Fr. Patrick Briscoe, O.P., Fr. Gregory Pine, O.P., and Fr. Bonaventure Chapman, O.P., field questions at a recent Godsplaining retreat for young adults. Photo by Jeffrey Bruno.
Truth Culture
By Blackfriars Staff
Over 60 young adults from across the country came to Malvern, PA, to spend a weekend on retreat with the Godsplaining friars this past November. Godsplaining is a popular podcast started by five Dominican friars—Fr. Patrick Briscoe, O.P., Fr. Bonaventure Chapman, O.P., Fr. Jacob Bertrand Janczyk, O.P., Fr. Joseph- Anthony Kress, O.P., and Fr. Gregory Pine, O.P.—all of whom entered the Dominican Order together. “From the beginning, we didn’t want our podcast to exist in a void,” said Fr. Patrick. He explained that so many Catholics, especially young people, feel alienated and isolated so their hope is that these Godsplaining retreats are a place where the friars can connect and encourage young people.
But before the young adults arrived for retreat, they were assigned homework—Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger’s Truth and Tolerance. The friars chose this book as discussion for retreat because, while the culture preaches tolerance, the contemporary world is not tolerant of religious ideas. And that intolerance is what many young faithful Catholics experience as they live out their faith.
The two-day retreat, structured around talks by the friars on various aspects of Ratzinger’s work, also provided ample time for Adoration, confessions, fellowship, and Mass. In one talk on truth and culture, Fr. Bonaventure explained that as Christians, we inhabit a definite culture, but we have this kind of dual citizenship—the city of man and the city of God. “And these two cultures are not the same, but they must relate,” he said, “and how they relate is in truth.” The culture that Catholics have to give other cultures is the truth, he explained. “We need to bring the truth to others, not to destroy their culture, but to perfect it. Christian faith is always a transcendent culture, meeting human cultures, no matter what culture they are.”
Over 60 young adults joined the Godsplaining friars on retreat in Malvern, PA. Photo by Jeffrey Bruno.
Fr. Patrick said, “if Godsplaining is anything, it is radically committed to the truth. In a world where people face so much confusion, we work to offer clarity.” He indicated that listeners of the podcast love the fraternity of
the friars and they can see we are brothers—it’s authentic. “And that authenticity flows from our fraternal life, our shared commitment to St. Dominic’s mission of preaching for the salvation of souls.”
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