Hello, Everyone!
                   This month's Areopagus meeting will be held tomorrow, Friday, June 5th, at seven p.m. at the Kray's house.  I will not be posting their address on the Blog, so if you need it, please contact me, so I can get that information to you.  Please bring a delicious snack to pass and plenty of questions for Odysseus the Box.  I place emphasis on the first request due to the lack of snacks at the last meeting.  The hosts provide the house; the Areopagites should be providing the snacks.  At least part of the meeting will be held outdoors, so please dress for the weather and possible bugs.
                     Also, if you have not been receiving e-mails lately or know that someone has not been receiving my e-mails, please let me know, because some of the addresses bounce back, and I am not quite sure who they belong too, if they're old, or something else.  Please also let me know if the addresses I have are not in use anymore, so I can clean up my list a little.

                                           In Christ,
                                                  Evelyn

                                               

    Felicitations, Fellow Philosophers!
              We have had some wonderful meetings these past few months.  Many thanks to our hosts for these months:  the Spankies, the Pilarskis, the Evards, and the Hastings!  I apologize for not posting these questions sooner.  At last night's meeting, we began with, instead of Cicero, the movie, "The Demographic Winter".  We will be watching this movie over the next few meetings in ten-minute parts at the beginning of each meeting.  Father Ward, before starting the movie, gave us a few questions to ponder and answer while watching the clip.  Afterwards, we discussed the part of the movie we watched, then moved onto the questions.

               Among those questions we have discussed the past few meetings were included:

•   What is the best way to deal with liturgical abuses?
•    In the Bible, there is a saying, "I desire mercy and not sacrifice" (somewhere along those lines).  What is meant by this?
•    If two mountain climbers were roped together and one slipped so they were both hanging, only supported by one guy, could he cut the other guy off his line?  Either both die, or one makes it.
• With school, I do not have enough time for leisure reading.  So for the summer I want to catch up on some leisure reading.  Do you have any suggestions? 
• Is it sinful for men to wear earrings?  
• I have a teacher who is obviously putting the Catholic Church in a bad light.  I try to block some of his attacks, but after this semester I can take another course with him.  Should I take another class under him to defend the Church, or should I avoid him?
• Do you have any recommendations for regaining chastity in a relationship that you do not want to simply abandon?  
• I know women cannot become priests, but I don't know exactly why.  Why can't women become priests?
• Is it uncharitable to not friend a relative on Facebook because they sometimes post things that go against your beliefs or are just plain annoying?
• Do you think that juveniles around 10-15 years old who have committed murder should be sentenced as adults or be treated differently, such as being counseled?
• A friend sent me an article saying, if you're asked to bake a cake for a same sex wedding, Jesus would say bake two, paraphrasing Matt 5:41, and adding Jesus would never exclude anyone. What can I say to that? 
• How does one adore Christ in daily prayer?  It's easy at Mass or at Eucharistic adoration, but how does one apply it to their prayer life?
• Does the Catholic Church do cremations now?
• What does it mean to defend traditional marriage?  What goal should we be pushing for?  Protection of conscience?  Preventing the civil approval of nontraditional marriages?
• What are the roles of nuns in the Church, and how did they first start?

               Our next meeting will be held on the FIRST Friday of the month, June 5th, at seven p.m.  More information will follow later this month.  Have a beautiful and blessed month of May!

                      In Christ,
                          Evelyn

Holy Mary, conceived without sin, Pray for us who have recourse to thee!

      Hello, Everyone!
           This month's Areopagus meeting will be held tomorrow, Friday, May 15th, at seven p.m.  We meet at the Hastings' house.  We are very grateful to them for hosting us!  I will not be posting their address on the Blog, but have already sent it out in the e-mail, so, if you need it, please contact me at tgagnon@centurytel.net.  Please bring a delicious snack to pass and plenty of questions for us to discuss.  (I will be posting questions on the Blog Saturday after this meeting; I apologize for the long delays.)
                         In Christ,
                               Evelyn      

    Hello, Everyone!
              This month's Areopagus will be held tomorrow, April 17, at seven p.m. at the Evards' house.  We are very grateful to them for hosting us!  I will not be posting their address on the Blog, so if you need it, please contact me at tgagnon@centurytel.net.  I have already sent it out in two reminder e-mails.  Please bring a snack to pass and plenty of questions for the box.  Enjoy the warm weather!

                          In Christ,
                               Evelyn

    Hello, Everyone!
           This month's Areopagus meeting will be held tomorrow March 20, at seven p.m. at the Pilarski home.  The address is 13001 Excalibur Lane  Romeo, MI 48065.  We are very grateful to the Pilarski family for hosting us!  Please bring a snack to pass and plenty of questions for Odysseus the Box.

                    In Christ,
                         Evelyn

 Hello, Everyone!
         This month's Areopagus meeting will be held next Friday, February 20, at seven p.m.  We will meet at the Spankie's house.  I will not post their address on the Blog, but Mrs. Spankie has given me permission to post their e-mail in case anyone needs to get directions from them.  It is ricknrosie@wildblue.net.  I have already sent out an e-mail with the address, and will send out another next week.  If you do not get these e-mails and need the address, please contact me at tgagnon@centurytel.net.  Please bring a meatless snack to pass and plenty of questions for Odysseus the Box (be assured that he does not have to fast).  Please drive safely in the snow and stay warm! 
               Have a Blessed Lent, Everyone!
                       
                               In Christ,
                                  Evelyn

Joyous January

        Felicitations, Fellow Philosophers!
                  
                    Last month's meeting was quite enjoyable.  Many thanks to the Kostiuk family for hosting our meeting!  Father began the meeting with prayer and the continuing discussion of Cicero's Discourses on Old Age, as Odysseus the Box safely passed on his journey from Areopagite to Areopagite.  When he came in to land by Father Ward, his unloaded cargo included:

• When, how, and why was Areopagus started?
• What is Heaven like?
• Is it morally wrong to be involved in the animal rights movement? (valuing animal life as being equal to human life)
• Is it a sin to kill someone in self-defense?
• How should one deal with Catholics who do not act like Catholics and are extremely "diverse"?
• How do you defend the authenticity of the Bible?
• What happens to your guardian angel if you go to hell?
• How often should one receive Holy Communion? I had heard that one should not receive the Holy Eucharist more than once a day.
• Is it better to a have a false religion than no religion?
• I would like to know more about intrusive thoughts. (e.g. what are they, how to deal with them)
• Is it moral to kill someone to stop them if you know they are going to kill an innocent person? (this would be before they are actually performing the act)
• Does the Garden of Eden still exist?

                     Our next meeting will be held next Friday, February 20, at the Spankie's house  More information will follow.
                       Have a Blessed Lent, Everyone!
                             
                                  In Christ,
                                       Evelyn

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