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Mary and I, and some friends, went to a special night at the Holiday Inn to learn more about Ave Maria University and the new community Ave Maria, both of which are currently under construction. We had a great time. The evening started out with mass led by Fr. Joseph Fessio. Then we enjoyed dinner (great food!) and the first speaker of the night, former Detroit Tigers owner Tom Monaghan. He's probably more famous for starting Domino's Pizza and turning it into a pizza empire. He told some stories of spending part of his youth in Traverse City and some of the struggles he went through growing up. Next we heard about the university and why he has invested so much in it. It was a terrific speech.

Next up, was Father Fessio and he talked about his history with Pope Benedict and how he became involved with Ave Maria. We were shown some pictures of the university construction and then he answered some questions from some of the guests. If you get a chance to hear him speak, do it!

The entire project is pretty amazing, they are basically building an entire town and university near Naples. A university that teaches the true Catholic faith and helps the youth of today and tomorrow become good Catholic leaders.

Ave Maria University
Ave Maria, Florida

I wish Mr. Monoghan would have been able to continue building his dream in Michigan, but he explained that Florida is a great fit!

The last couple of weeks have brought rumors and announcements of changes for Leelanau County's Catholic Parishes. This Enterprise article recaps some of what has been decided and outlines some of the challenges ahead.

Read Parishes face challenges in the Enterprise

was awesome! We had a great time and it was great not having any interruptions. The kids stayed with Chris and Becky and were very good from what I was told.

Mary and I learned some new tips for better communicating and listening (the listening was especially good for me). If you get a chance and can attend one, I definitely recommend it!

For more info you can check out the Worldwide Marriange Encounter Website or the Gaylord Diocese Marriage Encounter Website.

Pope Benedict XVI has written his first Encyclical entitled "Deus caritas est" (God is love). It is dated December 25th and it talks about the question of Christian love. I have just scanned the summary so far, but am looking forward to reading the complete text.

This really grabbed me from the summary...

"By participating in the Eucharist, we too become involved in the dynamics of His act of giving. We unite ourselves to Him, and at the same time unite ourselves with everyone else to whom He gives Himself."

WOW! That's powerful!

Read "God is Love": First Encyclical of Benedict XVI [Summary] at Opus Dei
Read Encyclical Letter Deus Caritas Est [Full Text] at the Holy See