Joe Heschmeyer to speak at parish in Draper

+ Enlarge

DRAPER — St. John the Baptist Parish will present “Unlocking the Faith with Joe Heschmeyer,” a free event for anyone who wants to learn more about the Catholic faith.

“We decided to host Joe Heschmeyer at St. John the Baptist Parish as a culminating event for our latest PrayerBnB Bible and Faith Study series,” said Brooke Armijo, the parish’s director of communications and hospitality.

Since September, the parish has been hosting a study on Heschmeyer’s book The Eucharist is Really Jesus, “which is very fitting for this time of Eucharistic Revival within the Church,” Armijo said.

The decision to have Heschmeyer speak also was based on his “deep and immense knowledge of our faith, especially when it comes to early Church history,” Armijo said. “We believe Mr. Heschmeyer will teach us all a great deal about various aspects of our faith.”

Heschmeyer will offer a series of five talks starting on April 12 ending on April 13 “to help people learn more about our Catholic faith,” Armijo said.

Each talk will offer a Q & A session; light refreshments will be served during breaks.

Besides being an author, Heschmeyer is an apologist with a long history of public speaking who presents the truths of the Catholic faith in a lively and humorous way, according to his biography. He has a law degree from Georgetown University, a philosophy degree from Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in St. Louis and a theology degree from the Angelicum in Rome. He also hosts a podcast, Shameless Popery, “a witty, entertaining podcast that informs you about your Catholic faith and equips you to better explain Catholicism especially to Protestant or atheist friends,” according to the podcast website.

The staff at St. John the Baptist Parish specifically requested the five talks that will be presented.

The first talk, titled “Pope Peter,” is based on Heschmeyer’s book of the same name. In it, he “explores the biblical basis for the idea that St. Peter really was chosen by Jesus Christ as the first pope, and why that truth means that everyone should be Catholic,” according to Catholic Answers, a California-based Catholic advocacy group that handles Heschmeyer’s presentations.

This talk will be presented on April 12.

On that same date, “Before Constantine: The Faith of the Early Christians” will be offered. According to Catholic Answers, this presentation will address the questions, “What did the early Christians really believe about the divinity of Jesus, about the Eucharist, about Mary, and about the structure of the Church?”

On April 13, Heschmeyer will present three more talks: “Historical Case for Christianity,” “What’s the Big Deal About Mary?” and “Seven Mysteries of the Faith Unlocked by the Eucharist.”

A reception and book-signing will follow the final talk. Those who are interested may attend the Saturday vigil Mass, which will be celebrated at 5 p.m.

“Having a speaker like Joe Heschmeyer, who has immense knowledge and a deep understanding of our faith, especially on early Church history, will help us all dive deeper into our faith and hopefully we will all learn more than what we knew before,” Armijo said.

Staff from Saint John the Baptist contributed to this article.

WHAT: “Unlocking the Faith with Joe Heschmeyer”

WHERE: St. John the Baptist Parish, 300 East 11800 South, Draper

WHEN: Friday-Saturday, April 12-13

There will be five talks on different subjects. The first two talks will be Friday at 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. The next two talks will be Saturday at 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. For those who would like, the Sacrament of Confession will be offered Saturday at 3:45 p.m. The vigil Mass will be celebrated at 5 p.m. The final talk will be at 6:15 p.m. A reception and book-signing will follow.

For information, e-mail office@sjb-parish.org or call 801-984-7101.