Mission With Secularity

We realize that it has been awhile since we’ve checked in with you about what we are doing and how our Mission with Secularity has been proceeding. Please know that our negligence in communicating has not been the result of a lack of enthusiasm for this mission or a denouement in our activities.

CONTINUED EDUCATION AND APPLICATION TO OUR MISSION:

Tuesday/Friday 9:30-11:00am sessions watching a 36 part lecture series on “Skepticism and Belief” followed by constructive discussion among us on the material presented and its application to our mission.

Monday/Wednesday evening 6:00-9:15pm class until the middle of summer at Indiana University/Purdue University at Indianapolis on Philosophy and Popular Culture.

Continued reading of pertinent articles/books, the latest of which is “The Socrates Café”, a method of engaging people in deeper discussion making use of the Socratic method of asking good questions.

SPREADING THE MESSAGE ABOUT WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE’RE DOING:

John/Patrick presenting a PowerPoint presentation to the San Damiano scholar’s class at Marion University on the secular culture and our mission to it.

John conducting breakout sessions at the Indianapolis Archdiocese Priest’s Convocation for 30 to 50 priests on secularity, its influence in our culture, how we are attempting to be missionaries to this culture, and how this differs from their role in parish ministry.

Patrick addressing a Cultural Anthropology Class at I.U.P.U.I. about the culture of Zambia and our mission here in Indianapolis.

John serving on leadership team of Contemplative Outreach of Indianapolis coordinating/supporting the dozen prayer groups and speaking about our mission in Indy to them. These members could be possible lay helpers in our mission.

Paul serving as spiritual director for an on-going men’s retreat experience at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish.

GATHERING SUPPORT AND MAKING CONNECTIONS FOR OUR MISSION:

Regular hosting of dinners at our home for people here in the Indianapolis area that we meet or are referred to who can be of support to us personally or professionally in our mission. We’ve hosted over 20 such evenings, usually each have two or three guests attending.

Inviting interested Oblates or others to visit with us for a few days to get a sense of where we are located, how we are operating, and to share ideas. We have had four Oblates, one other religious, and one two other lay persons for such visits.

Putting together a local support group team of four (two priests, two women religious) who are very connected to various educational institutions and activities in Indianapolis and with whom we meet regularly for an evening of conversation and creative sharing of ideas.

Paul serving as Vice President of our local Ransom Place Neighborhood Association.

DIRECT MISSIONARY ACTIVITIES:

Paul, Patrick, John conducting a “Listening Post” at I.U.P.U.I. Each of us taking a different day of the week to sit in the campus student center to listen and in turn engage students one on one in deeper discussions about their lives and the possibility of God’s presence in their lives.

John and a student at I.U.P.U.I. starting a student meeting group called “Atheist/Theist Connection” engaging students in point/counterpoint discussion about life, death, evolution, role of Scripture, God, scientific method, new atheism, etc.(group met for three months each Tuesday from 3:30 to 5:00pm, average of 25 students attending).

Paul, Patrick, and John downtown at tables in the City Center over the lunch hours (11:30-1:30pm) engaging in discussion about various aspects of life. People ordering their lunch to eat there are invited on a large poster board to sit in to listen or actively engage in the discussion.

John and Patrick organizing “Out of This World Wednesdays”. Every other Wednesday evening (7:00-9:00pm) on campus at the university. Evening consists of viewing of a Star Trek episode that particularly lends itself to questions about what it means to be human, the possibility of God, etc., followed by discussion around these questions. We had three such evenings before the end of the semester, with attendance moving from 6 to 10 to 18 students...these gatherings will resume at the beginning of the semester in September with sponsorship from the Philosophy Club, Religious Studies Student Association, and Free Thinkers student groups).

Patrick involved in regular Sunday discussions with Center for Inquiry group (about 20 to 30 adults) gathering to discuss current topics of interest. All are non-believers.

Patrick meeting every third week of the month with a group called “Believers Marching” who says about themselves, “We are believers who do not leave their brains at the door.” Because this meeting is held in the coffee shop of the main Public Library in downtown Indianapolis, many self proclaimed atheists (some prefer to call themselves non-theists) and skeptics join in. These come with questions about the rational basis of religion and point out inconsistencies in the bible. A good and positive dialogue is emerging; some have even invited Patrick to other official gatherings of secular humanists and atheists.

Newest added pursuit?
A weekly conversation held each Tuesday evening from 7:00 to 9:00pm at a local restaurant discussing the bigger questions of life (what gives life meaning, what does it mean to be a human being, what does it mean to be free, etc.). We have advertised this on the internet through MEETUP.com as open to anyone who is interested and entitling our group and the evening as “Let’s Have a Conversation”.

COMMUNITY LIFE:

We continue to do all our own cooking and cleaning. We’re also growing some herbs, potatoes and tomato plants in the backyard.

In addition to periodic planning sessions, we regularly have a “business” meeting on Monday mornings to go over the calendar and other necessary items for the week ahead.

We also have a personal sharing time on Thursday evenings dedicated to checking in with each other about how each of us are doing (which is not necessarily connected to our mission).

And every now and then we have a community event that is just some time away from the mission together. Most recently we enjoyed a lively production of the Indiana Repertory Theatre’s “Around the World in Eighty Days” (sometimes we definitely feel like we’re going around the world in eighty days ourselves as we pursue this mission). As always, thank you very much for your support and prayers.

 -John Mark Ettensohn, OMI