Dear Friend,
Magis Center has many projects in the works to bring our science-based apologetics materials to students and parishioners. Read about six of these projects below.
1. Science-Based Apologetics High School Course
With Sophia Institute for Teachers, we have completed a new senior year course in science-based apologetics entitled “The Catholic Faith and Science.” It contains a student textbook, faculty guide, lesson plans, and much more for teachers and students. We also provide a one-day training course for faculty, and we are currently scheduled to work with the teachers in Los Angeles, Chicago, Denver, Arlington, and Boston. We have several other archdioceses and dioceses pending, and it looks certain that we will get a critical mass of teachers adopting these essential materials in the next few years. Click here to examine the materials for this program.
2. Moral Apologetics Course
Partnership with Sophia also extends to a new first-of-its-kind moral apologetics course for second-semester high school seniors. We use secular studies to show students that the church’s moral teaching is essential for spiritual, emotional, and relational health and that disobeying church teachings leads to increased rates of depression, anxiety, substance abuse, suicidal contemplation, suicides, a decline in spiritual practice, and in certain cases, increased rates of marital dissatisfaction and divorce. Completely secular studies and surveys determine these correlations, so they are immune to the accusation of religious bias. As it turns out, Catholic morality, according to secular studies correlates significantly with good health, happiness, psychological stability, relationships, marriages, and above all spiritual life.
3. Parish Evangelization
With Sophia Institute, we're creating a new parish evangelization program to help with catechism and confirmation classes as well as adult education to understand the remarkable evidence for God, Jesus, the soul, and the Eucharist.
4. Facilitator Training
With the Catholic University of America, we're creating a facilitator training program to train deacons and others to facilitate our programs (in happiness, suffering, and science-based apologetics) in the parish and diocesan events.
4. Merge with the Spitzer Center
We are merging with the Spitzer Center for Visionary Leadership to synergize our efforts in marketing, digital presence, social media, and diocesan programming.
5. New Books by Fr. Spitzer
Fr. Spitzer is completing (and has completed) five new books to be released in 2022-2024:
- The Moral Wisdom of the Catholic Church: A Defense of Her Controversial Moral Teachings—Ignatius Press (Just released!)
- Faith, Science, and Reason Study Bible (and additional companion volume)—OSV Publishing (Fall 2023)
- Science at the Doorstep to God: Science and Reason in Support of God, the Soul, and Life After Death—Ignatius Press (Fall 2023)
- Science at the Doorstep to Christ: Scientific Evidence in Support of Jesus, the Eucharist, and the Blessed Virgin—Ignatius Press (March 2024)
- The Best of Fr. Spitzer’s Universe Vol. 1—EWTN Publications (Fall 2023)
We Appreciate Your Help in these New Ventures
Would you please consider a gift to help us invest in these outstanding new resources for students, teachers, and catechists? It will make all the difference to the lives and souls of our students.
Thank you so very much again for your prayers and generosity in supporting the faith of our young people. May God richly reward those efforts with the vibrant faith of our young people.
Please be assured of my prayers for you every day.
With Christ’s blessing and peace,
Fr. Robert J. Spitzer S.J.
