Bring DTS to your
Parish or School

I have known Mr. Eddie Cotter of DTS for several years since my time in Limerick Diocese. I met Eddie in the company of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal. It was then that I learned of his great work using the example of the lives of the saints as a tool to teach our Catholic faith. I am delighted to be associated with Eddie and now, as Bishop of Waterford and Lismore Diocese, I am very happy to welcome him to start up the work of Dead Theologians Society here in my diocese. I warmly recommend his work and wish him every blessing and success.

Helping to lead Dead Theologians Society while I was in College Seminary at the Josephinum truly helped me to discern my vocation. The Holy Eucharist, the lives of the Saints, the atmosphere of prayer, helped open my heart and mind to what the Lord desired of me and how my desire was really what He desired!

It was not a mere social gathering, but a time and place to reflect on the Christian call in the light of true exemplars of holiness. Being a part of DTS got me saying the prayer of St. Gertrude every day, which we know is a tremendously powerful prayer for helping the souls in purgatory.

If we are seriously interested in doing something good for the youth of today, then let’s take whatever steps are necessary to ensure that DTS is an option to satisfy their hungry and enquiring minds. [Fr. Fitzpatrick started a DTS Chapter at his parish in the Diocese of Colorado Springs before receiving his commission to serve our country.]

If we are seriously interested in doing something good for the youth of today, then let’s take whatever steps are necessary to ensure that DTS is an option to satisfy their hungry and enquiring minds.

I can attest that the Holy Spirit is truly able to work through the DTS format.  It is one of my most treasured evenings of the week being able pray with the Saints and the high schoolers.

I'm very excited! This program is exactly what the Catholic youth world needs, in my humble opinion.

The DTS meetings have been so well received!  We have done St. Padre Pio, St. Dominic Savio, and Blessed Margaret Castello.  St. Therese of Lisieux, St. Maria Goretti and Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati are up next. We have had 30 teens attend which is TRIPLE the amount that usually have come to the parish youth group.  The Graces are flowing......praise God and DTS!

By attending the Dead Theologians Society, I have deepened my knowledge of the saints. Through learning of their personal holiness, we are all inspired to continue to “fight the good fight” and strive to achieve our own sanctity.

Hearing about the lives of the Saints at DTS helps to remind me that great holiness is possible, and that I can overcome my weaknesses with God’s help.

When a bunch of teens get together to learn about God and His Saints, you learn how truly close and real God is, and you feel a great excitement for His plan in your life.

Through the years, the Dead Theologians Society has worked here in the Diocese of Madison to bring young people closer to Himself. Through the lives of the saints, young people have been encouraged to grow in holiness and seek God’s particular will in their lives. Indeed, some of those from our diocese who are currently discerning calls to the priestly or religious life, including several of our seminarians, had the seeds of their vocation nurtured in DTS. This apostolate is headquartered and active in the Diocese of Madison and has proven to be both enjoyable and successful in catechizing and evangelizing youth and young adults.

The reason for DTS’s effectiveness lies in its simple focus – to present the saints as role models and heroes for young people.  Not only does DTS empower young people to live lives of holiness and justice, but it also empowers adults to share the Gospel with teens.  Anyone can tell a story.”

The Dead Theologians Society, which I happily invited to the Diocese of La Crosse in the year 2002, has very effectively carried out the New Evangelization among the youth and their families whom it serves. The apostolate, firmly grounded in the teaching of the Scriptures, the Ecumenical Councils, the Fathers of the Church and the Saints, and nurtured by prayer and Eucharistic Adoration, draws young people to an ever-deeper knowledge of Christ and His Church, and a corresponding more fervent love of God and of neighbor. I am happy to commend the Dead Theologians Society to individual families and to parishes, as a most effective form of Catholic youth ministry.

I think these kids are hungry for the traditions of the Church. That’s something I’ve seen them totally connect to.

This is sort of counter-cultural because it’s quiet, somebody’s talking to you and telling you a story. It’s not about television and video game images coming at you. This is different than any other part of their life.

It's been fun to watch our chapter grow. It’s a great place to hang out, and you can ask those hard questions. It’s a lot of fun and a great way to learn about our faith!

I enjoy it! I enjoy the people! I enjoy learning what we learn!

Dead Theologians Society is a great way to educate teenagers about the Saints and how they lived like Christ. In turn, the teens can use this information to aid them in their quest to be Christ-like.

DTS looks at the bigger things in life – beyond the natural to the supernatural. We learn that the Saints, intercessory prayer, the Eucharist, Heaven, Hell and Purgatory are real and are presented in a way anyone can understand. DTS is a sneak peek at the world beyond this world!

I started DTS when I was Pastor of Saint Paul's Newman Center on the campus of Wichita State University in the early 1990's. When I went to Rome in 1996 to begin my work at the Vatican, I continued DTS with the college students at the University of Dallas Rome campus during the 6.5 years I served as the UD Rome chaplain. To this day, I receive emails from old DTS students who are now married and deep into their vocations, about questions of the faith and issues that came up years ago in our DTS sessions. One of my students at the Newman Center at WSU went on to become a priest in Wichita. He has had huge success with DTS. This apostolate provides a wonderful setting for young people to study the Catholic faith in an informal and fun atmosphere. It also introduces them to the great super-heroes of the faith.

It is my pleasure to endorse the Dead Theologians Society and its work of evangelization among Catholic youth and young adults. It is a joy to support the work of the Dead Theologians Society here in the Diocese of Venice in Florida and I am happy to recommend DTS to families and to parishes throughout the world.

I think it’s marvelous that our high school age teens are learning the things our Church has held in high esteem for thousands of years. Studying the Saints provides a great moral influence for our young people and challenges them to live good lives. I’m really glad to see that our students are getting "solid stuff" instead of "popular fluff!"

It is a pleasure to recommend The Dead Theologian's Society to all those who are looking for an effective and faithful Catholic Youth program for their parishes. When the lives of the saints are unpacked for Catholic youth, a host of graces becomes available for the Church. Examples of heroic virtue and faith in the face of challenges can inspire and shape the teenage lives in ways so many youth programs simply cannot. It is not too much to say that the lives of the saints are living catechisms, written by the grace of God in these lives. May the Lord bless this line apostolate and continue to bring its message and ministry to dioceses around the world!

The Dead Theologians Society is so named as to point to the great saints of the Church whose spiritual and theological wisdom is still a great source of encouragement and light for all of us. The Dead Theologians Society seeks to call our wonderful young people to be saints of today and tomorrow by reflecting on the spiritual and theological wisdom of the saints of the past. This core or substance of their focus is expressed in very contemporary pedagogical approaches which young people find attractive. It seems to me that The Dead Theologians Society approach would be perfect for your high school youth ministry or responding to the need of continuing formation of the post Confirmation young people. I cannot think of a better approach for use with this particular age group. . . . I commend Eddie Cotter and The Dead Theologians Society to all of you in the earnest hope that many of you will make contact with him and give serious consideration to the live that Christ can breathe into the young people in your parish family through this particular ministry.  

The goal of the Dead Theologians Society is to bring the lives and writings of the saints to the youth of today, in order that they might be challenged and encouraged to grow in holiness. The Dead Theologians Society has tremendous potential, not only to lead our young people to a deeper love of God, but also to serve as a wonderful point of unity for the youth of our Diocese.

This relatively new outreach to youth concentrates on scripture, prayer, doctrine, and study of the towering saints and theologians of the Church, and has met with amazing success in parishes where youth ministers have introduced it. I am delighted to endorse this promising evangelical and catechetical endeavor.

The Dead Theologians Society, which I happily invited to the Diocese of La Crosse in the year 2002, has carried out very effectively the New Evangelization among the youth and their families whom it serves. The apostolate, firmly grounded in the teachings of the Scriptures, the Ecumenical Councils, the Fathers of the Church and the Saints, and nurtured by prayer and Eucharistic Adoration, draws young people to an ever deeper knowledge of Christ and His Church, and a corresponding more fervent love of God and neighbor. I am happy to commend The Dead Theologians Society to individual families and to parishes, as a most effective form of Catholic youth ministry.