So We May Understand

This year, we will be gathering on March 15-17, 2026 at Terra Sancta Retreat Center for our annual PMD.  The focus, Fides quaerens intellectum, can at first seem a bit “heady” and, perhaps, not for everyone.  Au contraire!  I have invited Dr. Zena Hitz (and she graciously accepted!), because I believe the topic and message that she will present are of such importance to what we are all about: living in Christ and sharing Christ with others!

How did the Bishop (that’s me!) come up with such a topic for this year’s PMD? Behind that Latin title is something that is at the very heart of ministry—yours and mine.

Fides quaerens intellectum is a Latin phrase that means “faith seeking understanding.” It reminds us that, as Christians, we do not believe first because we understand everything. Rather, we begin by trusting God in faith, and then—out of love for Him—we seek to understand more deeply what we believe. Saint Anselm, who made this phrase famous, was saying that understanding is the fruit of faith, not its replacement. We believe so that we may understand more fully—and the more we understand, the more our faith is strengthened. In short: Faith comes first, understanding follows, and both grow together.

So, leading folks to faith in Jesus (the very nature of ministry) both leads to a deeper understanding of God and the ways of God…and then, in deeper understanding, faith is enhanced!

Pope St. John Paul II understood this connection well when he wrote his earth-shaking (“Church-shaking”?) Apostolic Exhortation Pastores Dabo Vobis (1992), when, considering in particular the minister of the priest and his formation/preparation for ministry, insisted that men be formed in what have been called the “four pillars,” each of which is needed for successful, fruitful ministry. The formation pillars: Human, spiritual, pastoral, and intellectual.  When our people seek to grow in the Catholic faith, they expect the faith to be presented in a reasonable, rational, and logical manner. From our Catholic perspective, it is not enough to teach the Gospel by simply saying that something is true because “God/Jesus said so” or “the scriptures say so.” Instead, our people want (and deserve) a presentation of the faith that “makes sense” in that it was revealed as the truth by Jesus, “the way, the truth and the life” (John 14:6). As such, good effective ministers of the gospel strive to develop their intellects according to the Catholic intellectual tradition….SO THAT…they can present the faith logically and credibly…SO THAT…others can grow in their faith through the development of their understanding of the faith.  St. John Paul II sets the course:  hone one’s intellect according to the mind of the Church so that the proclamation of the Gospel can be more effective. Pope St. John Paul II set this course for its future priests…and, by extension, any who share in the ministry of Christ in the Church.

So…anyone who desires to provide ministry in the church ought to be able to develop their intellect and intellectual understanding of the faith for the sake of more effective service of the People of God!  As a result, as with all our PMDs, this one is for everyone seeking to minister in our diocese.  I have read Dr. Hitz’s book, Lost in Thought: The Hidden Pleasures of an Intellectual Life (highly recommended!), and I am confident that she will offer an encouraging presentation of the joys of the intellectual life.  I might even have something more to say about the intellectual life at PMD.  Come and be inspired and invigorated in your ministry!

+Bishop Scott Bullock