By Erika Anderson

Staff Writer

ATLANTA--In an effort to better understand the necessary actions that must be taken in response to Pope John Paul II’s plan for Catholics in the new millennium, the Faith Enrichment Institute (FEI) presented “In the Fullness of Time, a Catholic Vision of Hope,” on May 16.

Over 100 participants gathered at the Cobb Galleria Center as national and local Catholic leaders shared insight into the pope’s call for a rediscovered zeal and enthusiasm for Christ, which he addressed in his Apostolic Letter As The Third Millennium Draws Near.

The conference began with Mass celebrated by Father Richard Welch, CSsR, president of Human Life International, who was assisted by Deacon Tom Zaworski from Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Atlanta, and Deacon Loris Sinanian, director of FEI, who also served as the homilist.

In his homily, Deacon Sinanian, who is also the director of formation in the office of the permanent diaconate for the archdiocese, spoke of the importance of the pope’s message.

“The Holy Father has invited each of us to be a people of God as we wait for the great jubilee year of 2000...,” he said. “The Holy Father is telling us in no uncertain terms to get out there and get ready--get ready because the forces of evil, the forces of Satan are not going to sit by idle during these years.”

Deacon Sinanian said that it is necessary to help others prepare for the new millennium.

“There are so many Christians, Catholics included, who don’t have a clue what’s going on and what they should be doing to get ready for the Year 2000, but I hope all of us do and can bring the message to others,” he said. “We are urged to be beacons of light on the path of faith and to bring others to the real beacon, Jesus Christ.”

“The fullness of time is what we all want to experience, not only for ourselves, but for everyone to enjoy,” Deacon Sinanian said. “The Jubilee Year is almost here, my friends, and I have only one message--get out there and get ready.”

Following Mass, Donald DeMarco, Ph.D., an author and professor of philosophy at the University of St. Jerome’s College in Ontario, Canada, presented “Pope John Paul II Has a Plan for Us.”

DeMarco told conference participants that it is necessary to make sure our plans are in sync with God’s plan for us.

“We have all these false kinds of hope which are utterly desperate--the result of people trying to live only by their own exclusive plan and forgetting about God’s plan,” he said. “The trick is to consolidate our plan with God’s plan.”

“The worst thing that could happen to a person is all their dreams come true,” he said. “We have to realize that God has a better plan for us than we have for ourselves.”

DeMarco also spoke of the virtues that are necessary in order to realize God’s plan for each of us, including humility, gratitude, docility and faith.

“The first thing is that we didn’t choose to be--God chose us to be,” he said. “The first virtue we need is humility. It’s not enough to say thank you to God for existence, but we have to cultivate the gifts that he has given us.”

Docility, DeMarco said, is a “teachableness.”

DeMarco encouraged participants to have faith and consent to God’s plan in order to allow him to work in their lives.

“We must have enough faith to let go of our meager plans and reach for God’s higher plans,” he said. “Our plan must be united with God’s and therefore the plan we realize, being divine, will be far richer than we can ever plan. Secondly the plan must spring from the heart. Thirdly, the plan requires consent--we must say ‘yes,’” he said.

Deal Hudson, Ph.D., publisher and editor of CRISIS magazine and host of the EWTN television program “The Church and Culture Today,” then presented his topic, “Lights of Hope in the Secular World.”

Hudson, one of the original founders of FEI, said that the Catholic Church is one of the last sources for the true meaning of life.

“The Catholic Church is the last institution--the last source of truth, not just to the Western world, but to the whole world,” he said. “It is the last place you can go to understand reality and the meaning of existence.”

Hudson said that the culture we live in is one of “radical individualism.”

“We are fragmented, we are lonely, we are isolated, we’ve grown cynical,” he said. “We are a pleasure-seeking civilization with an ever-increasing death wish, because death is the only state free from all suffering. Because we live only for our own happiness, we are ultimately seeking death.”

Hudson said that there are 10 Catholic teachings that can “save our culture,” including the person, natural law, authority, Tradition, subsidiarity, marriage, solidarity, Mary, martyrdom and sacrament. These teachings of the church, he said, should be used to challenge the wrongs of society.

“I want you to challenge the bad ideas you hear every day,” he said. “I want you to stop being Mr. Nice Guy and be prepared not to be liked.”

Hudson then spoke of the true presence of Christ in the Eucharist.

“The real presence of God gives us power to respond to our calling, to fight this battle, to wage it,” he said. “Sometimes I think the only thing that keeps me, you and the whole world from going mad is the real presence of Christ.”

Next to speak was Father Welch who presented “Being Catholic and American.” He spoke of three philosophical trends that he believes have led to the heresies of “Americanism, secular humanism and neo-gnosticism.”

“Americans have fallen to a notion that you can not only sin, but glorify in that sin--that comes from a false tolerance,” he said.

Secular humanism, Father Welch explained, is the thought that “man should act in any way as long as he doesn’t hurt anyone else.”

Another problem within the church, Father Welch said, is gnosticism, de-emphasizing the sacraments as being purely symbolic.

However, Father Welch said that there are many “turnabouts” within the church, such as new Catholic journals, newspapers and magazines, as well as new religious orders.

As the conference ended with a closing prayer, many of the participants emerged with a new outlook on their faith and ways to defend it.

Nick O’Connor, a parishioner at the Cathedral of Christ the King, Atlanta, said he enjoyed all of the speakers and their views on the church.

“I thought it was very inspirational, because they were speaking out both defensive of what you believe and convicting other people,” he said. “I enjoyed Deal Hudson setting forth a kind of approach and Dr. DeMarco is an extremely articulate and witty guy.”

Nora Sullivan, a member of the St. Francis de Sales Latin Mass Community, said that the discussions, especially Hudson’s 10 Catholic teachings, were encouraging.

“We do need to speak out, even if we’re thought to be fools for Christ, because we do see culture declining daily,” she said. “It’s nice to hear something that is positive that can turn it all around.”

For Pamela Baden, a parishioner of Sacred Heart Church in Milledgeville, the conference made her realize that it is important to continue to defend the Catholic faith.

“We have to just wake up and realize that there is a lot of heresy going on and really speak up for our faith,” she said.