Past Event Podcasts Veritas

As we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima, which falls on the night of our Monk's Cellar event, we do well to meditate on the seer's eerie prophesy: "The final battle between the Lord and the kingdom of Satan will be about Marriage and the Family.’ Don't be afraid, she added, because whoever works for the sanctity of Marriage and the Family will always be fought against and opposed in every way, because this is the decisive issue. Then she concluded: ‘nevertheless, Our Lady has already crushed his head’.”
How can we promote the sanctity of the Family in the midst a hostile culture? Is starting a family while this "final battle" rages something to be avoided? Is it time to head for the hills? Tune in to find out!


Aaron is a life-long Catholic and a Knight of Columbus. He has lived in Auburn, CA, for most of his life. He is a U.S. Navy veteran and currently works as a Real Estate Mortgage Professional and a Retail Grocery Clerk. Aaron is a proud uncle of 2 nieces, and enjoys spending time with his extended family. Due to the grace of God and the generosity of the parishioners in the Diocese of Sacramento, Aaron holds a Bachelors degree in Philosophy from Mount Angel Seminary, in Oregon, and a Bachelors in Sacred Theology from the Angelicum in Rome. Aaron has traveled to a variety of countries, including Hawaii, Japan, Okinawa, Australia, Mexico, and Poland. In his free time, Aaron enjoys working with his brother and volunteers teaching Adult Faith Formation at St Josephs and St. Teresa of Avila parishes in Auburn.

Pope Benedict Emeritus tells us that we have lost the sacramental idea. In our contemporary world, we see all reality in terms of function and practicality. We have reduced all things to matter and matter to material that is to be used. We do not see all of reality open to eternity. No wonder then that regular attendance at Mass and participation in all the sacraments has declined. We perceive them as empty rituals that do not fulfill our desires for immediate gratification. It is as Jesus says through the Prophet Isaiah: “Gross is the heart of this people, they will hardly hear with their ears, they have closed their eyes, lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and be converted, and I heal them” (Mt 13:15).
How do we rediscover the sacramental idea? How do we renew the great gift of the liturgy? How do we bring people back to the Church? Pope Benedict Emeritus speaks to this great challenge. Perhaps he has some wisdom for us.

Fr. Colin Wen was born and raised in Palo Alto, CA. He received his BA in Sociology at UC Davis in 2005 before spending a year in Los Angeles volunteering on skidrow. From there he discerned a calling to the priesthood, joining the Diocese of Sacramento and entering St. Patrick’s Seminary in 2006, where he spent his first two years of pre-theology. In 2008, he was sent to Rome to complete his theological studies, receiving an STB as well as an STL in Moral Theology at the Angelicum. He was ordained in 2013 and has served in Grass Valley, Nevada City, Downieville, and Dixon. On July 1st, 2014, Bishop Soto appointed him as Parochial Vicar at St. Vincent Ferrer in Vallejo. And on July 1st, 2017 he was appointed as Parochial Administrator of St. Katharine Drexel in Amador County.

Discover how beauty not only informs the world around us, but has sparked the Church out of some rough times.
This presentation will offer a brief survey of Catholic art throughout the Church's 2,000 year tradition as as well as convey a deeper understanding of how beauty can once again save the day for the Christian West and illuminate us personally in the process.

Speaker Bio
Leanne Tracy works as a full-time painter and visual artist. She graduated in 2012 from The University of Kansas with a BFA in Painting and a BFA in Art History. Leanne has had solo and group exhibitions in Kansas City, Lawrence, Nashville, Denver, Fort Collins, St. Louis, Springfield, Los Angeles, Berkeley, Milwaukee, Madison, and Florence, Italy. This summer, she spent six weeks in Italy learning the technique of fresco painting, for future commissions painting frescos within chapels in the United States. Leanne Tracy currently sells prints of her work online and paints commissions by request.

Bumper Credits
"Inspired" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Do you suffer from discernment paralysis? Common symptoms of discernment paralysis include feeling like you're un-datable, being worried about practical impediments to religious life, unceasingly waiting for Mr. or Mrs. Perfect Spouse to manifest in a cloud of glory engagement ring-in-hand, unceasingly waiting for a legion of angels to show up in your bedroom to reveal to you your vocation as harps play in the background, chastity struggles, constant waffling, fear of asking that person out, clip-boarding your ideal spouse before meeting them, dating without direction, dating with wrong direction, dating without being ready to marry, writing off dating all together, boatloads of student loan debt, feeling like you've "missed" your vocation.

Discernment paralysis is an epidemic among even the most faithful of Catholic young adults. Generationally, we are afraid to commit, afraid to love, and afraid to say "yes" to what God has in store for us. But Theology of the Body is not a spectator sport! By getting to the heart of what obstructs our discernment, and discovering the Church's simple, practical wisdom on the question of vocation, we can be set free... from discernment paralysis - currently affecting 6 out of every 10 Catholic young adults (give or take).

Whether you are discerning marriage, religious life - already married or still single, join us for this interactive discussion on the keys to vocational discernment. This is your prescription.

Side effects of attending this talk may include: motivation and vocational clarity, new understanding of self-worth, understanding of different saints' models of discernment, practical takeaways for discerning marriage and religious life. In rare cases, meeting your spouse at this event may occur.


John Johnson is the Associate Director of the Avila Institute. He has degrees from St. Mary's College and the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology. For over a decade he served at the parish level as a Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry in the Diocese of Sacramento. He has spoken at Catholic retreats and events across the country. He and his wife, Alexandria, have three children: Mary, Agnes, and John Jr. He co-founded Veritas Young Adults 10 years ago (almost to the day). He wrote this paragraph himself in the third person.

"Do not be afraid" - God assures his people throughout Scripture. Yet we are so often paralyzed by fear. What's worse, we are not only afraid of things that are "bad and scary," but Divine. All too often, we are afraid of healing, of mercy, of God. Like Adam in the Garden, we hide in fear. Easter is the time to come out of hiding. The Resurrection of Jesus, above all, offers assurance that, before God, we need not be afraid.

Speaker Bio
Sr. Elizabeth Marie entered the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia of Nashville, TN in 2004 and made her final vows in 2011. She grew up in a small town in Wisconsin, and she still loves the Green Bay Packers. She attended the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, where she received degrees in philosophy and Catholic Studies. Since becoming a Dominican Sister, she has taught various grades in four different states. Most recently she was teaching bioethics to high school seniors in Birmingham, AL. She is currently assigned to assist in the Vocation Office of her Congregation, affording her the opportunity to travel and share with others the Good News of Jesus Christ and the call to follow Him through religious life.

Bumper Credits
"Inspired" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Fr. Matthew Spencer discusses St. Joseph.