The first gala for Catholic Answers, the pre-eminent apologetics organization, takes place this coming Saturday.
To read the basic details, click here.
The following message from Karl Keating, founder of Catholic Answers, gives some of the gala’s background:
The best kept secret in San Diego is going to come out. Catholic Answers has helped tens of millions of people—all around the world. We’ve strengthened the faith of Catholics, brought souls back to the Church, and brought converts into the Church, including people who never dreamed they would become Catholic.
We’ve answered attacks on the Church, cleared away misconceptions, and opened the eyes of those who oppose her. We’ve helped people during a crisis of faith, reassured the doubting, and answered the most pressing questions of countless others. But despite our global reach, too many Catholics right here in our hometown of San Diego don’t know about us. That’s about to change. We’ve got big plans and we need your help to make them happen. The secret is out.
Catholic Answers is holding its first gala here in San Diego. This is going to be a very special evening. There will be a cocktail hour, a gourmet meal in a beautiful location, an exciting live auction, and entertaining speakers. This will be your chance to meet and mingle with the personalities from Catholic Answers—as well as important guests and dignitaries.
Best of all, you will learn the inside story of Catholic Answers—and how you can help take its work here in San Diego to a whole new level. We’ve got big plans. You need to come to this important and inspiring event. Space will fill up fast, so reserve your place now. The event takes places at the Sheraton Carlsbad Resort and Spa on Saturday, September 22, 2012.
I’m Karl Keating, and I want to meet you at this special event.
The following are some of the auction items that will be sold at the gala:
Philip Rivers Autographed Memorabilia
Attention San Diego football fans! Proudly display in your home or office your loyalty to the home team with a football and jersey each autographed by San Diego’s All-Pro quarterback Philip Rivers. (It’s okay, he washed the jersey first!) Included in this collection are an autographed helmet and some great framed football trading cards – autographed!
Baseball with the Bishop
Watch the Padres with San Diego’s top padre! Coadjutor Bishop Cirilo Flores, along with your hosts, baseball enthusiasts Steve and Vickie Beuerle, invite you and as many as twenty guests to a catered get-together at the Beuerle’s baseball-themed suite located on the fifth floor of the Legend Condominium Tower at Petco Park in San Diego. The suite offers a perfect leftfield/centerfield view of the game, and if you miss any of the action, strategically placed wide-screen TVs are there for all the instant-replay action. Enjoy a Padre game in lavish style while you visit with San Diego’s incoming shepherd. This package for the 2013 regular season includes all the food and drinks. You simply send out the guest list.
Private Baseball Clinic with 5-Time MLB All-Star, Mike Sweeney
Send your budding athlete and his or her friends to a baseball clinic with Five-Time Major League Baseball All-Star Mike Sweeney. As one of baseball’s great hitting catchers and first basemen, Mike enjoys passing on his love of America’s pastime to the next generation. This private two-hour baseball clinic for as many as six children ages 6-13 will be held at Richardson Field in Rancho Santa Fe, California. The day’s events will include lessons on batting, fielding and pitching from the only Major League Baseball player to be photographed with Pope Benedict XVI! Mike will also autograph baseball memorabilia for each child. Must be redeemed on a mutually agreed-upon date no later than September 2013.
BBQ with Tim Staples
You know Catholic Answers Director of Apologetics and Evangelization Tim Staples is good with a microphone and a crowd, but wait till you see him with a grill and a set of tongs. He will be ably assisted by grillmeisters Jim Blackburn, Jose Morales, and James Stabile. Enjoy a complete barbecue where you and as many as forty of your friends and family can visit with Tim, pick his brain, and even try to stump him! (Good luck.) This package includes all the food, trimmings, and drinks. You provide the digs and the friends, and Tim and his crew do the rest. Must be redeemed by September 2013.
Catholic Answers 2013 Apologetics Cruise and Airfare for Two
Sail the Caribbean seas with Catholic Answers on our 2013 Apologetics Cruise, “Defending the Faith.” Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas departs Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, on Saturday November 2 and features stops in Nassau, St. Thomas, and St. Maarten before returning on Saturday, November 9 to Ft. Lauderdale. Your hosts for this cruise include Catholic Answers Director of Apologetics and Evangelization Tim Staples, fellow apologist and speaker Matthew Fradd, and Catholic Answers Director of Development Christopher Check. Special guest speakers include Steve Ray, Patrick Madrid, and Fr. Larry Richards. This cruise offers the unique opportunity to travel to exciting ports of call in the company of others who share your love of adventure and your love of the Catholic faith. Our first-rate speakers help you to better learn and defend the Catholic faith not only through formal presentations but also in convivial social settings. The cruise includes daily Mass, confession, apologetics talks, panel discussions, exclusive receptions, nightly dinners with speakers and special guests, and a book signing party. All port charges, taxes, gratuities, accommodations and shipboard meals are included. Stay in a luxurious superior ocean view stateroom and enjoy more than 180 square feet of living space plus a private balcony and $200 of shipboard credit per person for shopping, drinks or spa treatments.
The Catholic Answers Premier Collection
Add a daily dose of apologetics to your commute with this 30GB iPod Touch. It comes loaded with all the exciting and informative Catholic Answers Live shows from 2010 and 2011 –, putting lively and inspiring interviews with today’s top Catholic minds literally at your fingertips. In addition to the iPod, this Catholic Answers Premier Collection includes six of Catholic Answers’ best-selling, autographed DVD presentations; sixteen best-selling, autographed CD sets; five best-selling, autographed books; ten of our most popular booklets; our famous Mega Tract Pack; our Chastity Tract pack; and a copy of the Essential Catholic Survival Guide autographed by Catholic Answers staff members. The Catholic Answers Premier Collection will not only take your knowledge of the Faith to the next level; it will inspire and prepare you to defend the Faith in the home, workplace, classroom, or anywhere life takes you. This would make a great gift, especially for a teacher, a son or daughter headed to college, or anyone thinking about joining the Catholic faith.
Private Catholic Answers Seminar with Matt Fradd and Leah Darrow
Are you or do you know a high-school teacher or chaplain trying to convey the truth of human sexuality to today’s young adults? This seminar is for you! Catholic Answers’ engaging chastity speakers Matt Fradd and Leah Darrow will come to your home, parish or other location for an exclusive, private presentation for as many as twenty young men and twenty young women. Matt and Leah can speak together on the same date or on two different dates. Matt will present any of his talks designed for young men on chastity, true manhood, and the harmful effects of pornography. Leah will present any of her talks designed for young women on modesty, chastity and authentic femininity. Matt and Leah will happily field questions from your group following the presentations. The location of the seminar must be within San Diego or Orange County. Must be redeemed by September 2013.
I’m surprised to see no comments yet. This sounds like a lot of fun! I must say you Californians have so much going on out there, from one extreme to the other. Well, I’m thankful the leaves are turning and the crows are forming parliaments and congresses here…life continues apace by seasons and busy homemakers are putting up jars fruits and veg and farmers are beginning the big corn harvest and the county fair started today and all the kids get a free day from school. I would sure like to win the Tim Staples BBQ. It will be so good for SanDiego to be more aware of the Catholic Answers presence in their midst. Hope they get a terrific turnout. Probably many will come from out of state to enjoy the beautiful weather and scenery, as well.
Dana you are right, we are blessed to have Catholic Answers in our part of the woods….
Catholic Answers forums; where the herds run wild, where every question is answered by those who havent read much but have an opinion. Its enough to drive you batty, then they ban you.
No thanks!
That is the FORUMS. This is the apologists who do know what they are talking about.
Haha. So true–the forums are a great source for MISinformation. It’s like the Wild West.
Too bad won’t be able to attend the gala as I live outside the US? I love listening to the programs of your station on my IPad. I learn a lot being Catholic, things I didn’t learn from the Catholic school I attended. How can I have the Premier collection?
Thanks and more power.
RB2, it’s not hard to imagine why you might have been banned from a place or two in your time. Your post reminds me of swell gatherings portrayed in old black-and-white movies in which someone is being forcibly ejected from a gathering by the back of his shirt collar and belt. Hoping to insult the hosts of the gathering, he bleats his sputtering protest to the bouncer, “I’ve been thrown out of better places than this!”
haha. I can see it most vividly, Maryanne. Very amusing !
Maryanne running ahead of the wild herd said:
>RB2, it’s not hard to imagine why you might have been banned from a >place or two in your time.
Opinions run wild everywhere.
RB2 seems to be an example of “stemming”.
This sounds wonderful! They have great speakers and I really appreciate Catholic Answers! They are awesome!
I used to listen and watch every religion program available. Some of them have excellent instruction in true matters. But they all top out due to the fact they need to reach and hold a large “classroom”. But the great programs provide references and insights which can be further explored. That is when you hit the booksellers’ offerings, and or libraries and or various courses either remote or sit down in yer face courses. At some point of knowledge acquisition you begin to get calls from the Pope asking for advice … that’s where RB2 enters the fray … or is it frey ??
I wonder how it went? Did anyone attend? I wasn’t able to but I hope many did.
For the record to all the spiteful replies I noticed I have received from JLS and MaryAnne Leonard.
My comment on Catholic Answers and banning did not apply to me but
rather to the hundreds of long time posters who some have 5,000 , 10,000 and more posts, some highly respected who have been banned on that website. All the older threads are witness to the capricious banning policy they have on that forum.