Exodus 90

Exodus 90

Start Date: January 29, 2020 (Registration closes January 26)

End Date: April 26, 2020

The Exodus 90 program is built on the pillars of fellowship, prayer, and sacrifice.  It is for those who are looking to seriously live their faith, to encounter Christ in a new way, and to overcome sinful habits. The program is demanding and that is point.  To make room for Christ in our hearts requires clearing other things out.  If you register for this program please know that it is a serious commitment to a weekly group meeting, to daily accountability, at least 20 minutes of daily prayer and a serious regimen of ascetic practices.  If you are not interested then please do not sign up.  If you do then give it your all, knowing that Jesus will not be outdone in generosity.  Anyone is welcome to participate. 

How To Register:

1. Watch the intro video below and read the list of the Exodus 90 sacrifices. 

2. Fill out the registration form below. REGISTRATION CLOSES JANUARY 26.

3. Sign up for a group.

4. Email exodus90@hope.edu if you have any questions.

Turning Worshipers into Gods: Liturgy and Salvation in the Early Church [PHOTOS + VIDEO]

On Thursday, January 16, the Saint Benedict Institute founder and executive director, Dr. Jared Ortiz, stepped up to the podium. He spoke on “Turning Worshipers into Gods: Liturgy and Salvation in the Early Church.”

What is worship and what is it for? What is salvation and what does worship have to do with it?  In this talk, Jared Ortiz, associate professor of religion at Hope College, will address these questions by examining the prayers and rituals of the early Christian baptism liturgy.  In these rituals, early Christians understood that they were entering into Paradise, given a foretaste of the true Promised Land (heaven!), and were "being filled with all the fullness of God" (Eph. 3:19).  They prayed that they might "become partakers of the divine nature" (2 Pet. 1:4).  In short, the early Church believed that through their worship they could become divine.  Dr. Ortiz's reflections will be drawn from his recent volume Deification in the Latin Patristic Tradition (Washington D.C.: The Catholic University of America Press, 2019). The Catholic World Report published this interview with his comments on his latest book and the subject of this talk.

Dr. Jared Ortiz is associate professor of religion at Hope College, author of You Made Us for Yourself: Creation in St Augustine’s Confessions (Fortress Press, 2016), and editor of Deification in the Latin Patristic Tradition (The Catholic University of America Press, 2019). He is also founder and executive director of the Saint Benedict Institute.

Student Stories: A Sacramental Rhythm

Rachel Tishkoff: A Sacramental Rhythm

During my time in college, I have come to have a greater awareness of the power of participating in the sacraments often and the meaning that this has for my spiritual life. Attending Mass throughout the week and going to confession on a regular basis provides a rhythm to my life and keeps me grounded in peace throughout my week. I feel very fortunate to have so many opportunities to participate in the sacraments here on campus. I typically go to daily Mass a few days a week and it is always refreshing to be able to enter into prayer, hear the Word of God, and receive the Eucharist in the middle of my day. It is also a joy to see the familiar faces of classmates, professors, and friends from the community and to know that we are coming before the Lord together. Going to confession and daily Mass has contributed much to my spiritual growth and I am grateful to have Fr. Nick on campus to give us these opportunities. It is also a blessing to be a part of a devoted Catholic community here at Hope and to be able to share in this aspect of living out our faith.

Rachel is a senior from Ann Arbor. She is studying education and plans to student teach in Denver, CO this spring. She hopes to create 'The Great American Catholic Cross-Country Road Trip,' a guidebook highlighting important Catholic sites across the U.S.

The Authority of the Sacred Victim: Why Our Identity Politics Are So Contentious

Thursday, November 21
7:00PM
Winants Auditorium, Graves Hall

On Thursday, November 21, Dr. Molly Brigid McGrath will present a lecture with the title, “The Authority of the Sacred Victim: Why Our Identity Politics Are So Contentious.” The Tocqueville Forum will host the event; the Saint Benedict Institute is a co-sponsor.

There is something sacred about suffering. This helps to explain the rise and intensity of our current fascination with "identity politics." One way we can understand “identity politics” is by noticing the way people talk and the roles they are given when discussing oppressed groups. People in these groups are forced to symbolize their demographic categories, and members of oppressed categories are granted a special status rooted in the sacredness of their groups.  Thus, identity within certain groups gives one a sacred status while those outside are considered profane and even evil if they do not render proper homage to those within.

Understanding the sacred character of the victim in our current identity politics will help us address a number of confusing phenomena in our culture: Why was groundbreaking lesbian tennis champ Martina Navratilova booted by an LGBT athletics group? Why did Jussie Smollett want people to think he’s a hate-crime victim? Why did Rachel Dolezal want people to think she’s black? What type of authority or expertise do trans* activists have when speaking about the nature of sex and gender?

Dr. Molly Brigid McGrath is Director of the Honors Program and Associate Professor of Philosophy at Assumption College in Worcester, Massachusetts. She focuses on Husserlian phenomenology, Aristotle, social ontology and also enjoys writing philosophical movie reviews.

Courtship, Marriage, and Sex: The What, Where, When, and How

Courtship, Marriage, and Sex: The What, Where, When, and How

Friday November 8, 15, 22
5:00PM - 7:00PM
Herrick Room (Dewitt 2nd Floor)
Students Only

The Saint Benedict Institute invites students to participate in three-week seminars about various questions and issues related to the Catholic faith. Led by Catholic professors, professionals, and priests, the purpose of these seminars is to facilitate the intellectual life of students and cultivate friendships on campus. Students meet weekly for a warm meal, a short lecture, and a long discussion in an event that feeds both body and soul.

In today's society, there is very little instruction about how to navigate the world of love and romance. In this three-week Saint Benedict Seminar, current students were given theological and practical wisdom on courtship, marriage, and sex.

Week 1: “What is Courtship?” with Jared and Rhonda Ortiz

Week 2: “Marriage, Sex, and Theology of the Body” with Jack and Melissa Mulder

Week 3: “How We Met and How We Knew We Wanted to Get Married” with Nate and Kellie Dubravec, Josh and Julia Kraut, and Bram and Maggie TenBarge

We asked one of the students who attended Week 1 to write about her experience; her reflection is below.

---

Courtship

By Abby Nickles

It’s Friday night, classes are done for the week, and it is time to let loose, have fun, and go out with my boyfriend… to a seminar on courtship, marriage, and sex as taught by the Catholic Church. Many peers would wonder why something like that would be worth my while, but as expected, the Saint Benedict Institute and their excellent presenters did not disappoint. The Saint Benedict Institute hosted a three-part seminar and dinner series titled “Courtship, Marriage, and Sex: The What, Where, When, and How,” during the month of November. The goal of this series was to provide some instruction on how to navigate the world of love and romance by bringing guest speakers. These speakers were devout Christian couples who graciously agreed to give up their Friday evenings to share wisdom with young adults in need.

The first night was titled, “What is Courtship?” and lead by Dr. Jared Ortiz and Rhonda Ortiz. They described courtship as a “script that prepares for life together” and that through proper courtship, as opposed to the vague and undefined “relationships” that exist in today’s world, couples can practice the friendship and mutual giving that is essential in marriage and family life. For men, courtship is the turning of his desires from lust into love. Being able to turn away from lust allows them to discern whether the woman he is pursuing will make a good wife and mother. Women in courting relationships need to learn if the man is worthy of esteem, if he will make a good husband and father. 

One of the biggest challenges of courtship is maintaining chastity, especially because there is often an ignorance of the other sex, and it is important that we do not ignore the basic biology. When women make love, they release oxytocin (this is also released during birth and nursing). This is a bonding hormone, which means that women bond to their spouse in the same way they bond to their children, and so they feel this bonding on a different level than men, who’s testosterone release covers up the oxytocin that they also release during love making. This is one of the reasons why women typically take the lead on chastity, because it is simply self-preservation. Men get excited much quicker than women, so it is an act of charity for women to practice more self-control. Men have the responsibility of being honest about what excites them, so the couple can avoid placing themselves in a situation that one of them could be tempted. Men bond in making the decision to commit and by showing the woman self-sacrificing love, proving that the love is not only in the passion.

Chastity teaches us to stay secure in God’s love first. It helps us keep an eternal horizon, understanding that our future spouse will never truly satisfy us like God does. In light of this, here are some practical rules provided by Dr. and Mrs. Ortiz,

Basic Rules (that articulate what will truly make us happy):

1. No Sex 

   • Kind of obvious, but note that this means no sex of any kind, with any part of the body

2. No French Kissing

   • “Guys can’t French kiss without their mind exploding” -Dr. Jared Ortiz

3. Don’t Sit on the Couch Together

4. Be in Public Places Together 

5. Do Things 

6. Take Time to Talk with Each Other

7. Do Things in Groups

8. Meet Family Early

   • Watch how they interact with each other

We have a deep longing to live a life that is worth living, and that is found in marriage and family, courtship is a way to practice for this, and to practice getting each other into heaven, because that is the ultimate goal of marriage. In the words of Dr. Ortiz, “It is better not to sit on the couch together for a while than get in the way of the other getting into heaven.”

This talk has been very helpful in my relationship. We have been dating for almost two years, but this seminar gave us a common language to be able to talk through some of the things we had been struggling with. It outlined what the goal of our time together now should be, and gave us a good idea of how this will help us in the future. The practical rules are very helpful, and lately we have been putting more emphasis on spending intentional time together talking about life, deepening our friendship, pointing each other towards God, and keeping our eyes on that eternal horizon. I am very thankful to the Saint Benedict institute for treating us to this wonderful event. 

Stephen Barr: Science and Religion: The Myth of Conflict [PHOTOS + VIDEO]

Science and Religion: The Myth of Conflict

Over 200 people crammed into Winants Auditorium on the evening of October 24, 2019 to attend the lecture of Professor Stephen Barr. The lecture was called Science and Religion: the Myth of Conflict, and Barr, not only a professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy of the University of Delaware, but also the founding president of the Society of Catholic Scientists, was uniquely suited to speak on the topic.

He began by speaking about materialism. Materialism, he said, says that all reality is reducible to matter and its behavior, and because of this, science itself can often get conflated with scientific materialism, adding into that myth that science and religion are incompatible. This is because, Barr explained, through materialism God could not exist because God, being non-material, isn’t matter. He called scientific materialism an ideology, like Communism or atheism. The goal is to “free” the human mind of all irrationality and delusion—which, of course, to the scientific materialist, especially includes religion.

He confronted the idea that God cannot exist, merely because we can’t see Him. Some people, he said, argue that the universe and all of its beauties exist by random events, and it just happened to be so perfectly ordered. Barr explained why that was not necessarily true using this example: if you enter a house and see that everything is neat and orderly, well-tended and well-decorated, you don’t assume that the house just exists in that state by mere happenstance, but because someone is taking care of it. The same is true, he elaborated, for providence, law, and order. In fact, Barr argued, for there to even be laws we all agree on, there must be someone who gave those laws in the first place. Practically all people can agree that cruelty against animals is wrong, is evil, even. However, in a universe ordered by some great cosmic accident, there is no reason for that to be wrong. This is also why miracles surprise us—in a random universe, nothing would dictate that they couldn’t happen all the time. Miracles presuppose that there are laws that can be broken. God can override the laws of the universe because He is the author of them.  Further, if anything about the universe were even slightly different in the laws of physics, life on earth could not be possible, remarking that if the bonds between protons and neutrons were even a little weaker, it would spell catastrophe. 

Barr also highlighted some especially noteworthy Catholic priests who also happened to be scientists. Notable names included Gregor Mendel, father of modern genetics; Francesco Grimaldi, the man who discovered the diffraction of light; Giuseppe Piazzi, who discovered the first dwarf planet; and Georges Lemaitre, founder of the Big Bang Theory. Barr drew attention to this in part, of course, to highlight and celebrate the accomplishments of these men, but more than that, he illustrated how fake the divide between religion and science is. These men founded much of modern science as we know it, while being Catholic priests. Catholicism is not anti-science; Catholicism is in modern science’s DNA.   

This event was co-sponsored by the Corpus Christi Foundation, Campus Ministries, the Offices of Arts and Humanities and Natural and Applied Sciences, and the departments of Geological and Environmental Studies, Neuroscience, Philosophy, Physics, Social Sciences, and Religion.

Restorative Justice Conference: Radical Forgiveness [VIDEO]

Restorative Justice Conference: Radical Forgiveness

Saturday, October 19, 2019
9:00AM-3:00PM
Cathedral Square Center

Register

The conference originated three years ago, when students of the Calvin Prison Initiative (CPI) program at R. A. Handlon had the idea and the desire to reach out and create a space in which the public could learn about restorative justice practices. Each year, the students have partnered with a community organization who hosts the conference; Calvin University hosted in 2018 and the Saint Benedict Institute on the campus of Hope College hosted in 2017.

The 3rd Annual West Michigan Restorative Justice Conference was again organized by students in the Calvin Prison Initiative program at the R.A. Handlon Correctional facility, with a theme of Radical Forgiveness. Kate Grosmaire, author of Forgiving My Daughter's Killer: A True Story of Loss, Faith, and Unexpected Grace, delivered the keynote address.  Eric Boldiszar, Handlon inmate and Calvin Prison Initiative student, alongside other CPI students, also addressed conference attendees through a pre-recorded presentation.

This one-day FREE conference (registration required) featured a variety of speakers and organizations from the State of Michigan that work in areas of restorative justice and criminal justice reform. The conference was held on October 19, 2019 from 9AM-3PM at Cathedral Square.

Attendees had time to visit booths of local organizations and non-profits, seeing how they contribute to restorative justice efforts in the state.

Our speakers included:
Nate Johnson of Fresh Coast Alliance

Officer Dan Myers of the Grand Rapids Police Department

Angie Sprank of the Michigan Department of Corrections Offender Success program

Kate Grosmaire, author of Forgiving my Daughter's Killer: A True Story of Loss Faith and Unexpected Grace,

Eric Boldiszar, Handlon inmate and Calvin Prison Initiative student, alongside other CPI students, who addressed conference attendees through a pre-recorded presentation

David O'Connor: Perilous Beauty: Tattoos, Redheads, and Tolkien [PHOTOS+VIDEO]

Perilous Beauty: Tattoos, Redheads, and Tolkien

Monday, September 23, 2019
7:00PM
Winants Auditorium, Graves Hall

On Monday, September 23, 2019, the Saint Benedict Institute hosted Dr. David O’Connor. He gave a talk on "Perilous Beauty: Tattoos, Redheads, and Tolkien.”

J.R.R. Tolkien reflected deeply, and in a distinctively Catholic way, on the power of beauty to enchant and corrupt. Why in The Lord of the Rings do Men so often fear the Elf Queen Galadriel as "perilous"? These perils of Elvish beauty are Tolkien's Catholic version of anxieties explored, for example, in Shakespeare's ambiguous portrait of the seductiveness of Cleopatra; in Herman Melville's fascination (in Moby Dick) with the exotic beauty of tattoos; and in the Pre-Raphaelite painters' obsession with stunning redheads. Tolkien's Catholic response to the problem of perilous beauty comes into sharper focus when we compare his art to these great predecessors.

David O’Connor is a faculty member in the departments of Philosophy and of Classics at the University of Notre Dame. His teaching and writing focus on ancient philosophy, aesthetics, ethics and politics, and philosophy of religion. Dr. O’Connor is an acclaimed teacher and lecturer. His online lectures on love and sexuality have reached a wide international audience, and are the basis of his two recent books, Love is Barefoot Philosophy (in Chinese translation, 2014) and Plato’s Bedroom: Ancient Wisdom and Modern Love (2015). He has also published extensively on the relation between philosophy, art, and literature, in both the ancient and the modern world.

This event was co-sponsored by the Office of Arts and Humanities and the departments of: Art and Art History, History, Philosophy, and Religion

Welcome Students!

Welcome to all Hope College students, faculty, and staff! We are excited that you are here and look forward to seeing you all on campus as we kick off another school year.

Who We Are

The work of the Saint Benedict Institute is centered around the intellectual and spiritual growth of Hope’s Catholic students. We are a ministry of St. Francis de Sales Parish.

The two people you are most likely to run into at Hope College are our Catholic chaplain, Fr. Nick Monco, and Carly McShane, our campus missionary. Learn more about the Saint Benedict Institute staff here.

There are also a large number of Catholic faculty and staff. Dr. Jared Ortiz and Dr. Jack Mulder are two of the professors who founded the Saint Benedict Institute.

Carly McShane, Campus Missionary

Fr. Nick Monco, Chaplain

Schedule of Services

This year, the first Mass on campus will be Sunday, August 25 at 5:00 p.m. in Winants Auditorium in Graves Hall. In addition to Sunday Mass, we will again be offering daily Mass, opportunities for confession, and adoration, all of which are open to the public beginning on Tuesday, August 27. See the schedule of services for times and more details below. You are also welcome to attend services at the local Catholic parish; see more information here.

(Times apply to the school year only.View the academic calendar.)

DAILY MASS

Schoon Chapel, Graves Hall

Monday - 12:00 p.m    

Tuesday - 11:00 a.m and 9:00 p.m   

Wednesday - 12:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.

Thursday - 11:00 a.m.  

Friday - 12:00 p.m.   

Saturday - 12:00 p.m.

SUNDAY MASS

5:00 p.m. (Rosary at 4:30)
Winants Auditorium, Graves Hall

CONFESSIONS

Tuesday/Wednesday - 8:00 p.m. Schoon Chapel

Thursday - 10:15-10:45 a.m. Lubbers 223

Friday - 11:15-11:45 a.m. Lubbers 223

By Appointment
nicholas.monco@saintbenedictinstitute.org

ADORATION

Tuesday and Wednesday - 8:00 p.m. Schoon Chapel, Graves Hall

Get Involved

Saint Benedict Institute campus ministers and staff have planned a variety of events both for students and the local community that will take place throughout the year. What’s the best way to get involved? Sign up to receive regular emails to find out about all of our events and activities. You can also see upcoming activities published on the calendar of events, or by following the Saint Benedict Institute on Facebook or Instagram.

Other opportunities to pursue on or off-campus:

• Hope Catholics

• Volunteer with St. Francis de Sales youth ministry (click here to learn more)

Student Stories: A Story of Conversion

Student Stories: A Story of Conversion

I grew up in a loving Protestant family, raised by parents who modeled Christ’s love to my sisters and I daily, taught me to love Jesus and to value my relationship with him, all while surrounded by a supportive church community. My experience in the Protestant church has been great and was a major part in my faith formation and spiritual growth.

However, in the past year or two the Protestant church has not been fulfilling some of the longings and desires that have been forming in my heart.

I am a religion major at Hope, with a focus in Theology and Church History. Through the wise and patient guidance of Dr. Jared Ortiz, I began to study the traditions and history of the faith, and I began to fall in love with the Saints and the ways of the early Church Fathers. My heart burned to encounter God in the ways that holy people like Saint Francis of Assisi, Saint Augustine, and Saint Theresa of Avila experienced our Savior. I wanted, and needed, a faith community that valued the teachings and wisdom that is stored in the bountiful treasury of the Christian tradition.

Throughout this process I was meeting weekly with Carly McShane, who displayed the spirituality of the Catholic faith to me in a way that I had never encountered it before, and she showed me how much that Catholic Church valued the traditions and Saints that I had been falling in love with. The more I learned about the Catholic Church, through Carly’s patient answering of my sometimes aggressive and defensive questioning, and the further I journeyed into my studies in Christian theology, the more I felt myself drawn to the beauty of the Tradition of the Church. But I was still very apprehensive on the teaching of the Eucharist - representation or re-presentation? All of the beautiful Saints that I adored valued the Eucharist above all else, why couldn’t I? That question kept me up at night. 

These thoughts and feelings all came to a head when I attended Adoration for a class assignment (assigned by a Protestant professor). I sat in the presence of our Savior, and asked him to reveal himself to me, if this truly was him in full body and presence, if this was the way He wanted me to seek and worship Him. As soon as that prayer left my heart, silent tears began to fall down my face and continued for the rest of Adoration. The Lord was faithful and after two years of wrestling I was assured in what was right and true. Afterwards I stayed and explained to Carly what I had experienced, and we both hugged and cried and rejoiced together. 

Since then my journey into the Church has been so supported and surrounded by love, especially from Carly, Dr. Ortiz, Father Nick, and fellow Hope Catholics, along with the many campus activities run by the Saint Benedict Institute. Spending a week with Benedictine monks on the trip to Saint Meinrads Archabbey solidified my love for the tradition and teaching of the Catholic Church. I am so thankful for the wonderful community of Catholics that has taken root at Hope College, and I can’t wait to spend another year learning and growing in my faith, surrounded by my peers and incredible mentors.