Lumen Dei's History

Lumen Dei began informally in October 2003 with a group of Catholics who belonged to Civitas Dei, a business networking organization. We wanted to continue the tradition of meeting once a month, on a Friday morning. This was the original concept behind Civitas Dei. With the encouragement and support of Monsignor Joseph F. Schaedel, vicar general and pastor of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Church, we began meeting in his parish with his blessing and support in Priori Hall. Sister Diane Carollo offered to help as a liaison between the parish and the group. The meetings begin with the celebration of the Mass.

On Friday January 9, 2004, we held our first meeting at Holy Rosary. The name Lumen Dei was selected. Translated, Lumen Dei means Light of God. We also chose St. Joseph the Worker as our patron saint for a couple of reasons. One, we had a bond of being business men and women; and two; Joseph was the earthly father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The following is a short list of noted speakers:

• Fr. Frank Pavone, Priests for Life
• Matthew Kelly, Author
• Dan Elsener, President, Marian College
• John Martignoni, Apologist, EWTN Radio

In September 2006, we decided to change our meeting date to be the first Friday of the month. We had another group in the area that met on the third Fridays and we wanted to give all a chance to experience both meetings by having an extra week in between. We also wanted to emphasize the importance of the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. We began the meeting on the First Friday in October 2006.