January 19, 2026
Dear Ladies and Friends of TASTE,
ESSENTIAL INFORMATION
- THIS WEEK — TASTE continues our 19th season this week with a talk by Fr. Paul Kongnyuy. Invite a friend!
- IN PREP — The video, reflection questions, and other related material from the last talk can be found HERE.
- SNOW — This is the time of year that we remind everyone about our "Inclement Weather" policy. See LINK
TASTE EVENTS
- NEW TALK — This week, we welcome Fr. Paul Kongnyuy as he gives a talk entitled "Embracing God's Call with Mary's Example and Padre Pio's Guiding Maxim."
- THIS WEEK'S DISCUSSION — We will discuss Deacon Chuck Bieberich's talk entitled "Sacraments & Sacramentals: Hope in the Spiritual Battle." The audio, video, reflection questions and other related material can be found HERE. The Zoom small group meets on the following Tuesday morning. Details on how to join can be found in a link at the bottom of this message.
- THIS SEMESTER — Would you like to get a sneak peak at our upcoming speakers and talks for this Spring semester? See LINK.
OTHER EVENTS AND NEWS
- FEB 26th – LENTEN RETREAT — Lenten Retreat Evening with Chastity Talks for Teenagers and Parents on Thursday, February 26th from 4:00-8:00 pm at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Beltsville, MD. Jason Everet will speak to the 7th-12th graders and Matt Aujero will speak to the parents. Cost is $10/person or $20/family. Register HERE. See FLYER
- MARCH 8th – FUNDRAISING LUNCHEON — Luncheon on March 8, 2026 from 11:30 am - 2:30 pm at St. Joseph Parish Hall in Fullerton, MD in honor of the Little Workers of the Sacred Hearts. Keynote speakers are Sister Dede Byrne and Bishop Joseph Coffey. Luncheon Reservations are $40/person. See FLYER.
- VIDEO WORTH WATCHING — On the heels of the last 2 talks, this 30 minute VIDEO is truly worth watching. Father Chris Alar, MIC, confronts a hard but urgent truth drawn from Sacred Scripture and the teaching authority of the Church: the Antichrist is not only a future figure, but a present spirit at work in the world. Reflecting on the First Letter of John, Fr. Chris explains that Scripture speaks of both a singular Antichrist still to come and many “antichrists” already active—those who have departed from Christ by rejecting His Church.
PRAYER REQUESTS
- Please continue to pray for our TASTE program and our speakers. This week, please pray for:
- OUR SPEAKERS AND FRIENDS OF TASTE:
- For all of our speakers — especially in thanksgiving for our last speaker and for the Holy Spirit to guide our upcoming speaker.
- For all priests — Stir up in them the grace of their vocation which is in them (Litany of Prayers for Priests)
- OUR TASTE MEMBERS AND FAMILIES:
- For Nan Khan's mother, Shirley Khan-Travis – for favorable additional cardiac testing results with no need for heart surgery.
- For Courtnay Kopec’s full recovery from her recent surgery.
- For Maureen Filiault's grandchild Sophia, we pray to St. Joseph for his protection for her.
- For the repose of the soul of Clare Ferguson (Patti Fisher's mother) and for peace and comfort for her family.
- For Jennifer Dougherty's mother's complete and swift healing of her foot
- For Rosemarie Cardamone (Michele Cardamone's sister), for resolution of a challenging situation and peace in the midst of it.
- For Paul Collman (Lynne Collman's husband), who is undergoing cancer treatments.
- For Hope Collins (Granddaughter of Evelyn Collins), who is still recovering from open heart surgery.
- For Fr. John M. Barry (Pastor of Resurrection Church in Burtonsville), who is recovering from prostate cancer surgery.
- For Justine Wimsatt, for continued healing after her brain tumor removal.
- For Pat Krug, healing for her sciatica causing many painful episodes.
- Thank you for praying for Paula Gentile’s daughter, Bianca. She received a mostly good outcome, but needs to receive standard medical treatment for stage 0 breast cancer. Please pray for her complete healing.
- BEYOND OUR TASTE COMMUNITY
- For peace around the world, especially in the Middle East and Ukraine. May God protect the innocent, comfort the grieving, free all hostages, and guide leaders toward justice and lasting peaceful resolution.
- For our brothers and sisters in Christ who are suffering persecution for their faith around the world, especially in Nigeria, Cameroon, and Sudan.
- We also pray for peace and comfort to the families of each of the people mentioned above. New prayer requests can be sent to Joy Parker at joyparker73@gmail.com.
Blessings,
Joy, Michele, Karen, Helen, and Lisa
Jesus, I trust in You!
ATTACHMENTS:
CARRY-OVERS - The below information is carried over from the last email.
- FACEBOOK — Keep up-to-date with useful information about our TASTE Program as well as other interesting Catholic information and events. Follow us on FACEBOOK.
- SPEAKER LINE-UP — We have a great line-up of talks for our 2025/2026 year! In addition to bringing back some of our past speakers, we have a number of new speakers that we believe you will enjoy. You can preview the current line up HERE or see our entire LIST of 2025/2026 speakers.
- PARKING — Please note that the parking lot in front of St. Mary's School has restricted access hours. We can only park there between 8:30 am and Noon. If you plan to stay after the talk for Rosary, Chaplet, Confession, to chat with friends, or any other activity, please park in another location such as the street parking, the Keesler parking lot, or the Boys Club parking lot.
ATTACHMENTS:
- Small Group TASTE Zoom Invitation
- E-Invitation: 1-Sided Front Back 2022/2023
