Welcome friends. our pastor, Father Greenleaf,  has asked me to teach a series of tutorials that will challenge and satisfy parishioners interested in deepening their knowledge of the Catholic Faith. For this reason, the series is called "Whole Mind" as in Mark 29:30, "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind, and with thy whole strength." or  Ecclesiasticus 16:24 "Listen to me, my son, and learn knowledge, and give your whole mind to my words."

We shall use the scholastic method, itself a modification of the Socratic, to provide a structure for our inquiries. Hence, we shall begin with a conundrum or question and from thence proceed to a solution based on Holy Scripture, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, or other Church teachings as may be found in the Fathers and Doctors.

For self-evident reasons, we shall open each tutorial with a prayer to the Holy Spirit.

Prayer To The Holy Spirit
     Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of thy faithful
and enkindle in them the fire of thy love. 
Send forth thy spirit and they shall be created
and thou shalt renew the face of the earth.

Let us pray.
     O God, who didst instruct the hearts of thy faithful by the
light of the Holy Spirit, grant us, in that same Spirit, to be
truly wise and ever to rejoice in His consolation; through the same
Christ Our Lord,  Amen.
  

Finally, some practical considerations. The texts to be used in each tutorial will be available on this site a week before the session.  All participants are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the texts, the better to understand what is taught and to contribute where possible. Please note that session preps may exceed the amount of work that can be covered in a single tutorial; in these cases, the topic will be continued in the subsequent tutorial or tutorials as time and the depth of our inquiry permit. We are more interested in being thorough than in covering large quantities of material. We shall read the texts together with frequent pauses for my comments or your questions. To avoid crosstalk and confusion,  Father Dan will moderate the tutorials, also providing technological assistance when needed.

                                                                         David B. Rioux, Ph.D.