Theology on Tap - Orange County

Theology on Tap OC's speaker for April was Deacon Tony Mercado on Redemptive Suffering.

Deacon Tony serves at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Fullerton and as a chaplain for the Brea/Placentia/Fullerton Police Department and OC Sherriff.

He shared stories about loss and healing, and how should Christians, especially Catholics, approach suffering. What are the common mistakes when accompanying someone who is suffering? Is it pos...

The speaker for Theology on Tap OC for March is Mr. Mark Padilla, the headmaster of Santiago Catholic Trade School.

Mark covered the idea of labor or work in the context of the Catholic faith. How did the trade school come about? How do they form students at the trade school?

To financially support this apostolate, please consider giving a one-time or recurring tax-deductible donation by texting CHEERS2JESUS to 84576 or by visiting ...

Theology on Tap OC's kick-off talk for the year is always given by the apostolate's director, Louie Calma.

What did we learn from the talks of 2024? In what ways can those topics help in evangelization?

After that brief recap of 2024, Louie talked about the holy vocation of marriage. How is Christian marriage different? What does Sacred Scripture, the Magisterium, and the Saints teach on the roles of the husband and wife?

T...

To close the year 2024, Louie interviewed Jean-Paul Afif, a father to 9 children and living in Orange County, California.

In the ever increasing cost of living in California, how can families manage to live in the Golden State? Is California worth fighting for? As division becomes the norm, in what ways can we foster real communities? These were just few of the questions JP addressed.

Also at the end of the interview, the event co...

Our speaker for November 2024 was St. John Henry Newman's very own, Fr. Glenn Baaten, who is also the chaplain of the Santiago Retreat Center.

As Christians, shouldn't we be only devoted to Christ? Isn't devotion to Mary idolatry? And if Mary is such an important figure, won't the Bible say so? These are some of the questions Fr. Glenn addressed in his talk. And also, since he's a convert from Protestantism, how ...

The speaker for October 2024 was the newly ordained deacon serving at St. John Henry Newman Catholic Church Deacon Christopher Pagel.

In his talk, he shared his journey on becoming a deacon. What kind of obligations does the diaconate entail for the parish and at home? And as a husband, a father of five young children, and also a leader of several organizations, how does he keep everything in balance? His wife, Ashley, briefly shar...

What are the challenges Catholics encounter in office? How do Catholic politicians stay true to the Gospel while upholding their secular office duties? And what can Christian citizens who are not in office, do to promote the common good in our own communities?

Our speaker for September 2024 was Mayor Tara Campbell of Yorba Linda. She also answered several questions on how to get involved locally and shared how the sacramental life ...

Evangelization is something that can be difficult, even painful, because we are often called to share our Faith with those who are close to us. How can we look to the Holy Family as a model of evangelization?

Theology on Tap OC's speaker last August was Jose Pulido, founder of At The Service, an Evangelization Coaching Ministry. His goal is to teach how evangelization can be life-giving for those being evangelized and also the evan...

Clara Chung is a classical mezzo-soprano based in the Los Angeles area. In addition to singing with LA Opera, she has worked in church music for over a decade and leads Vox Ardens, a professional chamber ensemble focusing on high-quality liturgical music. In her talk, Clara shared what the Church means by Sacred Music and how it differs from religious music. What is its purpose in the liturgy? Are there different priority levels ...

What does the pro-life effort look like on the fathers’ end? And how does a support system for young men who has chosen to take up the mantle of fatherhood instead of running away from it? 

Our speaker was John Fernandez, founder of Walking with Dads. A pro-life apostolate in joint effort with the ⁠Life Center of Santa Ana⁠ that aligns young dads with mentors and help them be the providers and leaders God is calling them to be. 

If...

For the month of April in Theology on Tap OC 2024, our speaker was Minh Hoang, an on-fire street evangelist and President of CSUF's Pro-Life Club.

All Christians are called to share the Gospel both in action and in words. But what if you feel like you don't have the gift of preaching in public? How do you share the Good News of Jesus Christ without making people feel like a conversion project? In addition to an active prayer life, ...

Theology on Tap OC's speaker for March 2024 was Mark McElrath, the Executive Director of the Santiago Retreat Center.

Sign up for Santiago Retreat Center's email list via their website and follow them on Facebook.

In his talk, he explained the importance of retreats, whether they be preset programs or self-led. He also shared the best ways to apply the retreat experience in the "real world".

Other local retreats mentioned:

• Ma...

The kickoff talk for Theology on Tap OC 2024 was given by the lead organizer of this apostolate, Louie Calma. What did we learn from previous year’s talks? How can each Theology on Tap topic (both past and future) serve as inroads to the Gospel? And how do we effectively share the Gospel in love and clarity?

Resources:

• Evangelii Nuntiandi - Evangelization in the Modern World (1975) by St. Pope Paul VI
• The Truth and Life Dra...

A Motu Proprio promulgated by Pope Pius X on November 22, 1903

This English translation is from Adoremus.org

If you find these encyclical readings helpful, please prayerfully consider giving a one-time or recurring tax-deductible donation to our apostolate by texting CHEERS2JESUS to 84576 or by visiting our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠donation page⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

And to sign up for our future events and receive updates (including ⁠⁠St. John Henry Newman Catho...

Our speaker for December 2023 was Judge David Belz of the Superior Court of Orange County. He is also the co-founder of the St. Thomas More Society in OC.

Judge Dave presented about the Shroud of Turin and its overall significance to Christians. With all the so-called "historical" documentaries and many "scientists" doubling-down on the claim that the Shroud is a medieval art or forgery, how can Christians harmo...

God has blessed every believer with spiritual gifts. But, for what purpose and how do I assess what gift God has given me?  In this talk, Tim discusses how the church is at its healthiest state when the members are using their God given gift for His glory and the uplifting of God’s people.

Click here to take the Spiritual Gifts Assessment

[PDF] Spiritual Gifts Definitions

Tim grew up in Michigan and then moved to Nashville where he...

Fr. Glenn Baaten, is the pastor of St. John Henry Newman and chaplain of the Santiago Retreat Center. In his talk, he shared how we as Christians can navigate the secular world and be the light. Are Christians being backed into a corner? How can Christians (Catholics, Protestants, and Orthodox) transform Cancel Culture into Gospel Culture? What change can Christians affect in the midst of a divided house?

Additional Resources:

...

Jess Echeverry, is the Founder and Executive Director of SOFESA, a non-profit dedicated to helping homeless and low-income families in Southern California since 1999.

She shared her story of years of homelessness and how she ultimately found healing thru personal relationships. She also addressed some myths surrounding homelessness and how Catholic Social Teaching is the solution.

"What differentiates SOFESA from other nonprof...

Cristofer Pereyra is the CEO of Tepeyac Leadership, Inc. (TLI), a non-profit organization dedicated to civic leadership development for lay Catholic professionals. This organization provides a catalyst development experience which equips professionals to become virtuous leaders, influencing the culture and serving the common good.

Baptized Christians have a duty to be the light of the world, illuminating every single aspect of secu...