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)

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 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. The author is talking about articles appearing in the early issues of From the Housetops:

An article by Fr. Feeney in the third issue of Housetops was especially striking to the present writer. in “Catholicism is Also a Manner,” the priest makes it clear that the Faith is something to be lived, not merely held; and when it is lived a culture results. The culture is what was called at the center an “integral Catholic culture.” The term simply signifies living in a Catholic way. At the center it meant that even games … were spun out of the Faith.

So, our speakers this year will be talking about Catholic Culture. In a sense, this is our perennial theme. But do not expect glaring generalities on the subject followed by wine and cheese (against which, I hold no grudges!). We expect our speakers also to give us red meat: nourishing, fortifying — and yes, challenging stuff. But the nourishment, fortification, and challenge are meant to lead us somewhere; that somewhere is what we can do in our locales, our homes, and our souls, to make a reality of the integral Catholic culture Father Feeney and his disciples idealized and labored to achieve.

Further Details

Location: Saint Benedict Center, Richmond, New Hampshire. Please find directions here.

Schedule: Friday and Saturday, October 30 and 31. The minute schedule is to be announced, but there will be three speakers on Friday, and four on Saturday. It is expected that Sunday — which is the Feast of All Saints — will see many of the conference goers returning to our chapel for Holy Mass, followed by our traditional SBC brunch, and more Catholic camaraderie. The conference will begin Friday with registration at 11:30 AM and the first talk at noon. Saturday will be a very full day, beginning with Holy Mass at 7:30 AM, and ending with a great home-cooked meal that night, with fortifying red meat and good red wine.

Between the talks, there will be plenty of time for Catholic camaraderie. There will also be some youth programming on the schedule this year.

Airports: Area airports include Manchester-Boston Regional Airport (MHT), Boston’s Logan International Airport (BOS), and Bradley International Airport (BDL). Shop around for best prices.

Hotels: There is a block of rooms reserved at the Super 8 Motel in Keene. For our conference goers, they are available for the special price of $75.59 a night. Please call 603-352-9780 (not their toll-free number) to reserve your rooms at that special price. Tell them you are with the Saint Benedict Center conference to get the special pricing.

Other hotels in the area include the Best Western (603-357-3617), and the Holiday Inn (603-352-7616).

Other Accomodations: For those on a more modest budget, there will be some rooms available at the Center, as well as the hospitality of some of the layfolk in our Saint Benedict Center lay community in Richmond. For availability, please contact Russell LaPlume at our offices (603-239-6485 or rlp@catholicism.org).

Cost: Conference registration is $100 for all the talks plus all the meals. Conference admission only is $25 for Friday and $40 for Saturday. Youths 14 and under get free conference admission, but their meals need to be paid for.

Meals: Both meals on Friday (together) cost only $7, with Saturday breakfast set at $7, Saturday lunch also at $7, and Saturday dinner at $15. That’s $36 total for all meals, a big savings over previous years. The food for Saturday’s lunch and dinner will be home-cooked, much of it on our grills here at SBC. Portions will be sufficient for one adult or two children.

Deadline: Deadline for meals registration is October 15. There is no deadline for conference registration.

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.

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!

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.

St. Louis University basketball coach Rick Majerus appeared at another Clinton rally and put his own support for abortion on the record. Devout Catholics were scandalized. The archbishop was appalled. But the Jesuit-run university said it was no big deal; Majerus was entitled to his own views.

So it’s interesting that in Washington this week, Catholic University stepped in to squash an entire lecture series because some speakers “appear to espouse views that are contrary to the mission and values of Catholic University.” What prompted such a decisive response?

The speakers scheduled to appear at Catholic U. were E. Michael Jones, the editor of Culture Wars magazine, and John Sharpe, founder of IHS Press. Both are Catholics– admittedly of a controversial stripe, but Catholics nonetheless. So what was the complaint against them?

The Southern Poverty Law Center– a leftist group that has often criticized Catholics– charges that Jones and Sharpe are “raging anti-Semites.” A spokesman for the group claimed: “A simple Google search will show you the frightening ideology of these men.”

Go ahead. Try the Google search. Are you convinced? Do you see compelling evidence of anti-Semitism? Anything as clear as Hillary Clinton’s voting record?

The question here is not whether you and I agree with Jones and Sharpe, but whether their views are demonstrably at odds with the teachings of the Catholic Church. When you’re finished with that question, ask yourself why it is that officials at Catholic universities will ignore the plaintive cries of the Catholic laity, but leap to respond to a left-wing pressure group.