Whether you are exploring Catholicism for the first time or are a long-time Catholic, we hope that this eNewsletter will be a useful resource as you (re)discover the fundamentals of the Catholic faith. From September through May, we are following along with the topics discussed in our Becoming Catholic (RCIA) process. Our goal is to share practical, credible Catholic resources that are freely available to anyone. Enjoy!

At every Sunday Mass, we profess our belief in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. But who is the Church? Where does the Church come from? And why do we need a Church anyway? Today's resources help us to grow in our love for the Catholic Church and in understanding the core mission of the Church.

From Episode 7 of The Search, "Why a Church?":

How do I access this Jesus who lived 2000 years ago? How do I live this call of love? We uniquely encounter the love of God in His Church. But, really? The Church? There are so many negative views of the Church. It’s out of touch. It’s full of bad people. It’s just too boring.

Maybe when we say “The Church” we mean a little more...

Jesus’ first words to humanity in the Gospel of John are “what do you seek?” The one that asked the question not only knows the answer, He is the answer. The answers to everything. And you find him most profoundly here in His Church.

Watch for free on Formed.org through our parish subscription. If this is your first time using Formed.org, click here to get started.

This episode from the Catechism in a Year podcast (see CCC 817-822) addresses a common - and often painful - question for Catholics and Protestants alike: what about non-Catholics?

In this episode, Fr. Mike Schmitz discusses the wounds to the unity of Christ’s one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. The Catechism emphasizes that people on both sides of this division are to blame for this broken unity. God did not intend for the disunity of Chrstians that we see today, but, rather, intended for the unity of all Christians. Fr. Mike, therefore, concludes by asking us to pray and hope for the miracle of the unity, once again, of all Christians.

This week, our Becoming Catholic group experienced Night Prayer, one of the "hours" of prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours. The Liturgy of the Hours, also called the Divine Office, is the daily prayer of the Church, arising out of the ancient monastic tradition of praying all of the Psalms on a regular basis.

Priests, deacons, and consecrated religious all make a commitment to pray the Liturgy of the Hours daily - but laypeople are encouraged to pray the Divine Office, too! Night Prayer is one of the easiest "hours" (don't worry, it doesn't actually take a whole hour) to try. You can access the text of the Liturgy of the Hours for free at iBreviary. To experience a beautiful sung version of Night Prayer, check out the series of videos filmed at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Baton Rouge, LA.

Saint Catherine of Siena is one of only four female Doctors of the Church. Her asceticism, mysticism, personal holiness, and preaching inspired many others to seek a closer relationship with Christ. Saint Catherine is known for her courage in calling the Pope to greater faithfulness to his role, and for her tireless efforts to promote the unity of the Catholic Church.

Looking for more opportunities to deepen your faith here at Saint Pius X? Visit our website to learn more!

• StPius.net/Faith Homepage for seasonal adult faith formation programs
• StPius.net/Bible Bible studies and Bible study resources, including our Living Water Bible Study blog
• StPius.net/Groups Grow in faith with a group! Check out That Man is You! and She Shall Be Called Woman
• StPius.net/Resources Parish lending library, subscriptions to Catholic periodicals, and instructions for accessing Formed.org