Tuesday, July 17, 2007

A responsive chord: scholarships to give...


The consequences of being a graduate student of theology today are both terrible and wonderful. The Church is in need of faithful theologians while many moderns and sophisticates fear the danger of a Catholic theologian and the voice of Catholic truth.

God's ways are so simple: like Einstein's E = mc 2, or the Ten Commandments or the Beatitides or the truth we learned in the catechism - but some laymen are needed to teach the sacred science of theology full-time and so we support our next wave of theologians - this present generation of Pope John Paul II and Benedictus XVI.

From far-off Rome I return every summer to be a workingman for wages. Work is good and a sharing in God's own work of creation, a redemptive and redeeming act, noble of itself and worthy of the best in man - even as it was worthy of God Himself in Christ.

As we each eat our bread in the sweat of our brow, as Christ did for far more than three quarters of His life on earth, I petition for some faithful Catholic to donate $2,000 to cover my tuition expences for the coming academic year of 2007-2008 at Rome's Dominican University so that I might continue to study theology there. I will carry your intentions in my heart through the shrines of Catholic Europe! "Lord I believe; help my unbelief."

Checks may be sent to:
John Sonnen
77 Kipling Street
St. Paul, MN 55119

9 comments:

John Paul Sonnen said...

N.B. To the soul who donates $2,000 toward my education in Rome I will gift them this coming September with a first-class "ex corpere" (piece of incorrupt flesh) relic of St. Maria Goretti from the Passionist Fathers in Rome of which I have many.

DominiSumus said...

I have no money to offer since I am financing my own theological education at the American college operated by the Dominican friars, but I offer you my prayers.

I also want to encourage more young people to consider becoming theologians. There is a great need for faithful lay theologians.

Anonymous said...

Dear John Paul,
I'm writing to you from Portugal. My name is Diogo and I'm 15. About a year ago, I discovered my vocation to the priesthood. Since then, I've been completely convinced of my vocation to become a Jesuit, but, now I fear the unorthodoxy that is reigning is the Societas Iesus.

I am a very intellectual boy, who has read already some things on the Saint Thomas Summa. So a friend of mine, a Portuguese diocesan priest,
talked to me about the Dominican friars, their devotion to the study and to the catholic tradition.

I'm not sure if that is true. Here in Portugal, many friars are old guys, with no taste, and the Jesuits are a young congregation, pretty much in fashion :D.

I'd like to have some chat with you by e-mail, because I have many questions on the Angelicum and entering the Congregation there, no here. One solution is to you put me in contact with a Portuguese friar that lives in there.

Faithfully yours in Christ,

Diogo Teixeira Santos

PS - my e-mail address is taveira.d@gmail.com. I'm waiting for your contact.

Anonymous said...

May I ask exactly what is the name of the university that you are attending in Rome?

Anonymous said...

God bless u 2day and your studies and "seek first the kingdom of God," says the Lord, "and all things will be added to you."

Anonymous said...

I light of your first comment, should the payments not be made to:

Johann Tetzel?

Anonymous said...

Where is Rome's Dominican University?

John Paul Sonnen said...

Greetings to all and God reward everyone for their many acts of kindness!

The Dominican Univeristy in Rome is called la Pontificia Universita San Tomasso d'Aquino and it's located on the Largo Angelicum.

God reward you all!

Anonymous said...

"Johann Tetzel"

-That was a cheap shot.

John,

I wish you the best of luck in your endeavours. -A.