The National Institute for Newman Studies is pleased to welcome all university students, faculty and staff to its first annual lecture on the spirituality of Blessed John Henry Newman. Dr. Kevin Mongrain, PhD, its Executive Director, and the first holder of the Ryan Chair of Newman Studies at Duquesne University, will offer an advent reflection on some of Newman’s key spiritual insights on, “Preparing for Christ’s Coming.”

In our day few are mindful of the religious meaning of Advent, and fewer still are mindful of the beautiful spirituality underlying the religious meaning. Advent is a preparation for the season of Christmas, which is a celebration of Jesus Christ’s birth. But in what sense is Advent a preparation for a celebration? John Henry Newman deeply engaged this question in several profoundly mystical sermons on the meaning of Advent. Please join us for a lecture on these sermons and a discussion of their meaning for us today.

Discussion and light – but festive – refreshments will follow. Please RSVP to newmanstudies@ninsdu.org, or 412-681-4375 by December 5.

Getchur dancin’ boots, pardner; here we go!  The Newman Center’s annual barn dance is happening this Saturday, October 16 out at our little farm retreat in Ligonier, PA.  We’ll fire up the grill, bob for apples, take hayrides around a beautiful autumn scene, before dancing the night away down in our very own red-roof barn, with line and country dances called by local veteran Steve Staub.

We leave in carpools from the Newman Center starting at 2:00pm. Willing drivers are welcome to volunteer: directions and gas expense will be provided. Any (drivers or riders) who need to leave later can indicate you earliest available time, and we’ll try to accommodate passengers. Please contact Nancy at campusministry@pittsburghoratory.org to sign up, or Fr. Joshua for more details.

You’ve heard there’s power in prayer. Fr. Chris Saliga, OP, RN, wants to tell you why.  He’s a Dominican chaplain at Walsh University in North Canton, OH, where he also lectures on health care ethics. Additionally, he serves as a columnist for the Catholic Exchange bioethics web page, an ethics consultant to The Dominican Friars Health Care Ministry of New York, and a community representative on the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee at the University of Akron. Prior to becoming a Dominican and priest, he served in the Army as a Combat Medic and Paratrooper, having trained with the Rangers, 9th Division. He’s worked as an Army and Marine nurse, besides also some time in private practice. He’s published on ethics questions such as patient autonomy and contraceptive freedom in healthcare.  But he wants to tell you about the rosary, and its value – bodily and spiritually – for the sick person.

Fr. Saliga will speak Thursday, October 7, at 8:00pm, in Posvar Room 1501, and all are welcome. Doctors, nurses, and healthcare professionals: don’t miss out! Please contact frjoshua@pittsburghoratory.org for more information.

Have you ever dated a real jerk, but never noticed it till a week after the heartbreak? Were you ever in a relationship that seemed so right… until it just suddenly fell apart? Are you in a relationship now, and not exactly sure what direction to take it, or how to get there safely? Despite the default cultural presumption that relationships are for young people what flying is for young birds – you either just get it or you don’t – the studies are showing that youth are actually very good learners when it comes to the art of dating: it’s just that the teachers have not been so great.

That’s where Dr. John Van Epp, Ph.D., founder of LoveThinks, LLC, has something to offer.  He’s the author of, “How to Avoid Falling in Love with a Jerk,” published by McGraw-Hill, which blends in-depth research with humorous stories to provide a map for making healthy relationship choices. His twenty-five years of clinical experience and extensive research in premarital, marital and family relations have paved the way for his teach-out-of-the-box courses, PICK (How to Avoid Falling for a Jerk) and Marriage LINKS to be taught in thousands of churches, singles organizations, educational settings and social agencies in all fifty states, ten countries and by more than 2,500 military personnel. Van Epp and his innovative Relationship Attachment Model, book and relationship courses were awarded the Smart Marriage Impact Award (2008) and have been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine, Psychology Today, O Magazine, and Cosmopolitan; and he has appeared on the CBS Early Show, the O’Reilly Factor, Fox News, and Focus on the Family. He has been happily married for over thirty years and is the proud father of two daughters.

He will deliver his popular and effective presentation this coming Thursday, September 16, at 8:00pm, in the Cathedral of Learning, Room G-24 (**please note updated location**), University of Pittsburgh.  All students from any of the local universities are welcome; bring a friend, of any kind!

The confession times posted earlier were in error: there will be no additional confession times presently added to our weekly schedule. Our regular schedule continues according to the following:

Monday – Friday 4:30PM – 5:00PM

Saturday – 3:00PM – 3:45PM

We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience.