School & Parish Speaker Series

School & Parish
Speaker Series

Choose one of several topics & formats
within Brendan's area of expertise for experiences of
fellowship, prayer, and conversation.

Prioritizing Your Path: Sisyphus, Odysseus, & Augustine of Hippo

Life is a journey, and we all are walking our own path. However, depending on one's outlook and approach, our lives will take different routes and our destinations will vary. Using the classical characters of Sisyphus and Odysseus, this talk examines the lessons learned from their stories and juxtaposes them to ones we can garner from the life of St. Augustine of Hippo. This exploration seeks to help prioritize your path to happiness, to truth, and (ultimately) to God and proposes Augustinian "restlessness" as the surest path to ultimate satisfaction.

Evening Length: Approx. 90min.
Intended Audience: All men & women of good will!

What's in a name?
Pope Leo XIV & Catholic Social Teaching

According to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Catholic Social Teaching (CST) is: "a rich treasure of wisdom about building a just society and living lives of holiness amidst the challenges of modern society. Modern Catholic social teaching has been articulated through a tradition of papal, conciliar, and episcopal documents. The depth and richness of this tradition can be understood best through a direct reading of these documents."

This presentation will walk participants through selected popes and documents from the CST tradition, beginning with Leo XIII and culminating in a look at our new Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV. A special emphasis being placed on the socio-historical contexts for the major papal documents, as well as key principles. How CST can be understood within the context of recent social conversations in the United States will also be touched upon, as well as how American Catholics can use CST as a positive alternative to secular substitutes, many of which lead to cultural chaos.

Evening Length: Approx. 90min.
Intended Audience: All men & women of good will!

Eucharistic Revival through the lenses of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI & Ressourcement Theology

As American Catholics continue to journey together during the National Eucharist Revival, this one-time talk explores how we can better understand the Eucharist as the "source and summit of the Christian life" by delving into the personal theology of the late Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. To effectively accomplish this, the presentation will also touch upon some of the major figures who helped shape the late Holy Father's theology and introduce the field of Ressourcement Theology as a whole. Ideally, a prayer service or short adoration service would be attached to the talk.

Evening Length: Approx. 60-70min.
Intended Audience: All men & women of good will!

Evenings with the Evangelists

This three-part series focuses on the life of Christ as seen through the particular lenses of the Canonical Gospels and their authors. Appropriately paced, these presentations will be paired to complement the theme of the Liturgical Seasons. A short prayer service will conclude each evening. The format for the series is as follows (exact dates scheduled upon request with host):

The Infancy Narratives of Matthew & Luke (Advent Season)
Events of Holy Week (Lenten Season)
The Resurrection (Easter Season)

Evening Length: Approx. 60-70min.
Intended audience: All men & women of good will!

Reclaiming our Youth:
An Augustinian Approach to Adolescent Happiness

Tragically, too many young people find themselves in various stages and states of depression, because they simply believe hope is lost and that happiness is a myth or fairytale. Many teens fall into a rhythm of lethargy and this perpetuates a cycle of disinterest and an acceptance of being “content” with their lives, instead of being “happy” with their lives. How can we, as a Church, curb such a trend? How can we, as educators and parents, alter this adolescent rhythm? This one-time talk attempts to answer these questions using the life & work of St. Augustine of Hippo as our guide.

Evening Length: Approx. 90min. (includes brief Q & A)
Intended Audience: All men & women of good will, with special emphasis on parents, grandparents, & guardians of teenagers.

Bubble Wrapped Boys: A look at the challenges facing boys from the perspective of a Catholic Educator

In a cultural climate often hostile to traditional values, including positive masculinity, this presentation looks at how our boys are struggling to become the men God is calling them to be. Solutions will be offered and suggestions made as we discuss how a return to certain modes and styles of education and faith-formation can bring our boys back from the edge. This includes admitting that some of us have, without even knowing it, contributed to this crisis.

Evening Length: Approx. 90min. (includes brief Q & A)
Intended Audience: All men & women of good will, with special emphasis on educators, teachers, & coaches.