ACES Classes for Men and Women
Join Jack and Karen Henz, our parish’s husband-and-wife catechist team: Certified Catechist Trainers and graduates of the Kino Catechetical Institute of the Diocese of Phoenix. Learn the truth about your faith from an adult perspective, where your questions are discussed and answered. A mature adult Catholic faith is a blend of both “head” and “heart” knowledge.
The classes are focused, two-hour Bible and/or other Catholic studies, using a study guide, over 8 to 10 weekly sessions. Each session typically includes a video presentation from a Catholic-based organization such as Ascension Press, Word on Fire, the Augustine Institute, and others. All of the video and study guide content is reviewed and approved by Catholic bishops or their representatives.
Class time includes an overall group discussion of the video with prepared questions; individual questions and reflections are encouraged so everyone can learn from each other. The classes are open to both men and women.
Online registration is required for all attendees, even if they decide not to purchase a study guide. You may purchase the registration materials for yourself only or purchase one set and share with your spouse. No fee is required to join the class if you already have the book(s), or simply want to come and listen to the video and discussion.
A study guide, and sometimes other books, are included in the registration fee, which includes tax and shipping charges. The parish provides beverages, refreshments, and handout materials at no charge. Class registration and payment are completed entirely online. Please note: the class instructors may not accept payment for registration, and the parish staff are not able to register you in person at the parish office. If you do not wish to pay online, arrangements will be made after you register to pay by check or credit card through the Parish Office.
All classes meet on Thursdays in the St. Carlo Acutis Center (formerly rooms 7,8 and 9, next to the Evangelization and Family Ministry Office).
Starting in January 2026, two different classes will be offered on Thursdays - one in the morning and a different one in the evening.
The Thursday Morning Class
Video Series and Study Guide: Lectio: Mark – Fatih not Fear with Tim Gray, PhD, from the Augustine Institute.
Classes meet starting on January 14 and going through May 2026, 14 sessions on Thursdays, 9:15 to 11:30 AM, in the St. Carlo Acutis Center (next to the Evangelization and Family Ministry Offices). No classes on Feb 5, Mar 5, Apr 2.
Registration Fee: Includes a Study Guide ($23), The Jesus Timeline Chart ($6), and other handouts (no charge).
Class content:
Fear is so powerful; it can paralyze us or, even worse, lead us to turn back on the things and people that are most important. Saint Peter knew this well, and in Mark’s Gospel we learn how faith in Jesus can free us forever, just as it freed Jesus’ first disciples.
Most scholars believe the evangelist, St Mark, joined St Peter at some point in his journeys across ancient Israel and Greece, onto Rome. Saints Peter and Mark lived during the time of the “Pax Romana” of the Roman empire which was interrupted by the first of many persecutions of the early converts who believed that the crucified Jesus of Nazareth, was the long-awaited Messiah, and, the Son of God! First the Jews, then the Emperor Nero, sought to blot out the new religion. Encouraged by the faith of the early Christians after hearing Peter’s personal witness stories of Jesus, Mark recorded his words as encouragement for those who would come after them.
Immerse yourself in a study of all 16 chapters of this action-packed Gospel that offers Saint Peter’s account of Christ’s life and teaching. Discover the Old Testament typologies and how its words and prophecies were fulfilled by Jesus. Delve deep into the theme of the “Way” and true discipleship and see how Jesus reveals his identity in authoritative words and deeds. Consider more closely Jesus’ teaching on the Temple and walk with him from Gethsemane to Calvary along the Way of the Cross. Let his study lead you to a profound reflection of the shortest of the four Gospels.
Combining the insights of Dr. Tim Gray with the masterful artistry of the Augustine Institute, this LECTIO series gives an in-depth look at the unique perspective that St Mark, as the translator and companion of St Peter, brings to his gospel account of Jesus’ life, death and Resurrection – an account that strengthened the resolve of the first Christians in Rome to be faithful disciples, as it can strengthen us as well.
The Thursday Evening Class
Video Series and Study Guide: Part 1 The Prophets: Messengers of God’s Mercy, with Thomas Smith, from Ascension Press. (NB: Part 2, The Minor Prophets, will follow after Easter 2026, as a separate class)
Classes meet starting on January 14 and going through March 2026, 9 sessions on Thursdays, 6:15 to 8:30 PM, in the St. Carlo Acutis Center (next to the Evangelization and Family Ministry Offices). No classes on Feb 5, Mar 5, Apr 2.
Registration Fee: Includes a Study Guide ($34), The Bible Timeline Chart ($7), and numerous handouts.
Class content:
A study of the ‘Prophets’ will be divided into two parts.
Part 1 will focus on 4 major (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel), and 2 minor (Hosea and Jonah) prophets, included in 6 of the 16 prophetic books in the Old Testament. Besides these, the Old Testament includes the events and words of five other key prophets (Moses, Elijah, Elisha, Samuel, and Nathan), who lived before those whose names are included as separate books. The stories of these five are found in the Pentateuch and other historical books of the Old Testament and will also be included in Part 1.
Part 2 of the Prophets, beginning in April 2026 with a different Study Guide, will focus on the words and events of the prophets of the remaining 10 books.
The prophets ‘afflicted the comfortable, and comforted the afflicted’, calling the people to return to their covenantal relationship with God. They urged repentance, warned of the danger of sin, and announced the blessings of faithfulness. We will define who a ‘biblical prophet’ was, where they were from, and who their audience originally was. Specifically, what were their messages and where in God’s plan of salvation did their message from God critically matter? Are their messages as important to us today? Is God calling some of us/ all of us to the same role as they were called? Which parts of their messages? In what ways? Do their words speak to us even today? Do they draw us closer to our heavenly Father and Jesus?
Taken as a whole, the lengths of these sixteen books are equal to the entire New Testament.
The importance of the prophetic books is incalculable, as it is nearly impossible to understand the work and message of Jesus without them.
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