Wine and Wisdom Tonight!

Wine and Wisdom: Filling the Void, facilitated by Sr. Miriam James, is tonight at Kells!
See you there!

"Catholics and the Media" with Dr. Pia de Solenni Conway

The Catholic Professionals of Seattle presents: "Catholics and the Media"

Who: Dr. Pia de Solenni Conway, an expert in life issues, the new feminism, and culture. She received her doctorate in sacred theology from the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome. She has appeared in publications such as The Wall Street Journal Europe and The Washington Post, and on TV programs like "Hardball with Chris Matthews" and "The O'Reilly Factor."

When: Friday, March 4th, 2011
6:45 A.M.: Check in, Reconciliation available
7:15 A.M.: Mass
7:45 A.M.: Breakfast
8:30 A.M. - 9:15 A.M.: Presentation

Where: The Prince of Peace Catholic Newman Center
University of Washington
4502 20th Ave NE, Seattle, WA

Cost: $18 for members, $35 for non-members

Registration: catholicprofessionalsofseattle.org/events.html

Contact: Tedd Naff, President of Catholic Professionals of Seattle
E-mail: info@catholicprofessionalsofseattle.org
Phone: 206-841-0487

Wine and Wisdom with Sr. Miriam James

This year's first Seattle Wine and Wisdom is happening on Monday, Feb. 28th at 7:00 P.M. at Kells Irish Pub. Sr. Miriam James, SOLT, will be facilitating a discussion on "Filling the Void: Our Search for Meaning." Don't miss out on a fantastic speaker and great discussions!

Lenten Retreat

Can you believe that Ash Wednesday is in two weeks?

What's a better way to begin Lent than with a prayerful, rejuvenating retreat? Get renewed. Get inspired. Get ready. Please join us for our Young Adult Lenten Retreat on the first weekend of Lent, March 11th - 13th.

For more information, see www.seattleoyyam.org/programs/retreat-ministry/young-adult-retreats.

Marriage Preparation Retreat This Weekend

Our Winter Marriage Preparation Retreat is this weekend! We hope to see all you young-adult engaged couples there. For more information, please visit http://seattleoyyam.org/programs/retreat-ministry/young-adult-retreats.

Reminder: Filling the Void

Hi friends,

We are blessed to have Sr. Miriam James facilitate our first Seattle Wine and Wisdom this month! Please join us as we form community, have fun, and discuss "Filling the Void: Our Search for Meaning."

When: Monday, Feb. 28th at 7 P.M.
Where: Kells Irish Restaurant and Pub
1916 Post Alley
Pike Place Market
Seattle, WA 98101
For: Young Adults ages 21-35

March 7 Wine and Wisdom

Next month's Wine and Wisdom speaker at Mill Creek will be Janet Heva, Campus Minister at the Prince of Peace Catholic Newman Center. Join her and other young adults as we discuss "God's Plan for Your Sex Life." Discounted wine pours and appetizers will be available for purchase.

When: Monday, March 7th, 7:00 P.M.
Where: deVine Wines
15224 Main St.
Suite 107
Mill Creek, WA
For: Young adults ages 18-35

Marriage Prep. Is Next Week

OYYAM's Winter Marriage Preparation Retreat for engaged young-adult couples is next weekend, so be sure to sign up if you haven't already!

If you can't make this retreat, mark your calendars for our Spring Marriage Preparation Retreat, May 20-22 at Camp Hamilton.

Service Project Saturday

Catholic Community Services has given us an "Extreme Makeover" mission to provide housework and yard work for residents of Bow Lake Motor Home Park in SeaTac who are unable to keep up with chores on their own. Come spread Christ's gospel of love with us this Saturday from 10 AM - 3 PM!

*If you haven't RSVP'd yet, please do; there's still room for you.

Wine and Wisdom is Coming to Seattle!

OYYAM is happy to announce that Wine and Wisdom is expanding to include a Seattle location in addition to deVine Wines in Mill Creek. Our first Seattle event is Monday, February 28th at 7 P.M. at Kells Irish Restaurant and Pub. Sr. Miriam James will speak on "Filling the Void: Our Search for Meaning." Come for great discussions and good company!

Wine and Wisdom Tonight!

Don't miss Fr. Raphael Mary's talk at Wine and Wisdom tonight! This week, we'll be discussing the existence of God. See you tonight at deVine Wines in Mill Creek!

*NOTE* Tonight's talk will start at 7:30 instead of the usual 7:00.

Faith and Pain

"Faith and Pain" by David

All of us have gone through and will experience pain in this life. As yet another month of almost certain cold, clouds, and rain begins, this becomes especially clear. What, as Christians, are we to make of this? When mudslides in Brazil kill hundreds of people and leave children traumatized and alone, or when a loved one dies prematurely, do we begin to question whether the creator of the natural world is benevolent? When people are killed daily across the world by terrorism, gang violence, and war, do we begin to doubt that humanity is made in the image of a perfect God? All of us struggle with these questions at some point, but our faith gives us hope.

C.S. Lewis, the great Christian novelist and apologist, in his book The Problem of Pain, defines the “problem” this way: "If God were good, He would make His creatures perfectly happy, and if He were almighty He would be able to do what he wished. But the creatures are not happy. Therefore God lacks either goodness, or power, or both." In the remainder of the book, Lewis uses the depth of Christian tradition to explain why this doesn’t need to be a paradox. Many other Christian authors throughout the centuries have spent a good deal of ink dealing with this issue as well. The doctrine of the fall has always been one clear explanation for the human condition and for our pain when it is caused by our fellow man. However, it is the subject of natural “evil,” like rocks falling on children and mudslides, that leaves many more confused. Lewis argues that this is not evil, but only the consequence of living in a world governed by laws. If there was no gravity, maybe rocks wouldn’t fall on children and mud wouldn’t slide into villages, but the world would cease to be a coherent environment for us.

These arguments can help us to maintain our faith in a good God in times of trial, but for most of us they will never make us fully comfortable with the conditions we see in our day-to-day lives. The Christian faith does provide one more great and astounding truth on this subject, though. God does not just sit on high with His arms crossed as we cry out to Him for help. His Incarnation into the human experience shows that He is willing not just to listen to our cries of pain but to feel the pain with us. God enters into solidarity with the pain of our human experience to the point of being tortured and dying a brutal death on the cross. He has lived our human pain and shown us hope and the way to eternal life. If the rational explanations of Lewis are not enough, then this can surely bring greater clarity to us in our darkest moments.

Reminder: YA Lenten Retreat

Our Lenten retreat is next month! We're privileged to have Fr. Jordan Bradshaw, O.P. lead us into the Lenten season at beautiful Camp Hamilton. Please join us for talks, prayer, and community. For more information, and to register, visit www.seattleoyyam.org/programs/retreat-ministry/young-adult-retreats.

Next Monday: Wine and Wisdom with Fr. Raphael Mary

Don't miss our next offering of Wine and Wisdom on Feb. 7th! We're pleased to welcome Fr. Raphael Mary, O.P. of the UW Newman Center as our guest speaker. Come join us as we address the question "Does God Exist?" and respond to some challenges of modern atheism. The event is at 7:30 P.M. at deVine Wines in Mill Creek, WA. See you there!