POST-EVENT UPDATE

Fr. Koopman  mentioned a podcast with Christopher West which went into the subject matter in more detail. The link is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFzdaGC93GQ

Reverend Joseph Koopman
Professor of Moral Theology, St. Mary Seminary
presenting
The Moral Law:  A Burden or a Key to Our Happiness

Rev. Joe Koopman, M.Div, M.A., S.T.D., graduated from Franciscan University of Steubenville in 1996, after which he entered St. Mary Seminary in Cleveland, Ohio. He was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Cleveland in 2001, and served as a newly ordained priest at St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Parma. From 2005 to 2009, Fr. Koopman attended the Accademia Alfonsiana in Rome, Italy, where he received a license and doctorate in theology. Since 2009, he has been a professor of moral theology at St. Mary Seminary, along with serving as an advisor in moral theology and ethics for the Diocese of Cleveland and the Ohio Catholic Conference of Bishops. (https://tobinstitute.org/about-the-institute/meet-the-faculty/) 

click here to preview this talk!

Thank you to AM-1260 The Rock and Deacon Jim Armstrong for providing our preview podcasts.

Thursday, July 31, 2025

You’re Invited
Sign Up Today!

Singing with Understanding:

A Guide to the Church’s Instruction on Sacred Music
featuring

Dr. Thomas Fielding

Music Director, Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist

Organist and composer Thomas Fielding, DMus. (b. 1975) is director of music for the Cathedral of St John the Evangelist, Cleveland OH and is a graduate of the Indiana University Jacobs’ School of Music where his principal teacher was Christopher Young. Previous studies were with Martin Jean and Robert A. Hobby. Fielding has taken first prize in the national Arthur Poister (Syracuse, NY) and San Marino (CA) performance competitions, has won several national composition prizes, has been the recipient of several full-tuition scholarship awards at IU and, as an undergraduate, won several music prizes offered by his alma mater Valparaiso University. He has played recitals throughout England and the Netherlands including two appearances at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. His scholarly work has been featured in The American Organist magazine. He has been commissioned by the Minneapolis AGO chapter to present a lecture-recital on the Esquisses Byzantines of Henry Mulet and he, along with Donna Walters, is co-authoring the book-biography of the composer. He was for four years the Dean of the Central North Carolina Chapter of the American Guild of Organists.

As an active and commissioned composer, Dr. Fielding’s works appear in the catalogues of many publishers. His works have been performed by soloists, choirs and orchestras throughout the US, Canada, Europe and Asia in addition to the 2016 American Guild of Organists national convention in Houston, TX. His compositions have also been broadcast on National Public Radio on both Weekend Edition and Pipedreams. His works appear in the catalogs of Choristers’ Guild, E. C. Schirmer, GIA and Selah. Additionally, Paraclete Press has released three works of his so far, with several more in their publication queue. The first commercial recording of his prize-winning piece “Behold the Dark and Bitter Night” has been released on the Gothic label.

Register Today

WHEN
Thursday, July 10, 2025
(This presentation will take place on the second Thursday due to the July 4th Holiday.)

Buffet Opens at 11:30 a.m.;  we invite you to arrive any time after 11:00 a.m. for mingling & fellowship!
Program Concludes at 1:00 p.m.

WHERE
Borromeo/Saint Mary Seminary
28700 Euclid Avenue (map)
Wickliffe, Ohio 44092

Register Today

Sign Up Today!

The First Friday Club of Cleveland invites you to our June luncheon featuring

John Czarnetzky
Dean & CEO, Ave Maria School of Law

Presenting

American Legal Education – The Catholic Solution

Dean Czarnetzky is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (B.S., 1982, Chemistry) and the University of Virginia (J.D., 1989).

Before law school, Dean Czarnetzky was an officer in the United States Army, where he served as an intelligence analyst, specializing in foreign chemical, biological and nuclear capabilities. After law school, he practiced bankruptcy and commercial law with Sidley & Austin in Chicago, and McGuire, Woods, Battle & Boothe in Richmond, Virginia.

Dean Czarnetzky joined the University of Mississippi School of Law in 1994, teaching courses in bankruptcy, corporate reorganizations, secured transactions, civil procedure, and  business associations. At “Ole Miss”, he was the five time winner of the “Outstanding Law School Professor”, and in 2016, he was the recipient of the Elsie M. Hood Award for the “outstanding professor at the University of Mississippi,” the highest honor awarded to faculty members at the University of Mississippi.

Dean Czarnetzky also serves as a legal adviser to the Holy See’s Mission to the United Nations, representing the Holy See in negotiations, including establishing the International Criminal Court and several international treaties, including one on the rights of persons with disabilities.

Dean Czarnetzky is a lay member of the Dominican Order and a third-degree Knight of Columbus.

Join us in June!

(This event was re-scheduled from the December 2024 weather cancellation.)

Register Today

WHEN
Thursday, June 5, 2025

Buffet Opens at 11:30 a.m.; we invite you to arrive any time after 11:00 a.m. for mingling & fellowship!
Program Concludes at 1:00 p.m.

WHERE
Borromeo/Saint Mary Seminary
28700 Euclid Avenue (map)
Wickliffe, Ohio 44092

Register Here

This luncheon is sold out. You may click here to add your name to a wait list.

Featuring

Sister Susan Durkin, OSU
Executive Director and Co-Founder
Women Religious Archives Collaborative

So The Stories Can Be Told:
The Women Religious Collaborative Archives

Storytelling is a powerful teaching tool. Jesus used stories and parables to teach his disciples. Our faith tradition, families, and communities share stories that convey valuable lessons and inspire younger generations. But what if these stories were lost or destroyed and no longer existed? That’s the situation many congregations of Catholic Sisters are facing right now, and the need is urgent.

Catholic Sisters are vital to the Church’s story and our country’s history since they first arrived in the United States in 1727. These intrepid women established schools, hospitals, and social service ministries, many of which continue today. They are the educators, nurses, doctors, CEOs, lawyers, advocates, and inventors who helped build the infrastructure of our communities. These unsung heroes are the workforce of the Church. But unfortunately, their history and records are in danger of being lost.

Catholic Sisters need our help to preserve their stories and ensure their legacy.

The Women Religious Archives Collaborative is constructing a Heritage Center in Cleveland, one of only four such centers in the United States, to preserve these histories and legacies and make them available to researchers and the general public.

Come and hear some of the inspiring stories we hope to preserve with the establishment of this center. Learn about the vision of this project that will soon be part of our Diocese and our city. 

For more information, visit archivescollaborative.org
or: https://archivescollaborative.org/heritage-center/

WHEN
Thursday, April 3, 2025
11:00 a.m. Mingling & Fellowship
11:30 a.m. Buffet Opens
1:00 p.m. Program Concludes

WHERE
Borromeo/Saint Mary Seminary
28700 Euclid Avenue (map)
Wickliffe, Ohio 44092

This luncheon is sold out. You may click here to add your name to a wait list.

Click to Listen Now

You’re Invited
Sign Up Today!

The First Friday Club of Cleveland
Featuring

Peter Burak
Vice President, Renewal Ministries

Peter Burak is the vice president of Renewal Ministries, a ministry dedicated to Catholic renewal and evangelization around the world.  He is a graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville and has a master’s degree in theology from Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, Michigan.  Pete is a frequent speaker on discipleship and evangelization and co-director of Pine Hills Boys’ Camp.  He is a monthly columnist for Faith Magazine and the host of two podcasts:  Spirit-filled Leadership and The Hour.  Pete and his wife, Cait, have five children.

Presenting
“What Must I Do To Be Saved?”    

Register Today

WHEN
Thursday, March 6, 2025
Buffet Opens at 11:30 a.m.
Program Concludes at 1:00 p.m.

WHERE
Borromeo/Saint Mary Seminary
28700 Euclid Avenue (map)
Wickliffe, Ohio 44092

Register Today

Click to Enjoy a Preview of Our Speaker

LIMITED NUMBER OF NEW SEATS AVAILABLE!

We are pleased to announce that a limited number of additional seats are now available. Note that these seats will be in a “Bonus Room” that is ADJACENT to the main event room. Attendees can flow freely and mingle between the two rooms prior to the time that the formal program begins. Attendees will then be seated for lunch and the formal on-stage events, which will be livestreamed into the Bonus Room. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER.

Most Reverend Edward C. Malesic, J.C.L.
12th Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland

67th Annual Bishop of Cleveland “State of The Diocese” Luncheon

Thursday, February 6, 2025
at
Windows on the River
2000 Sycamore Street
Cleveland, Ohio 44113

Join us for the 67th annual Bishop of Cleveland’s “State of the Diocese” lunch on Thursday, February 6, 2024 at Windows on the River!

Bishop Malesic was born August 14, 1960 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.  He is a 1978 graduate of Central Dauphin East High School in Harrisburg.  He attended Lebanon Valley College in Annville pursuing a degree in biology  for three years prior to entering the seminary.  In 1981, Bishop Malesic was accepted into the seminary program at the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy in 1983.  He continued his theological studies at Josephinum and was awarded a Master of Divinity in 1987.

Bishop Malesic was ordained to the priesthood on May 30, 1987 at St. Patrick Cathedral in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.  In 1996, Bishop Nicholas Dattilo sent him to study canon law at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. where he received his licentiate in canon law in 1998.  Bishop Malesic served the Diocese of Harrisburg’s Tribunal in various capacities until he was named Bishop of Greensburg, appointed by Pope Francis in 2015.  On September 14, 2020, Bishop Malesic was installed as the 12th Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland.

In addition to leading the Diocese of Cleveland, Bishop Malesic is also a member of two USCCB (United States Catholic Council of Bishops) committees – the Committee on Canonical Affairs and Church Governance and the Subcommittee for the Church in Central and Eastern Europe. 

Your Invited
Sign Up Today!

The First Friday Club of Cleveland
Featuring

Peter Range
Center for Christian Virtue, Senior Fellow for Strategic Initiatives

Prior to coming to the Center for Christian Virtue, Peter was the Executive Director of Ohio Right to Life after serving for 7 years as the Director of the Office for Life and Justice of Catholic Charities in the Diocese of Toledo. Peter was promoted to Chief Executive Officer eight months into his tenure with the Ohio Right to Life. Peter hosts his own radio show called “Say Yes to Life,” which airs in both Ohio and Michigan.

Peter graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a Masters in Theology with a focus in Biblical Studies in 2009. Preceding Notre Dame, Peter received his Bachelor of Arts in History from John Carroll University in 2004. Peter’s history of ministry work includes serving immigrant families, inner-city youth, university students and the homeless.

Peter is passionate about family, service, and encountering the one true God, Jesus Christ. Peter married his wife, Laura, in May of 2015. They reside in Northwest Ohio, and they have five children.  (https://www.ccv.org/peter-range)

Presenting
Rebuilding Culture

Register Today

WHEN
Thursday, January 9, 2025
Buffet Opens at 11:30 a.m.
Program Concludes at 1:00 p.m.

WHERE
Borromeo/Saint Mary Seminary
28700 Euclid Avenue (map)
Wickliffe, Ohio 44092

Register Here

Reserve Your Spot Today
You’re Invited to Join thefor our Luncheon on
Thursday, October 31, 2024
for a High School Student Panel
moderated byDr. Frank O’Linn
Superintendent of Schools for the
Catholic Diocese of Cleveland

More Information Coming Soon

WHEN
Thursday, October 31, 2024
Buffet Opens at 11:30 a.m.
Program Concludes at 1:00 p.m.

WHERE
Borromeo/Saint Mary Seminary
Founders Hall
28700 Euclid Avenue (map)
Wickliffe, Ohio 44092

Reserve Your Spot Today

Your Invited
Sign Up Today!

The First Friday Club of Cleveland
Featuring

Fr. Doug Brown
Pastor, Mary Queen of Peace

Father Douglas Brown was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Cleveland in May 2006.  His first assignment was Saint Basil the Great in Brecksville where he also assisted at Saint Catherine Church in Cleveland.  In April 2010, Father Brown became the first pastor of the newly-merged parish of Corpus Christi and Our Lady of Good Counsel, Mary Queen of Peace.  Father Brown has served on the Diocesan Presbyteral Council since 2015 and presently serves as a Chaplain for the Cleveland Division of Police, the Cleveland Division of Fire, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Cleveland Metroparks Police Department as well as Chaplain for AM 1260 The Rock, Cleveland’s Catholic Radio

Presenting

Spiritual Warfare for Halloween
on
Thursday, October 3, 2024

Register Today

WHEN
Thursday, October 3, 2024
Buffet Opens at 11:30 a.m.
Program Concludes at 1:00 p.m.

WHERE
Borromeo/Saint Mary Seminary
28700 Euclid Avenue (map)
Wickliffe, Ohio 44092

Register Here