Welcome!
Why a Blog?
My name is Patrick Phelan and I am starting a blog on marriage! This blog will be to catalog my thoughts and my responses to the class Nuptial Mystery. It is a class taught online by Tim O’Malley who is a professor at the University of Notre Dame. I am very excited to share this class with everyone because I believe we are living in a culture that is so desperately in need of the Catholic Church’s wisdom and guidance on the topic of marriage. I am excited to learn more about what the Church teaches and I look forward to sharing that with all of you!
Who am I?
As mentioned above my name is Patrick Phelan and I am a grad student at the University of Notre Dame. I am a year away from obtaining my MA in theology and this online course on marriage is one of my last courses I will have to take before obtaining that masters.
In the meantime, through the Echo program at Notre Dame, I am serving in the diocese of St. Petersburg Florida at St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church. I will be working primarily in youth ministry this upcoming year and I look forward to sharing with the youth of the parish insights from this course.
A little extra background:
- I am originally from San Diego, California.
- I graduated from Holy Cross College in 2016 with two bachelor degrees in Theology and Communications.
- I have a little brother and two wonderful parents who have been married for 30+ years.
- I confess the sin of anger a lot more in the fall due to Notre Dame football.
- I don’t like cheese but love pizza. We’re all about paradoxes here in the Catholic Church.
- For about 7 years now I have been a banana for Halloween, what other costume choice is there.
- People would say I am tad bit extroverted
- The LineBacker Lounge could be considered sacramental in my book (little “s” sacrament as Professor Fagerberg would exclaim)
- If you made it this far you deserve a virtual high-five! Go You!
(I’m the dude middle right)
Mawage 
I definitely deserve a high five for making this to the end of your “About Me.” In all seriousness, this was a joy to read. I love your Princess Bride gif, and I am excited to get your perspective on this class and all that we learn about the Sacrament of Marriage! I’m glad we are in the same small group.
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Patrick, the LineBacker lounge sounds like an interesting place – maybe one day I will have the chance to visit! … Anyways, I’m looking forward to being in a blog group with you and having fruitful conversations as the semester moves forward. Good luck with youth ministry this year, you are such a blessing to those students!
Go Irish!
Elizabeth
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Hey Patrick!
Very entertaining ‘about me’, haha. I appreciate your love for paradoxes and finding a theological connection between your love for pizza and dislike of cheese. I hope you’re enjoying the Echo program! Colleen Moore is one of my favorite people. I lived in San Diego from 2012-2014, and loved it. Personally, I’d say San Diego was more sacramental than the Backer, but I appreciate the plurality…
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