Veritas is the group of all young men and women in High School who live in the Williston/Trenton/Grenora area seeking unceasing union with the Holy Trinity within the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church (181 Registered Catholics: 41 Seniors, 48 Juniors, 49 Sophomores, 43 freshman). The best way for High Schoolers to pursue holiness here is to remain faithful to the 7 Sacraments and to remain connected to the Veritas group, especially after Confirmation. With a dynamic team of adult leaders, the group gathers weekly for fellowship and formation to become the next generation of heroic saints. In addition to growing in holiness toward heaven like a plant in a garden (seminarium), Veritas students who have been Baptized, Confirmed, and routinely receive Holy Communion will be empowered to draw others to the Kingdom of Heaven, unafraid to engage in spiritual warfare in the world.

Veritas Human Formation pursues a conformity to the humanity of Jesus Christ and to the masculine and feminine virtues of his saintly parents Mary and Joseph in the Holy Family. Human talks and testimonies will be given by a variety of adult speakers. Here are some of the ways that Veritas members will be challenged in their Human Formation:

• Human Dignity: manners, politeness, civility, proper decorum, etiquette, courtesy, chivalry toward women & grace toward men, pride vs. love & selfishness vs. self-gift, etc.
• Authentic Conversation Skills: eye contact, body language, storytelling, active listening, mirroring, basic & advanced empathy, open & closed question, clarification, concretization, self-disclosure, confrontation, immediacy, assertion, etc.
• Clear Communication: direct & indirect communication, using the right words to communicate effectively, personal & professional communication, communication vs. conflict, conflict resolution, getting a job, being a good employee, how and when to talk about problems to whom, neglecting problems, harmful communication, isolating, etc.
• Technology: television habits, cell phones, social media, internet, artificial intelligence, virtual vs. real transcendence, virtual vs. real relationships, technology as a tool, dangers of technology, etc.
• Self-Knowledge: temperaments, personalities, archetypes, love languages, etc.
• Cultural Formation: local culture, regional culture, national culture, international culture, interaction of cultures, judging different cultures, xenophobia, racism, catholicity, etc. 
• Dealing with Grief: reactions to grief, neglect, 4 mourning tasks, complicated grief, STUG (Sudden Temporary Upsurge of Grief), near death experiences, death, Funerals, etc.
• Dealing with Guilt: animated & static guilt, shame, forgiveness, reparation, amendment, courage, confidence, self-image vs. God's image, human weakness, wounded vs. depraved, dealing with your sins and the sins of others, sources of identity, hope, justice, mercy, grace, worthiness, unconditional love, etc. 
• Dealing with Pain: different kinds of pain, different responses to pain, healthy and unhealthy coping mechanisms, anesthetization of pain, alcohol & drugs, joining one’s pain to the Paschal mystery, the power of redemptive suffering, why God permits pain, etc.
• Spiritual Issues: anxiety, loneliness, fear, nervousness & fidgeting, public speaking, performing, shock & strain trauma (denial, dissociation, deficit), PTSD, despair, suicide, exogenous & endogenous depression, apathy, acedia, boredom, burnout, stress, rumination, affective overload, self-harm, abuse, addiction, overeating & undereating, wounds of the heart: hardness, bitterness, numbness, darkness, shriveled, wrath, etc.
• Self-Discipline: making goals, stewardship, simplicity of life, growing in responsibility of property & people, delayed gratification, balancing work & leisure, leisure that is truly life-giving, dangers of parties, core of health: eating, drinking, sleeping, and exercising well, etc.
• Basic Familiarity with Other Religions: Atheism, Agnosticism, Orthodoxy, non-Catholic Christians (Baptist, Methodist, Mormon, Lutheran, Pentecostal, Presbyterian, Anglican/Episcopalian, Wesleyan, Adventist), Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Judaism, Baha’i Faith, Jainism, Shinto, Zoroastrianism, Taoism, Confucianism, Neo-Paganism, Scientism, New Age Religion, Occultism, Witchcraft, etc.
• Basic Familiarity with Other Influential Religious Figures: Zoroaster (antiquity), Laozi (6^th Century BC), Mahavira (599-527 BC), Buddha (563-483 BC), Confucius (551-479 BC), Zhuangzi (369-286 BC), Bodhidharma (440-528), Muhammad (570-632), Shankaracharya (788-820), Dalai Lama (1391-), Guru Nanak (1469-1539), Martin Luther (1483-1546), King Henry VIII (1491-1547), John Calvin (1509-1564), John Smyth (1570-1612), John Wesley (1703-1791), Joseph Smith (1805-1844), Baha’u’llah (1817-1892), Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902), Ellen White (1827-1915), Charles Parham (1873-1929), etc.
• Healthy & Authentic Friendships: openness to friendship, clicks, relating to others who are similar & dissimilar, transparency of thoughts & feelings & desires, vulnerability, building rapport and trust, gratitude, culture of affirmation, gossip & rumors & slander & detraction, integrity, negative vs. positive criticism, sarcasm, cynicism, passive aggression, charitable vs. uncharitable comments, etc.
• Healthy Tension in Relationships: peer, family, younger people, older people, adults, employers, worldly authorities, church authorities, virtue of lawfulness, virtue of obedience, virtues of justice & mercy in charity, true love, civil disobedience, common good, growing in responsibility and independence, being weened from parents, being a good son/daughter & older/younger sibling, Military Catholic, etc.
• Affective Maturity: living with passions & affections, ordered and disordered attachments, emotional intelligence, self control & self mastery, healthy & unhealthy relational boundaries, leadership, capacity to give and receive criticism constrictively, finding mature meaning in life, learning to grow from all experiences, etc. 
• Healthy & Authentic Courtship: modesty, chastity, 7 layers of intimacy, healthy boundaries, dignity of sexuality, theology of the body, God’s design for human love, homosexuality, LGBTQ+, living together before marriage, hook-up culture, masculinity & femininity, complementarity, dating vs. courtship, discerning marriage, marriage preparation, freedom to marry, requirements for marriage, dignity and duties of marriage, having children, lifelong commitments, civil marriages vs. Sacrament of Matrimony, divorce, annulments, Diocesan Tribunal, prenuptial agreements, sexual abuse, contraceptives, Natural Family Planning, vasectomy, In Vitro fertilization, fornication & adultery, pornography, abortion, dignity of life, March for Life, etc.

Veritas Intellectual Formation pursues a conformity to the mind of Jesus Christ, who is the Word (λόγος) made flesh (σάρξ). Intellectual presentations will be given by Fr. Wanner. Here are some of the ways that Veritas members will be challenged in their 2024-2025 Intellectual Formation:

1. 05/20 - 09/07: Human Formation Focus: How can we grow in human friendship?
2. 09/08 - 09/14: Initial Kerygma Focus: What is the big picture of Catholicism?
3. 09/15 - 10/19: Philosophy Focus: What can we know without God telling us?
4. 10/20 - 11/23: Sacred Scripture Focus: What is God's story?
5. 11/24 - 12/24: Sacred Doctrine Focus: What do we know for sure by faith?
6. 12/25 - 01/04: Nativity Mysteries Focus: How is God with us?
7. 01/05 - 02/08: Sacred Liturgy Focus: How do we have real contact with Jesus now?
8. 02/09 - 03/15: Morality Focus: How should I act in imitation of Jesus?
9. 03/16 - 04/16: Church History Focus: What is the story of the New Covenant?
10. 04/17 - 04/26: Paschal Mysteries Focus: What does love look like?
11. 04/27 - 05/31: Spirituality Focus: What is growing in union with the Holy Trinity like?
12. 06/01 - 06/08: Final Kerygma Focus: What is the big picture of Catholicism?

Veritas Spiritual Formation pursues a conformity to the heart and soul of Jesus Christ, who is the source of all Goodness, Truth, and Beauty. Fr. Wanner will teach a variety of ways to pray with a routine emphasis on Relational Prayer, Discernment, and Lectio Divina. Here are some of the ways that Veritas members will be challenged in their Spiritual Formation:

• Sunday Mass & Daily Mass
• Routine Confession (monthly)
• Daily Prayer in Sacred Silence (10-30 min.) before a Monstrance or Tabernacle if possible
• Liturgy of the Hours (Compline, Lauds & Vespers)
• Lectio Divina prayer from your personal Bible following the Sacred Scripture Charts
• Devotion to the Saint of the Day
• Receiving Routine Plenary & Partial Indulgences for yourself and Souls in Purgatory
• Vocation Discernment Prayer Materials 
• Spiritual Reading
• Spiritual Journaling
• Holy Rosary
• Divine Mercy Chaplet
• Gratitude Chaplet
• Stations of the Cross
• Healing of Memories
• Novenas
• Litanies
• Contemplation of Sacred Art 
• Contemplation of Sacred Music
• Sacramentals: Sacred Oils, Relics, Holy Water, Exorcized Salt, Holy Oil, Crucifixes, St. Benedict Metal, Miraculous Metal, Scapular, Votive Candles, etc.
• Consecrations to Mary & Joseph
• Michelle Duppong & the Process of Canonization
• Fasting & Mortifications 
• Abandonment to Divine Providence 
• Fostering Interior Peace & Freedom 

Veritas Missional Formation pursues a conformity to the feet, hands, and mouth of Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd who is always drawing others to the Father in the Holy Spirit with the Catholic Church through the 7 Sacraments of the New Covenant. Here are some of the ways that Veritas members will be challenged in their Missional Formation:

• Summer Veritas: opportunity to invite non-Catholic friends to more informal gatherings that do not involve direct Catholic teachings
• St. Andrew Trophy: prize for inviting others to Veritas regardless of success or rejection
• Personal Testimonies: opportunities to share one's personal experiencing of God's love and grace by speaking and writing about it
• Name of Jesus: becoming comfortable using the powerful name of Jesus around others and then using it more and more in secular environments (cf. Philippians 2:9-11)
• Evangelizing Others with Faith & Reason:  asking religious questions, having religious dialogues, proclaiming truth, and warmly inviting to communion with the Catholic Church
• Service Opportunities: going to real people in need and serving Christ in them directly
  

• Food Pantry Service Opportunities
  
• Pro Life Poster Competition
• Eucharistic Revival Resources

2025 Rome Pilgrimage