We are thrilled to provide a special offer to you!
You have the opportunity ot hear from 4 outstanding speakers at First Friday Club of Cleveland Luncheons from May through August, and we will offer you a discount if you register for all 4 events at one time. If you were to buy these individually, the cost would be $140 for all 4 luncheons. We are offering a total price of $125 for all 4 events! Here are details about the events:
I. May 1, 2025: The Council of Nicaea's 1700th Anniversary: An Occasion to Get to Know Eastern Christianity, with Fr. Andrij Hlabse, SJ
Fr. Andrij M. Hlabse, S.J., is a Ukrainian Greek-Catholic priest and a Jesuit. He was born and raised outside of Cleveland, Ohio, where there is a large Ukrainian community; his family practiced the Catholic faith in both the Byzantine and Latin Rites. Fr. Andrij completed a BA in music performance (as a jazz saxophonist) and romance languages and literatures at the University of Notre Dame in 2006. After entering the Society of Jesus in 2007, Fr. Andrij earned an MA in philosophical resources from Fordham University, a Bachelor of Sacred Theology from the Gregorian University in Rome, and a Licentiate in Eastern Ecclesiastical Sciences with a concentration in Patristic and Eastern Christian theology from the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome. He also taught religion and Spanish, as well as served as liturgist at St. Ignatius College Prep in Chicago.
II.June 5, 2025: American Legal Education – The Catholic Solution, with Dean John Czarnetzky, Ave Maria School of Law
Dean John M. Czarnetzky is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (B.S., 1982, Chemistry) and the University of Virginia (J.D., 1989). Before law school, Dean Czarnetzky was an officer in the United States Army, where he served as an intelligence analyst, specializing in foreign chemical, biological and nuclear capabilities. Dean Czarnetzky joined the University of Mississippi School of Law in 1994. At "Ole Miss" he was the five-time winner of the Outstanding Law School Professor and, in 2016, he was the recipient of the Elsie M. Hood Award for the Outstanding Professor at the University of Mississippi, the highest honor awarded to faculty members at the University of Mississippi.Dean Czarnetzky also serves as a legal adviser to the Holy See's Mission to the United Nations, representing the Holy See in negotiations, including establishing the International Criminal Court and several international treaties, including one on the rights of persons with disabilities. Dean Czarnetzky is a lay member of the Dominican Order and a third-degree Knight of Columbus.
III. July 10, 2025: Singing with Understanding: A Guide to the Church’s Instruction on Sacred Music, with Dr. Thomas Fielding, Cathedral of St. John the Baptist
Thomas Fielding, DMus., organist and composer, is director of music for the Cathedral of St John the Evangelist in Cleveland and is a graduate of the Indiana University Jacobs’ School of Music where his principal teacher was Christopher Young. Previous studies were with Martin Jean and Robert A. Hobby. Fielding has taken first prize in the national Arthur Poister and San Marino performance competitions, has won several national composition prizes, has been the recipient of several full-tuition scholarship awards at IU and, as an undergraduate, won several music prizes offered by his alma mater Valparaiso University. He has played recitals throughout England and the Netherlands including two appearances at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. His scholarly work has been featured in The American Organist magazine.
IV. July 31, 2025: Moral Theology with Reverend Joseph Koopman, St. Mary Seminary
Rev. Joe Koopman, M.Div, M.A., S.T.D., graduated from Franciscan University of Steubenville in 1996, after which he entered St. Mary Seminary in Cleveland, Ohio. He was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Cleveland in 2001, and served as a newly ordained priest at St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Parma. From 2005 to 2009, Fr. Koopman attended the Accademia Alfonsiana in Rome, Italy, where he received a license and doctorate in theology. Since 2009, he has been a professor of moral theology at St. Mary Seminary, along with serving as an advisor in moral theology and ethics for the Diocese of Cleveland and the Ohio Catholic Conference of Bishops. (https://tobinstitute.org/about-the-institute/meet-the-faculty/)
To view and register for individual events, please vist our calendar at bit.ly/FFCCcalendar