[enchantmentadm]

I attended the National Catholic Singles Conference this past weekend. I participated virtually. It took place in Denver, which is a relatively short drive for me. I intended to drive to Denver and attend in person. However, because of some personal things that came up, I thought it best to stay home and attend virtually. (This had to do with losing a cat earlier this month and acquiring another late last week.) 

The theme of the conference was "Rejoicing in Hope." Highlights of the conference were Mary Beth Bonacci's "20 Things I Like About Being A Single Catholic" (may not be the exact title.) Her talk was both funny and entertaining and serious at the same time. She pointed out that the "never marrieds" have the lowest status on the singles hierarchy. She jokingly said that they should pair single people off and marry them so that at least they could say that someone chose them. (I think she was wrong about not needing an annulment.) On a more serious note, she pointed out that salvation is something much bigger than marriage and that this should be our primary focus as single Catholics. 

As usual, there was an emphasis on the Theology of the Body. One of the speakers, Maria Spears-Mumaugh, pointed out how utilitarian the dating world is. In other words, we tend to see people as objects and not persons. She asked: what would it feel like to go on a date and just be present with the other person without an agenda? In a similar way, another speaker asked if you went on a date with someone that ended up not going anywhere, would you say it was a waste of time? If you answer "yes," this suggests that you have a utilitarian mindset and were seeing the person as an object and not valuing him or her as a person.

Another standout speaker was Father Nathan Cromly. He also said the Sunday mass. He discussed ideas from his book "Coached by Paul the Apostle:Lessons in Transformation." I ended up ordering his book.

I found the virtual conference to be as rewarding as the live one in its own way. There were actually more opportunities for interpersonal interaction in the virtual conference. (I had attended the live conference last year in Las Vegas.)

Sadly, this may be the last National Catholic Singles Conference. The driving force behind these conferences, Anastasia Northrop, has been doing this for 20 years. She said she is praying for guidance as to where to go from here. This could include the conference continuing as it has been for 20 years, going to regional conference, or the NCSC community continuing in some other format, such as virtually. Consequently, the future of the conference is up in the air. In any event, the NCSC community (also called GS 24) at least will continue on some level. There are virtual activities with this community that take place throughout the year that I have not taken advantage of. Nevertheless, my participation in the conference this year virtually and last year in person has been an unforgettable experience, which has enriched my faith tremendously.

[English Rose]

Reassuring to hear that someone is calling out the utilitarianism of the dating world. Thank you for passing that on.

As a Catholic convert, I find being a single Catholic much easier than being a single evangelical. This is because the priests are single and there is a monastic tradition of singleness.

The divorce rate over here is 42%. More are likely to be in unhappy marriages. Such statistics make it tempting to think of being single as a blessing, particularly for women who tend to be more vulnerable in marriages.

[enchantmentadm]

Reassuring to hear that someone is calling out the utilitarianism of the dating world.  Thank you for passing that on.

As a Catholic convert, I find being a single Catholic much easier than being a single evangelical.  This is because the priests are single and there is a monastic tradition of singleness.

The divorce rate over here is 42%.  More are likely to be in unhappy marriages.  Such statistics make it tempting to think of being single as a blessing, particularly for women who tend to be more vulnerable in marriages.

The divorce rate is not much better in the U.S. and may even be worse. The divorce rate is no doubt a deterrent to marriage. Younger men and women are losing interest in dating and marriage altogether. 

English Rose, you might want to consider attending the National Catholic Singles Conference virtually in the future, if the conferences continue. There are people from all over the world. There was even a man from Malta. There is also a virtual community that has events throughout the year. You can get more information if you search for National Catholic Singles Conference.

[Jericho]

Thank you Armand for sharing as I do love the Theology of the Body!

I am adding what Maria Spears-Mumaugh said you mentioned in this thread. The typical utilitarian men and women view each other like nutritional labels on products like a grocery store, and they lack the emotional maturity to understand the Sacrament of Marriage.

They would need to bring their disordered desires to Christ whether it is in prayer, at Mass or during Adoration. It is true that marriage is an icon pointing towards Heaven as God alone is our consolation

[Jericho]

Reassuring to hear that someone is calling out the utilitarianism of the dating world.  Thank you for passing that on.

As a Catholic convert, I find being a single Catholic much easier than being a single evangelical.  This is because the priests are single and there is a monastic tradition of singleness.

The divorce rate over here is 42%.  More are likely to be in unhappy marriages.  Such statistics make it tempting to think of being single as a blessing, particularly for women who tend to be more vulnerable in marriages.

Over 42%! Oh my soul

[English Rose]

Reassuring to hear that someone is calling out the utilitarianism of the dating world.  Thank you for passing that on.

As a Catholic convert, I find being a single Catholic much easier than being a single evangelical.  This is because the priests are single and there is a monastic tradition of singleness.

The divorce rate over here is 42%.  More are likely to be in unhappy marriages.  Such statistics make it tempting to think of being single as a blessing, particularly for women who tend to be more vulnerable in marriages.

The divorce rate is not much better in the U.S. and may even be worse. The divorce rate is no doubt a deterrent to marriage. Younger men and women are losing interest in dating and marriage altogether. 

English Rose, you might want to consider attending the National Catholic Singles Conference virtually in the future, if the conferences continue. There are people from all over the world. There was even a man from Malta. There is also a virtual community that has events throughout the year. You can get more information if you search for National Catholic Singles Conference.

Thank you Armand.  I hadn't realised you could attend the National Catholic Singles Conference virtually.  Good to know.  We don't have anything like that over here and have been impressed the US does.

Malta continues to be a Catholic country; it converted after St Paul's shipwreck.  I visited a couple of years ago.  So inspiring.  I stood in the square where Publius the governor converted.  A truly spine tingling moment.

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Reassuring to hear that someone is calling out the utilitarianism of the dating world.  Thank you for passing that on.

As a Catholic convert, I find being a single Catholic much easier than being a single evangelical.  This is because the priests are single and there is a monastic tradition of singleness.

The divorce rate over here is 42%.  More are likely to be in unhappy marriages.  Such statistics make it tempting to think of being single as a blessing, particularly for women who tend to be more vulnerable in marriages.

Over 42%! Oh my soul

I know, it's crazy.  I heard a man on the radio over the weekend, who was critiquing how materialistic people had become, in the context of the low birth rate, now around 1.4.  He mentioned the sacrifice required to have children and to my amazement admitted he was Catholic.  He then went on to say how self sacrifice was one of the virtues of Catholicism and enabled Catholics to celebrate parenthood.  I was overjoyed.