how she was "jealous of Mary" because whenever she had difficult discussions with Scott about the intention of becoming Catholics, Scott would have "a lovely little walk with Mary" and pray the rosary. Her father who is a Presbyterian pastor reminded her of the prayer "Lord I will go wherever you want me to go, I will say whatever you want me to say and I will give away whatever you want me to give away."  > Watch the Clip

> View the Full Interview

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In her own words, Kimberly Hahn's conversion story.  > Read More

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Kimberly Hahn on offering everything to God.  > Watch the Clip

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Defending the Faith Conference 2010:  Using Scripture and the Catechism, Kimberly Hahn teaches on the true meaning of chastity. It's an apprenticeship in self-mastery and the successful integration of sexuality in a person's life. Everybody married or single is called to chastity.  > Watch the Clip

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A Lie in the Language of Love excerpted from Swear to God: The Promise and Power of the Sacraments by Scott Hahn:  "Return with me, for a moment, to the early 1980s, when Kimberly and I were newlyweds. Ardent Presbyterians, we both were studying theology at a conservative evangelical seminary.

The curriculum was demanding; money was tight; and we, like all our married friends, were using contraceptives. Children would have to wait till we were ready, financially and otherwise. In the meantime, artificial birth control allowed us the pleasure of what we considered "normal" marital relations. We thought of it as an extended honeymoon.

During our second year at seminary, however, Kimberly discovered the lie that was at the root of our married life. In research for an ethics course, she found that, until 1930, Christian churches-without exception-condemned contraception in the strongest terms."  > Read More

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We hope you'll join us for Mrs. Hahn's marriage enrichment seminar on May 18th! Invite your friends and family whether they are single, engaged, or married.

Presentations include: "Chosen and Cherished: Biblical Wisdom for Your Marriage," "Beloved and Blessed: Biblical Wisdom for Family Life," and "Life-Giving Love: Embracing God's Beautiful Design for Marriage."  Early bird discount tickets available through April 30th ... only $5 per person.

Marriage-Building Speaker Series featuring Mrs. Kimberly Hahn

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN!
Saturday, May 18, 2013 from 9 AM - 2 PM(Church)

Mrs. Kimberly Hahn is an author, popular speaker, wife of Dr. Scott Hahn and mother of six. She will be discussing God's design for marriage as our closing keynote for the Marriage-Building speaker series on Saturday, May 18th. Mrs. Hahn will offer biblical wisdom to enrich marriages in very practical ways. With simplicity, grace, and wit, she shares her personal experiences and practical insights on how to apply the truths of our Catholic Faith to everyday life.

Register online now or stop by the Parish or Narthex office. Early registration is $5 per person and closes April 30th. On May 1st, registration increases to $10 per person. Spread the word! > Download a flyer to share

Co-sponsored by The Shrine of Christ's Passion and Couple to Couple League of Northwest Indiana

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Related Events at SJE:

Wednesday, May 1st: Mom & Tot small group study featuring DVD presentations by Kimberly Hahn.  > Read More & Register

Saturday/Sunday, May 4th/5th:  15-Minute Faith Formation after the 5 pm, 7:30 am and 9:30 am Masses will feature a brief review of Dr. & Mrs. Hahn's book Rome Sweet Home.

And don't forget to stop by the Lending Library to borrow titles by Mrs. Kimberly Hahn!

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Getting to Know Mrs. Hahn:

Mrs. Kimberly Hahn has been married to Scott since 1979. They have six children and four grandchildren. Kimberly has been a full-time, stay-at-home Mom since their firstborn’s arrival. Currently, she home schools her younger children. She enjoys speaking with Scott, but ministry is a priority after family commitments.

Kimberly became a Catholic at the Easter Vigil of 1990 in Joliet, Illinois, after a difficult struggle during the four years following Scott’s entrance into the Catholic Church. She has completed a book with Scott on their journey into the Catholic Church entitled Rome Sweet Home: Our Journey to Catholicism. It has been translated into Spanish, French, Czech, Polish, Chinese, Italian, German and Dutch. In addition to Rome Sweet Home, Kimberly’s other books are Beloved and Blessed: Biblical Wisdom for Family Life; Graced and Gifted: Biblical Wisdom for the Homemaker's Heart; Chosen and Cherished: Biblical Wisdom for Your Marriage; and Life Giving Love: Embracing God’s Beautiful Design for Marriage published by Servant Publications. She has contributed chapters to the four-volume series of books, Catholic for A Reason, as well as The Gift of Femininity. She has also co-authored a book on Catholic home education with Mary Hasson entitled, Catholic Education - Homeward Bound: A Guide to Home Schooling.

Kimberly’s educational background includes a Bachelors of Arts in Communication Arts from Grove City College in Grove City, Pennsylvania, in May of 1979 (magna cum laude), followed by a Masters of Arts in Theology from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in May, 1982 (magna cum laude).

During past school years, Kimberly lead a weekly Bible study at Franciscan University. Her studies on the Mysteries of the Rosary, Proverbs 31, Knowing the Will of God, Finances, Praying from the Hearth, Dating and Courtship, and Women of Hope are available on through St. Joseph Communications as are many of her talks on topics related to family life and the Catholic faith.

Forming Our Youth: Sincerity

Forming Our Youth:
a Marriage-Building Parish Building Block

We must form young people in the beliefs and virtues necessary for healthy relationships. > Read more about this building block

As part of the Marriage Building Parish initiative, the Catholic Family Institute, with permission from Four Court Press LTD, will feature excerpts from Mr. Isaac’s book each month in the bulletin and on this blog.



Character Building: A Guide for Parents and Teachers by David Isaacs

In his book, Mr. Isaacs explores twenty-four virtues we should develop to have more “self-mastery and better serve others,” abilities we all hope our children will have.  Recognizing that the example we set leaves a more lasting impression on our children than the words we say, each chapter includes a description of a virtue and a series of questions that help assess how well you are living that virtue and how well you are helping to develop the virtue in children/students.

Another important virtue is Sincerity.

A sincere person makes full disclosure, where appropriate, to the right person and at the right time, of anything they have done, seen, thought or felt with regard to their own or another’s situation. Sincerity involves telling the truth in a simple, orderly way and with a sense of responsibility. Sincerity should always be governed by prudence and charity. We should only give our opinion if we have sufficient information and if it will not damage someone else in a negative way.

To help our children develop sincerity, we should encourage our children to talk to us about themselves and direct them:

• To distinguish between fact and opinion
• To decide what is really important
• To decide who should be told what
• To decide what is an opportune moment
• To understand the reasoning behind the above distinctions

Answer the following questions and discuss your reflections with a spouse/friend.

Am I Sincere?

• Do I prudently and charitably talk about what I have seen and what I have heard?
• Do I share information about feelings, ideas, etc to help others or to look for help towards my own improvement?
• Do I give good example to the children by neither lying, nor covering up the truth, or trying to mislead other people?
• Am I conscious of the times when I cannot and should not reveal some truth?

Do I Teach Others to Be Sincere?

• Do I tend to trust the children and believe what they say without being naïve? (Sincerity is stimulated through signs of trust.)
• Do I help the children distinguish between reality and imagination? (It is good for children to develop an imagination, but it is not good for them to mix up reality and fantasy.)
• Do I keep an eye on the children who talk too much, to help them learn that there is a right time and a right person? (One may have to explain the negative consequences of talking about the wrong things to the wrong people.)
• If a child tends to lie, I try to find out why and then take some action. (For example, some children may feel a need to lie in order not to seem different from their friends, or to be more important, or for fear of some punishment.)

Please share your thoughts and comments.

Back from Spring Break!

Happy Easter!

The MBP Blog is back from Spring Break.  We hope you enjoyed a truly blessed celebration with your family, friends and cherished ones!

In reading a recent issue of Magnificat, there was a reflection on The Year of Faith and conversion:

"For those serious about living by faith, conversion is something that must re-happen every day. ...Jesus always finds a way to break through our resistance.  Pope Benedict writes that 'faith requires conversion, and that conversion is an act of obedience toward a reality which precedes me and which does not originate from me.' ...Moreover, [M. Gaudoin-Parker writes] 'conversion involves the transformation of all our fragmented experiences, all our disjointed and painful memories, all our divisive and frustrating moments of unachieved hopes, yearnings and dreams, as well as our failures and loss of self-esteem or sense of worth resulting from the destructive power of evil.'" -Peter John Cameron, O.P., Editorial, Magnificat

Contemplate how this passage relates to your own marriage.  Couldn't it be said that within marriage there must be a never-ending process of daily conversion to Christ if we are to fulfill our sacramental vows with our spouse?  Praise God for using our marriages to draw us closer to Him!  We pray your hearts and marriages are on fire with love for our Lord during the Easter season and always.

You are cordially invited to experience a time of spiritual renewal and reflection with your spouse at CFI's upcoming Romantic Dinner for Couples on Saturday, April 27th at 6:00 PM.

Your candlelit table-for-two will be the setting for discovering the Sacred History of your marriage.  Registration closes as soon as we reach our capacity of 10 couples.  There are only 5 tables left!  REGISTER TODAY!