Welcome to Catholic Fundamentals! 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 will follow along with the topics discussed in our Becoming Catholic (RCIA) process, sharing a few digital resources each week to help you go deeper.

Our goal is to share practical, credible Catholic resources that are freely available to anyone. Many of the videos can be accessed on Formed.org through our parish subscription. If this is your first time using Formed.org, click here to get started.

Each week, we will also incorporate an example of Catholic art - such as a song, poem, painting, or piece of literature - that we hope will help you go deeper in your contemplation of that week's topic. We welcome suggestions, so feel free to reply to share any resources or artworks that YOU have found helpful for your own prayer life!

We begin our Becoming Catholic process and this eNewsletter by reflecting on where we have come from and where we're headed. Who are we? Where is God already at work in our life? How do we perceive that the Lord is inviting us to go deeper? This week's links focus on the theme of new beginnings.

In our modern world of Instagram influencers, TikTok icons, and celebrities, feeling lonely, isolated, or discouraged can be easy. But your identity is not tied up in how many people know your name or laud you for your accomplishments. In this video, Debbie Herbeck wants to help you find your identity, purpose, and meaning by asking yourself these four fundamental questions. 

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

Your life is a story. And it’s caught up in the great story of humanity. This great story, as we see it in the Scriptures, shows us the amazing love story that is God’s pursuit of man. The God that is love created so we can ultimately be with his love. We were made to be with God. Your life has a purpose. Your life has value. We need to see how we fit into this big love story to begin to know why we exist. And that love of God isn’t abstract. It has a face and name: Jesus.

This is the fourth episode of The Search by the Augustine Institute, featuring Chris Stefanik.

A prayer by Thomas Merton

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following Your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please You does in fact please You. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that, if I do this, You will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore I will trust You always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for You are ever with me, and You will never leave me to face my perils alone. Amen.

(from Thoughts in Solitude)

Saint Francis of Assisi is one of the most popular saints in history, even among non-Catholics! He is popularly known as a lover of nature and animals, but Saint Francis was most deeply in love with Jesus Christ and his Church. Click here to learn more about this charismatic saint!

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