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March 2024

In this email we bring you our continuing monthly series of blogs written by our seminarians. We hope you find their writings spiritually uplifting and educational.

A reason for your hope

Seminarian Josh Russell, upper left, with Hard as Nails missionaries

Before becoming a seminarian at Bruté, I was a missionary with Hard as Nails Ministries (HN) for two years. When asked what we did, one of my fellow missionaries would answer “I’ll give you the canned version, and then I’ll give you my version.” I will follow her lead.

The Canned Version: HN is a traveling Catholic evangelization ministry with the mission, “to awaken the world to the power of God’s love.” This is done through the vision, “to make a world where no one suffers alone.” Their message? “You’re Amazing!” You’re amazing because you have a God who loves you very much. HN is a Private Lay Association of the Faithful as of 2021 and has been an organization since 2002. amazingnation.org

My Version: Everything we did as missionaries revolved around the mission and vision and that single exclamation “You’re Amazing!”. Training began in Syracuse, NY, and took eight weeks. It was seriously challenging, but incredibly joyful. We learned about the four foundational pillars of HN which are “community, sensitivity to sin and suffering, evangelization, and service to youth.” Training was spent living together in community, praying together, working out together, and living a 2x2 life of prayer (just like the Apostles). Our motto was “have fun/choose joy.” We became sensitive to our own suffering so that we could better minister to others, learned how to evangelize, and were sent out to schools, churches, and colleges from New York to California to put on retreats spreading the “You’re Amazing” message.

While many of the notable miracles mentioned in the New Testament heal physical conditions, giving sight to the blind, etc., HN equips its missionaries with the skills to minister to the mental ailments that plague Western society: anxiety, depression, hopelessness, loneliness, suicidality, etc. The number of kids I met struggling with these challenges (as I used to) and the number of parents I met who were despairing and clueless as to how to help their kids, was shocking. What could we do? For parents and kids alike, we were present and encouraging; able to laugh with or cry with them while sharing the message of God’s love. Ultimately, HN prepared me to “always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope (1Pet 3:15).” This is what I pray God continues to reveal to me as I proceed on my discernment journey at Bruté.

[Connect: @youreamazinghn]

Josh Russell is a Bruté seminarian studying for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis and a member of the Class of 2027.

Learn about Josh

Bruté alum receives the

Lead, Learn, Proclaim Award

Fr. Tim Wyciskalla '10, Photo Credit: The Criterion

Congratulation to Bruté alum Fr. Tim Wyciskalla '10, pastor of St. Mark Parish in Indianapolis, who was recently selected by the National Catholic Education Association to receive the Lead, Learn, Proclaim Award. He was the only pastor in the country to be recognized in this way for his support of Catholic education in 2024. Click here to read the full Criterion newspaper article about Fr. Tim and this award.

Check out our new video about formation at Bruté

Bishop Simon Bruté Giving Society save the date

Your gift of $1,000 or more will recognize you as a member of the Bishop Simon Bruté Giving Society. Members will receive special gifts and experiences. At each level, all previous level benefits are included.

Bishop Chartrand Circle with gifts of $1,000 - $2,499 will receive a Bruté Prayer Journal.
Cardinal Ritter Circle with gifts of $2,500 - $4,999 will be invited to Sunday Mass on May 19, 2024 at the seminary followed by donuts and coffee.
Archbishop O’Meara Circle with gifts of $5,000 to $9,999 will be invited to Evening Prayer and Mass on March 14, 2024 with the seminarians followed by a light dinner at the seminary.
Archbishop Buechlein Circle with gifts of $10,000 and above will be invited to the spring semester opening Mass on January 5, 2025 at the seminary with Archbishop Thompson followed by a light breakfast.

Endowment funds impact Bishop Simon Bruté College Seminary today and tomorrow

Let’s say there is a parish, school or Archdiocesan ministry that has significantly impacted your life or those of your children and family. Or maybe you feel deeply supportive of its mission. Have you ever thought about how you can impact the future of that organization forever?

One way is through establishing an endowment fund with the Catholic Community Foundation (CCF), the official foundation of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis. The purpose of our foundation is to provide long-term financial support for our parishes, schools and ministries, as well as matching donors with their philanthropic interests. In the last fiscal year, CCF paid out more than $10M in annual distributions to parishes, schools and ministries throughout the Archdiocese.

An endowment fund is a permanent fund established by an individual or organization that is invested and grows over time utilizing the growth of the market. The initial gift or any subsequent gifts forms the principal of the fund – which is never touched. Each year, a portion of the fund’s interest growth is distributed to support the mission of the beneficiary of the fund. The leftover interest is reinvested into the endowment and the fund grows.

By design, endowments are built to last into perpetuity and to benefit ministries year after year. But endowment funds impact ministry funding today, and tomorrow. The annual distribution supports ministry today, while the growing fund insures available financial support for tomorrow and beyond.

While we always advise you to speak with your financial advisor to see if an endowment fund might be right for you, we can assist by providing you with more information and let you know the impact you might have on the ministry of your choice. Please contact us at ccf@archindy.org or call 317-236-1482.

2024 Bishop Bruté Days

Bishop Bruté Days (July 9-11, 2024) is a retreat for young men, grades 9-12 the following school year, who are seeking to grow closer to Christ, and may be open to the possibility of a vocation to the priesthood. The retreat gives young men the opportunity to spend three days with the Bruté college seminarians learning about prayer, service, scripture, and the awesome gift of our Catholic faith.

Bishop Bruté Days Jr. (Monday, July 8, 2024) is a one-day experience for young men who are in junior high (7th and 8th grade). It is designed to focus more on general discernment and serve as an introduction to Bishop Simon Bruté College Seminary.

If you know a young man that might be interested in attending either of these events, more information and registration can be found here.

Castle Nights

Castle Nights are opportunities for high school men to join the Bishop Simon Bruté College Seminary community for prayer, meal, and conversation with our college seminarians.

Here is the upcoming schedule of Castle Nights:

March 20, 2024

April 17, 2024

If you know a young man who might be interested in attending, more information and registration can be found here.