“An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered; an adventure is an inconvenience rightly considered.” -(G.K. Chesterton
Our Story
We are a handful of friends who want to explore and share the love of God with others through unity, truth, beauty, and goodness. We want to dive deep into the depths of reality and what elevates a soul to an encounter with the Divine. We plan to explore this through all areas of life. As we have been created, we know that every moment and experience is an opportunity to encounter the One who created us. When God became man in The Person of Jesus through the Incarnation, He placed Himself in a relationship with man in a profoundly human way. Through this mystery and miracle, man can truly meet God in all aspects of life. God is not far, but incarnate( in-in caro-flesh). This miracle prompts us to live knowing that every aspect of life can be divinized. As St. Athanasius said in the Council of Nicaea, “The Son of God became man so man might become God.” This prompts us to meet God in our humanity.
Our name is Veritas Vav Agape. This inspiration comes from the three cultures that have shaped the world and whose languages are inscribed on the Holy Cross of Jesus, as stated in the Gospel of John. “Veritas” is Latin for “Truth”. “Vav” is Hebrew for “hook and nail,” as well as a prefix used in Aramaic and Hebrew for the word “and”. “Agape” is Greek for “love”. Our name is Truth, Hook(the hook that binds God and man together in the person of Jesus), Love. Truth and love are pillars with which Christians are called to share the Good news of the identity of Jesus Christ as King of the Jews, The Messiah, Son of Man, Son of God, and Lord of all.
Our Beliefs
We are all Catholics who believe in the authority of Rome and the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church, which has stood for 2000+ years and is guided under the person of the Holy Spirit. We believe that all truth points to the Person of Jesus Christ and His Church. We welcome all who want to pursue unity, truth, beauty, and goodness. Join us as we journey toward the Divine and an encounter with Jesus.
Our Patron Saints
Theotokos
Theotokos (Greek:Θεοτόκος) is a title attributed to the Blessed Virgin Mary that was used as early as the year 254 A.D. by the Early Christian Writer Origen. This Greek title of Our Lady means “God-Bearer” or “She who gave birth to one who was God”. We see many great saints of the early church use this title to describe Mary, namely St. Athanasius, St. Gregory of Nazianzus, St. John Chrysostom, & St. Augustine.
This truth was disputed in the early church, especially in the Heresy of Nestorianism. This Heresy understood Christ to be two persons, one human, and one divine. It also held that Mary was not the Mother of God (“Theotokos”), but only the mother of the human Christ (“Christotokos”). Nestorianism was condemned by the Council of Chalcedon in 451 A.D. This Council solidified the doctrine of the Hypostatic Union of Christ, which defined it as Christ’s humanity and divinity in one personhood.
We chose this specific title of the Blessed Virgin as our patroness because of the emphasis on the two natures of Christ, and how it magnifies the reality and magnitude of God becoming Man. The hypostatic union of Christ allows us to enter into the mystery of the incarnation with him, and join in his divinity through the life of the Church, just as he entered into our humanity.
St. John of Damascus
St. John of Damascus or St. John Damascene was an Assyrian Christian monk born in either 675 or 676 A.D. He is a Father and Doctor of the Church, and is best known for his strong defense of icons. St. John was one of the chief defenders of Christian art in the 8th century, combatting the heresy of his day, the Iconoclasm Movement. This movement was sparked In the Byzantine empire around 726 A.D, and included the destruction of Icons and other Holy art from churches in the empire. This Heresy was later disputed by the 2nd Council of Nicaea in 787 A.D. The Church has henceforth venerated Sacred Images as a pathway to the Divine, just as Christ is to the Father. As St. Paul states: “He is the image (Greek “eikōn”) of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15).
We chose St. John of Damascus as a key patron because of his work to defend the dignity of the Church through the beauty contained in sacred art and images. Without the courage of St. John, the beauty of Christendom, including places like the Notre Dame Cathedral, St. Peter’s Basilica, & the Sainte Chappelle, may have never come into existence.
St. Athanasius of Alexandria
St. Athanasius of Alexandria (296-373 A.D) was a Bishop and Doctor of the Church and the chief defender of Christian Orthodoxy in the 4th century battle against the Arian Heresy. The premise of this Heresy was the denial of the full divinity of Christ, and deemed that Jesus was a creature. This Heresy later led to the calling forth of the first ecumenical council: The 1st Council of Nicaea. The outcome of this council was the condemnation of the Arian Heresy, with Athanasius playing a vital role in the council as a whole. This council also brought forth an official creed for the church: “The Nicene Creed”, which is still used to this day in the Church’s Liturgy. This creed defined Jesus as “true God from true God”, “Begotten, not made”, & “of the same substance” (homoousios) of the Father.
We chose St. Athanasius as a key patron because of his vigor and relentless pursuit of defending the truth of the identity of Christ. Christian Tradition holds that he was exiled from his See in Alexandria 5 different times in his life for his defense of the Christian Faith. We rejoice in his work in defending and protecting the truth of the incarnation, especially his emphasis on the teaching of theosis, the Christian theological concept that means “being made God”.
He is famously quoted saying: “The Son of God became man, so that man might become God”.
