2011 Conference Talks are now available on CD and MP3.

What: This year’s conference theme is “Right and Freedom: Catholic Considerations on Misused Concepts”

Where: Saint Benedict Center, 95 Fay Martin Road, Richmond, New Hampshire, 03470.

When: Friday and Saturday, October 7 and 8, 2011. Both will be full conference days, same as last year.

How Much: $125 per person for both days before August 31, $80 without. $150 after that with meals, $90 without. Single days with meals are $65, without meals, $45. No early bird discount for single days.

Who: Mr. Gary Potter, Dr. Robert Hickson, Mr. Charles Coulombe, Dr. G.C. Dilsaver, Mr. C. Joseph Doyle, Sr. Maria Philomena, M.I.C.M., Br. André Marie, M.I.C.M., and Mr. Brian Kelly.

There is a limited number of Saint Benedict Center community members who are willing to host conference attendees on a first-come, first-serve basis. There are hotels in the Keene vicinity, but reservations should be made early because of tourism during the foliage season. Some area hotels include: Best Western Hotel & Suites (603) 357-3038; Holiday Inn Express Keene (603) 352-7616; Days Inn (603) 352-9780; and Super 8 Keene (603) 352-9780.

Register now — early bird discount until August 31, 2011!

To register online click here or call (603) 239-6485 for more information.

Friday, October 7

7:00 Holy Rosary
7:30 Holy Mass
8:45 Breakfast
9:30 Registration Opens
10:00 Brother André Marie’s Opening Remarks
10:30 Dr. Robert Hickson — “Helping the Truth Along A Little: Some Nuanced Catholic Understandings of ‘Right’ and ‘Freedom’”
12:00 Angelus / Lunch
1:30 Brother André Marie, M.I.C.M. — “Freemen Established Under Grace”
3:00 Sister Maria Philomena, M.I.C.M. — “‘Always Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide’: Was Jiminy Cricket Right?”
4:30 Gary Potter — “Democracy and the Illusion of Freedom”
6:00 Dinner

Saturday, October 8

7:00 Holy Rosary
7:30 Holy Mass
8:45 Breakfast
10:00 Dr. G.C. Dilsaver — “Rights & Wrongs: Ecclesiastically, Socially, and Personally”
11:15 Mr. Charles Coulombe — “Kingship and Sacrament: What the Coronation Rites Tell Us”
12:30 Angelus / Lunch
2:00 Brian Kelly — “The Liberty of the Children of God”
4:00 C. J. Doyle — “Considering Two Ideas of ‘Right’: Catholic and American”
6:00 Dinner
8:00 Panel Discussion (all speakers / moderated)

Updates: The conference schedule is at the bottom of this posting. You can now register online for our conference.

What: “The Romance of Wisdom” is our theme this year.

How: This year, Friday and Saturday will both be full days. There will be eight speakers giving presentations in addition to the master of ceremonies, our Prior, Brother Andre Marie.

Who: Sr. Marie Therese, M.I.C.M., Sr. Maria Philomena, M.I.C.M., Gary Potter, Dr. Robert Hickson, Dr. William Fahey, C. Joseph Doyle, Brian Kelly, and Christine Bryan.

Where: Saint Benedict Center, 95 Fay Martin Road, Richmond, New Hampshire, 03470

When: October 8 and 9, 2010. This year, Friday and Saturday, will be full conference days.

How Much: $100 for both days (Friday and Saturday). This includes meals. Single days without meals are $40.

There is a limited number of Saint Benedict Center community members who are willing to host conference attendees on a first-come, first-serve basis. There are hotels in the Keene vicinity, but reservations should be made early because of tourism during the foliage season. Some area hotels include: Best Western Hotel & Suites (603) 357-3038; Holiday Inn Express Keene (603) 352-7616; Days Inn (603) 352-9780, and Super 8 Keene (603) 352-9780.

Call (603) 239-6485 to register or for more information.

Her have I loved, and have sought her out from my youth, and have desired
to take her for my spouse, and I became a lover of her beauty. — Wisdom 8:2

Friday, October 8

7:00 Holy Rosary
7:30 Holy Mass
8:45 Breakfast
9:30 Registration Opens
10:00 Brother André Marie’s Opening Remarks
10:30 Dr. William Fahey
12:00 Angelus / Lunch
1:30 Christine Bryan
3:00 Sister Maria Philomena, M.I.C.M.
4:30 Gary Potter
6:00 Dinner

Saturday, October 9

7:00 Holy Rosary
7:30 Holy Mass
8:45 Breakfast
10:00 Sister Marie Thérèse, M.I.C.M.
11:15 Dr. Robert Hickson
12:30 Angelus / Lunch
2:00 Brian Kelly
4:00 C. J. Doyle
6:00 Dinner
8:00 Panel Discussion (all speakers / moderated)

The lineup of speakers for our 2009 Saint Benedict Center Conference is now complete. Our speakers will be Sister Marie Therese, Sister Maria Philomena, Doctor Robert Hickson, Mister Gary Potter, Mister John McManus, Mister C. Joseph Doyle, and Mister Brian Kelly. Your humble servant — not listed on the roster — will be the master of ceremonies, so my comments will be spread throughout the two days.

The theme our speakers will be addressing is “Toward an Integral Catholic Culture: Variations on a Theme of Father Feeney.” Having a bit of a musical background, the phrase, “variations on a theme,” is something that came natural, especially considering the fact that all of this year’s speakers are men and women who explicitly consider themselves disciples (directly or indirectly) of Father Feeney. The “theme” upon which they will be improvising “variations” (i.e., their own insights) is summarized by Gary Potter on page 63 of After the Boston Heresy Case. Read the rest of this entry »

Below is the list of talks for the California and Arizona CAT trip (May 8-26). Note: We are listing all the talks in this single posting, rather than in separate postings. For this reason, there will be periodic updates as new information becomes available.

To find out how you can organize a talk, please e-mail Mr. Russell LaPlume or call him at the Center: 603-239-6485. (What is the Catholic America Tour?)

May 11: Duarte, CA

Catholic Treasures
1823 Business Ctr. Dr.
Duarte , CA

Time: 7:00 PM

Contact: Phyllis at 626-359-4893

May 13: Sacramento, CA

Marriott Courtyard, Sacramento Midtown
4422 Y Street
Sacramento, CA

Time: 6:00 PM

Contact: Ed at 530-666-3593

May 16:  Phoenix, Arizona

Irish Cultural Center
1106 No. Central Ave.
Phoenix,  AZ

Time: 4:00 PM

Contact: Glenn at 623-221-8817

May 18: Lakeside, CA

Community Center
9841 Vine St.
Lakeside, CA

Time: 5:00 PM

Contact: Curtis at 760-451-1726

May 20: Redding, CA

Private Home
1422 Willis Street
Redding, CA

Time: 7:00 PM

Contact: James at 530-238-2021

May 23: Brentwood, CA

Private Home
943 Oxford Lane
Brentwood, CA

Time: 2:00 PM

Contact: Suzanne at 925-308-7926

May 24: Vacaville, CA

St. Mary’s Church
350 Stinson Ave.
Vacaville, CA 95688-2619

Time: After the 4:00 PM Mass

Contact: Father Talcott at 707-963-2231

More talks may soon be posted. Please bear in mind: We are listing all the May talks in this single posting, rather than in separate postings. For this reason, there will be periodic updates as new information becomes available.

One part of the Saint Benedict Center Conference can be right in your home town. Brother André Marie will soon be on the road with the “Catholic America Tour” (CAT). Traveling across our land, Brother will lecture on the subject, “Toward a Catholic America: History, Goals, and Methods.”

This tour depends on local sponsorship. If you would like to be a part of the effort by sponsoring a CAT presentation in your area, please call or write for more information.

Help us in our effort to Catholicize America!

The Dishonoring of a Naval Officer and a Catholic Gentleman, John Sharpe.

In the latest fallout from the malignant SPLC attack against Catholic traditionalists, John Sharpe has been forbidden to speak at Catholic University. The following spot-on commentary comes from Diogenes, the commentator at Catholic World News:

In San Antonio, devout Catholics complained to the archbishop when St. Mary’s University hosted a campaign rally for Senator Hillary Clinton. Clinton’s support for abortion, same-sex marriage, and embryonic stem-cell research are a matter of public record, they pointed out. The archbishop was sympathetic. The university was not. The rally went ahead on schedule. Read the rest of this entry »