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Cardinal Raymond L. Burke, formerly archbishop of St. Louis and now prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, will speak on “Christian Martyrdom in the Thought of the Servant of God Fr. John A. Hardon, SJ,” at the daylong symposium at SS. Cyril & Methodius (Slovak) Parish in Sterling Heights.
During the luncheon, a video on the life of Fr. Hardon also will be presented.
A prolific author over many decades, and in his later years a key figure in the Catholic homeschooling movement, Fr. Hardon (1914-2000) was the founder of Holy Trinity Apostolate.
Cardinal Burke was a friend and admirer of the late Jesuit priest and has been in the forefront of his cause for sainthood.
Other speakers include Bishop Bernard Hebda of Gaylord; Msgr. John A. Abruzzesse, an official of the General Synod of Bishops at the Vatican; and Fr. John G. Dumas, associate pastor of St. Isidore Parish in Macomb Township.
Bishop Hebda will speak on the topic of “white martyrdom,” or a separation from everything one loves for God’s sake, without the shedding of blood.
Mother Margaret Georgina Patton, OSB, and Mother Olivia-Frances Arnold, OSB, of the Abbey of Regina Laudis in Connecticut, will jointly give a presentation on “Cultivating Sacred Space as a Place of Martyrdom: A Monastic Witness.”
Mother Patton is a granddaughter of Gen. George S. Patton Jr., one of the key American military commanders in World War II.
A simultaneous youth symposium for teens aged 13-17 will also be offered, and Cardinal Burke will address it on the topic “Soldiers for Christ.”
Relics of St. Francis de Sales and St. Jane de Chantal will be present at the symposium.
The day’s events begin with registration at 7 a.m., followed by Mass at 8 a.m. and then the speakers. The program will conclude at 4 p.m.
Cost is $40 per person in advance or $45 at the door. College students can get in for $20, Marian catechists for $10, and there is no charge for seminarians. Lunch is included with pre-registers.
