Greetings and a Happy New Year to my fellow Areopagites!
                        
                I hope everyone had a blessed Christmas and a relaxing holiday break.  Our most recent meeting, held at the Kot residence in December, was well-attended (I believe our hostess, Mrs. Kot said there were around forty kids there, not counting their parents) and a lot of fun.  Many thanks to the Kot family for hosting us!  After Father Ward began the meeting with prayer and a continuation of the discussion of Cicero's Discourses on Old Age, the box was cracked open, and the following questions brought to light: 

• Would God have spared Adam and Eve if they had asked for mercy instead of blaming each other?
• I think it is interesting that, in biblical times, if a man looked at a woman impurely it was the "woman's fault".  But in this day and age it is now portrayed as the "man's fault".  Why do you think this is?
• If a mushroom is already a fungus, can it mold in your fridge? (Apparently, it can, for one Areopagite claims it has happened.  This was a trivial matter)
• Does it matter if a Catholic is Latin Rite vs. another Catholic Rite?  If one wanted to change from one rite to another, what would the process for that be?
• What is a good strategy for converting an SSPX member?
• How can one disprove evolution?
• What is the origin of swear words?
• What defines a recreational drug?  Could caffeine count?
• What is some basic background info on angels and demons?   

                Our next Areopagus meeting will be held this Friday, January 16, at the Kostiuk's house.  If anyone is interested in hosting a meeting, I need a house for the February meeting, to be held on the third Friday, the 20th of the month.  Please let me know as soon as possible if you want to host this or another month.  I can be reached by e-mail at tgagnon@centurytel.net.  
                  
                          Have a blessed New Year!
                                     In Christ,
                                        Evelyn

St. Paul, pray for us!
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us!


                     

  Greetings, All!
       I apologize for the lateness of this blog post.  The December Areopagus will be held tomorrow, December 19th, at seven p.m.  Rendezvous point:  The Kots' house.  I will not post their address on the blog, but I have already sent it out this past Saturday and today in my reminder e-mails.  If you have not received these e-mails, or lost them somehow, and need the Kots' address, please e-mail me at tgagnon@centurytel.net.  Please bring plenty of questions for Odysseus the Box and a delicious snack for us all to eat.
                    Have a Joyous Advent!
                            
                       In Christ,
                                  Evelyn             
           

           Salutations!

                Last month's meeting at the Peddemors' was wonderful and had a surprise for the Areopagites present.  Father RJ, a priest friend of Father Ward, began the meeting with a short talk on St. Catherine of Siena and then answered a few questions live and from the box before Father Ward took over.  Many thanks to Father RJ and to our host family!  Father Ward continued the meeting with a discussion on Cicero's Discourses on Old Age.  We then continued asking (and answering) our questions.  The following matters were included:

•      What is blasphemy?  This question also led to a live question:  Is it okay, in writing a story, to make the "bad guys" swear?
•       If Adam had not taken the apple from Eve, would she only have been cast out of the Garden of Eden?
•       Does the Church have any teachings about concealed weapons?
•       Is it okay to go pleasure shopping (for fun) on Sunday?
•       How can you help a loved one who is trying to fight a pornography addiction?
•       What do you think of tattoos on men and women?  Do you think it is bad?
•       When saying my daily Rosary, I find it helps to have it on my ipad.  Does this count as prayer as long as I still meditate?
•        Why do we leave the last line from the Bible off when we say the Our Father?
•        I know someone who swears often and takes the Lord's name in vain.  The first few times this happened I gently rebuked, but this person just blew up and became angry.  Lately I just asked God for forgiveness and to bless this person in my head instead of speaking.  Should I do more?            
•        What are the Church's views on adoption?  It seems to me that if one has a child that they can't support, they obviously cannot abort or murder the baby, but they could put it up for adoption.  Additionally, it seems that if one could not have children, for good reasons, the person could adopt a child.  Is it wrong to think this?

            Our next meeting will be at the Kot's house on the third Friday of the month, December 19th, at seven p.m.  A reminder posted on the Blog and an e-mailed reminder will follow later this week.
      Have a Blessed Advent, Everyone!

                             In Christ,
                                  Evelyn Gagnon

St. Catherine of Siena, pray for us!
Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us!

                 Hello Everyone!
                       The November Areopagus will be held this Friday, November 21st, at seven p.m. at the Peddemors residence.  We are very grateful to them for hosting our numbers!  I will not be posting their address on the Blog, so if you need it, please e-mail me at tgagnon@centurytel.net.  Please bring a delicious snack to pass (these are much appreciated) and questions for the box, Odysseus, the Ever-Hungry.  Safe Traveling!
                     
                            In Christ,
                                Evelyn

Outstanding October

           Greetings and Salutations to my fellow Areopagites,
                     
                   We had a wonderful meeting this past month of October at the Ren residence.  We are grateful to them for hosting us!
                    Father began the meeting by having us all introduce (or reintroduce) ourselves and state one of our favorite saints.  He then proceeded to read some articles on a couple recent incidents involving colleges, which we discussed before continuing on to the box.
                    The questions included therein (or asked live) included:

• Is swearing a mortal sin?   
• Can a sin be mortal if you didn't know it at the time?
• Is the host valid if there is something else besides water and wheat in it?
• Does it matter what kind of Catholic you are since the Catholic Church started in Rome? (we assumed that, by "kind", the author of this question meant "rite")
• When is a good age to start courting, assuming you believe your vocation is marriage? 
• How would you defend the Catholic Faith against the claim that, since we believe that we consume Christ's Body, we practice cannibalism as part of our Faith?
• Is "fan-girling" wise?  Is it a sin?   

                     November's Areopagus will be held November 21st at the Peddemor's house.  If anyone is interested in hosting an Areopagus meeting, please let me know.  Meanwhile, keep thinking of questions for the box (Odysseus is always hungry) and have a good Month of the Holy Souls.
                        In Christ,
                            Evelyn

Queen of All Saints, pray for us!

         Hi, All!
                This month's Areopagus meeting will be held on October 17th, the third Friday of the month, at 7 p.m.  We shall gather at the Ren's house at 15824 Hough Rd.  Allenton, MI 48002.  Please bring a snack to pass, questions, questions, and more questions for the box, and perhaps a friend (with yet more questions).  
                  Safe Traveling!
                   
                 In Christ,
                        Evelyn

Super September

  Hello, Everyone!
       
             The Areopagus meeting at the Flynn's last month was superb.  We are very grateful to them for hosting us!  Our questions, comments, and trivial matters included:

• If Adam and Eve were the first man and woman in the Bible and they had two sons, where did their sons' wives come from?
• What is the best way to restore someone's trust?
• What would you suggest for a morning prayer routine?
• Did Hermits have to get special dispensation from Sunday Mass, or were most of them able to go to (or say) Mass?
• Are altar  boys dispensable?  When did they start helping at Mass?
• How should one deal with Catholics who are really into evangelizing/working with non-Catholics when they don't really know their faith?
• Is saying "Good Lord" or "Lordy" taking God's name in vain? 
• What should one who is seriously considering a religious vocation, but does not know which particular order to enter, do?   
• If one receives a Sacrament of the Living knowingly in mortal sin (specifically Confirmation or Matrimony), do they have to receive it again to make it valid?

               The next meeting on October 17th will be held at the Ren's residence.  Address will follow later this week.  Enjoy this beautiful month of October!

               In Christ,
                    Evelyn

Queen of the Holy Rosary, pray for us!