As part of the Diocese of Madison’s ongoing mission to Go Make Disciples and its Phase III focus on Witnessing to Christ, both in the Church (within the parish) and in the world (beyond the walls of the parish), the team of priests leading the parishes and people of Janesville (Pastorate 13), led by Fr. Eric Nielsen, with the assistance of Fr. Rick Heilman, Fr. Vince Racanelli, and Fr. Matthew Pearson, is reaching out to evangelize and catechize the greater community.
Public lecture
On August 31, the four parishes of the pastorate hosted a public lecture at the Janesville Performing Arts Center, by Father Nielsen, on the topics of “Who is God?” and “What does He want from me?”
The impetus for the lecture was, as expressed by Father Nielsen, “to bring the knowledge of God into the wider community of Janesville, in the hope it would inspire interest in some to become Catholic. I thought an interesting introductory lecture in a public space would allow parishioners to invite someone who does not normally attend Mass. While I would have been happier with a few more non-Catholics in attendance, the room was at capacity and the feedback was positive.”
Father Nielsen’s lecture explored the answers to these two most fundamental questions, starting first with how we know God, through our senses and nature, and through His revelation, as transcendent, infinite, omniscient, immutable, simple, and mysterious. “He speaks to everyone.”
The question is . . . Are we listening? God gave us our conscience, as a tool of our intellect, to listen to and hear Him. Father Nielsen explained, “At the very core of your conscience is a fundamental imperative that you should never ignore — that every human being has. And it’s easy to ignore because to pay attention to it makes your life more difficult.”
Ultimately, he explained that our very salvation depends on the fact that we have an “obligation to pursue the Truth and conform [our] lives to that truth that [we] discover.”
We each need to listen and hear that God wishes to communicate His merciful and transformative love with us.
Thoughts from those in attendance
Jordon and Jenny McBride, parishioners at Nativity of Mary Parish in Janesville, attended the lecture, bringing their college-age daughter Bryn and their high school-age son Miles with them.
Jenny reflected that “Father Eric’s talk challenged me to view God in a new way. He speaks to us through our conscience which is found in our intellect and not feelings, which is a common misconception. This challenges us to deepen our intellect of God, so we can better hear His voice. As we grow in our knowledge and seek the truth, we can better understand how to love ourselves and give that love to others. Then, we can know that God is love.”
Jordon, a recent convert to Catholicism, noted, “I thought Father Eric’s talk was thought-provoking and entertaining. We are flawed and turn our back on God, but, no matter what we do, He is always there for us. It is great to have a simple God with capabilities beyond our comprehension who has merciful love for us!”
Miles, the youngest McBride, clearly grasped and summed up Father Nielsen’s lecture succinctly, saying, he “presented God in a way that made Him feel more relatable and personal than I formerly understood. Father reminded me of how the all-knowing, all-loving, and all-powerful God we believe in as Catholic Christians wants His creation to seek the Truth in Him always and to share His love with others.”
The goal of the effort
According to Fr. Matthew Pearson, parochial vicar of Pastorate 13, the goal of this successful effort “was to take the Gospel message into the public forum where people could come and listen to a Catholic priest speaking about God in a low-pressure environment. It went very well. There was something in the lecture for everyone; the lifelong Catholic, those interested in religion, and those from different Christian faiths.
The most common thing I heard was, ‘Will there be more of these?’”
The answer to this last question is most assuredly yes. Yes in Janesville, and hopefully in pastorates throughout the Diocese of Madison.
Father Nielsen’s entire lecture can be viewed on the St. John Vianney Facebook page at: bit.ly/44LvRJh