About the Institute
house of formation
The Aim of the Institute
The Stella Maris Institute will help adult parishioners encounter Christ, enter into abiding communion with him, and embrace the lay apostolate through solid catechetical programs.
As a “house of formation,” the Institute will offer human, intellectual, spiritual, and apostolic formation for adults. It will organize and galvanize adult formation and spirituality efforts through the following initiatives:
- Bible Studies
- Book Studies
- Talks
- Courses
- Workshops
- Print and Digital Resources
The Institute Logo
A BRIEF EXPLANATION
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Modeled after the primary Stella Maris branding strategy, we outfitted the Institute logo with our colors and fonts. The perimeter of the emblem features the name of the Institute and the location of our Family of Parishes.
Moving clockwise from the upper right, we first see the image of the star and the sea. Calling upon Mary under the title Stella Maris has not been reserved for mariners. Throughout Church history, Catholics have applied an allegorical meaning to the title that flows beyond the obvious reference to the waters covering the face of the earth and this pilgrim voyage of life.
Next, we see the scallop shell, which has always been associated with pilgrimage, as pilgrims used scallop shells as utensils to scoop their portions of food and water at the food kitchens dotted along routes. It also recalls Baptism.
In the bottom left, we see the iconic “M” monogram logo of Stella Maris. Monograms have long been part of the Catholic fabric, offering viewers an iconic representation of a word, title, or name loaded with meaning. Notice the crown, signifying the coronation of Mary and her being situated as the queen-mother of heaven and earth, features four stars representing the four parishes that comprise the Family.
In the upper left, we see the book of the Scriptures opened to the first line of St. John’s Gospel: in principio erat verbum (“In the beginning was the Word”). God has the first word, and he invites a response of faith from us.
our reasons
Why a parish-based Institute?
- To respond to the Church’s consistent call for adult formation. In 1997, the General Directory for Catechesis described adult catechesis as the “chief form of catechesis. All the other forms, which are indeed always necessary, are in some way oriented to it” (§59). Adult catechesis should be a primary focus for us, and the Institute, a “house” of adult formation, concretizes this as a priority.
- To form adults of full stature in the faith (cf. Eph 4:13). The author of From Christendom to Apostolic Mission notes that our culture’s key battles are intellectual. Consequently, the Institute aims to form adults who are not “tossed by waves and swept along by every wind of teaching arising from human trickery” (Eph 4:14) produced by today’s dictatorship of relativism. We want to restore a Catholic “imaginative vision” —- a Catholic way of viewing all of reality in light of Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh. Interestingly, the etymology of “institute” means: “to cause to stand; to make firm.” This is exactly what we’re aiming to do — to help adults stand more firmly in their Catholic faith.
- To create an organism, not an organization. The Institute will be a place of encounter, or, better, a community of encounter — where people encounter Christ and each other by immersing themselves in the richness of the Catholic intellectual and spiritual tradition.
- To foster sainthood. In her autobiography, The Long Loneliness, Servant of God Dorothy Day says, the holy man is “the whole man, the man of integrity, who not only tries to change the world, but to live in it as it is.” This strikes us as right and it aligns with our hope for the Institute. We are hoping to grow as men and women of integrity, who can make a gift of ourselves for the sake of the world. In short, we aim to relive Christ for southern Clermont County.
Support something bold
Join The Founders' Club
We are looking for financial partners in mission as we launch the Stella Maris Institute. Members of the Founders’ Club will help to fund key renovations to Stievenard Hall on the St. Bernadette Campus. Stievenard, the physical home for the Institute, will house an inspiring, multi-purpose presentation space, coffee bar, kitchenette, and library — all geared to supporting adult formation. The Founders’ Club will also seed an operating budget for the Institute, allowing us to offer excellent programming and to bring in subject matter experts to provide quality adult formation for our parishioners.
Have questions about the institute?
Contact Brad Bursa
Brad Bursa is our director of evangelization and the director of the Institute. You can reach him at bbursa@stellamarisfamily.org.
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