Important update on three new FREE online courses: Old Testament, New Testament, and Dogmatic Theology
IMPORTANT UPDATE: Since posting the original version letter below eight days ago (Jan 13), I've had to make one slight and temporary but necessary modification to the January schedule. As I mentioned in my Facebook Live broadcast this past Wednesday, this evening's 8:30 pm Eastern time broadcast (Sat, Jan 21) will NOT be the debut of the Old Testament class, but instead will be part two of this week's broadcast on Dom Guéranger's The Liturgical Year, in an attempt to get caught up before next Monday's (Jan 24) regularly scheduled weekly Guéranger broadcast. The Old Testament class will debut next Saturday evening, Jan 28, at 8:30 pm. I've now made this change in the body of the letter as well, so that no one is misinformed.
Dear Friends:
I have a very exciting announcement!
I’m sure you’re already aware that I have been providing, for several weeks now, two free weekly classes on my public figure Facebook page.
(Because it’s a public page, you don’t need to have a Facebook account to view these classes. Simply turn the web browser on your computer, tablet, or smartphone to www.facebook.com, type “Gerry Matatics” in the search field, and you’ll be taken to my page.)
On Monday evenings at 8:30 pm Eastern time I discuss the previous week’s readings in Dom Guéranger’s The Liturgical Year.
And on Wednesday evenings, also at 8:30 pm, I read through and discuss the 640-page book Christian Social Principles by Sister Mary Consilia O’Brien, OP, Ph.D.
8:30 pm Eastern seems to be the optimal time, for people on both east and west coasts as well as the time zones in between who wish to watch the broadcasts live and participate by sending in comments and questions during the broadcast.
But you’re not restricted to watching these broadcasts when they live-stream: after each live-streaming broadcast the recording is immediately posted on my Facebook page, enabling subsequent viewing at whatever time is most convenient for you, 24/7.
During the remaining days of January I’m adding three more weekly courses to the line-up. My wise wife, who knows me well and bravely suffers the consequences of my proclivity to overwork and overextend myself, made me promise not to launch all three new courses the same weekend, so I’ve distributed their debuts over the next three weekends.
Starting on Friday, January 13 at (you guessed it) 8:30 pm I’m launching a much-needed course on Catholic Dogmatic Theology. The premiere episode will begin with a bang, with a very shocking and controversial accusation.
On Saturday, January 28 (also at 8:30 pm) — I kick off a course on the complete Old Testament, beginning with Genesis chapter 1.
And the following evening, on Sunday, January 29, at 8:30 pm I inaugurate a very exciting course on the complete New Testament, beginning with the Gospel of Mark, chapter 1.
By January 29, therefore, my week’s lineup will look like this:
Sundays, 8:30 pm: New Testament
Mondays, 8:30 pm: The Liturgical Year
Wednesdays, 8:30 pm: Christian Social Principles
Fridays, 8:30 pm: Catholic Dogmatic Theology
Saturdays, 8:30: Old Testament
As you can see, this leaves me only two evenings a week (Tuesdays and Thursdays) to somewhat catch my breath, and, besides teaching Mondays and Wednesdays, a non-stop weekend of teaching (Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays). And, as I’m sure you also realize, preparing for each of these nightly broadcasts requires at least a full eight-hour day (usually more) of research, reading, and writing.
This means I’m putting in a full 40-hour work week, each and every week, providing these five FREE classes — on top of all the many, many other responsibilities that single-handedly running Biblical Foundations International entails. (And don’t forget I teach many other courses at other times to individuals privately via the Internet.)
Whenever any of these classes ends — as the one on Christian Social Principles will this spring — it will immediately be followed by another new course: there are courses on Church history, apologetics, the Church Fathers, St. Thomas Aquinas, the writings of G.K. Chesterton, and many more, ready to step into the vacated time slots.
I hope you will avail yourselves of all this free education. And I hope, if you are not already one of my handful of monthly supporters, that you — in gratitude for all this education — will please consider joining them. Even a modest monthly donation of only $50 — by cash, check, credit card (Visa, MasterCard, or Discover), or PayPal — would go a long way to ensuring that I can keep up this level of output for years to come.
My hope has always been to get to the point where I have 50 monthly donors (that’s only an average of one per state), each contributing at least $50 a month (that's only about $1.65 a day) to support this vital but vastly underfunded apostolate. (I called this idea my “50/50 Club.”)
That level of support would finally bring in a mere $2500 a month, which would total only $30,000 a year — an extremely modest operating budget for such a hard-working apostolate which accomplishes so much for so many, all over the world. (Currently I only make about half that much, which is well below poverty level.)
Please join my merry band of supporters, and help us do even more for the cause of the classic Catholic Faith. God bless you!
Yours in Christ the Incarnate Truth,
Gerry Matatics