The Catholic Biblical School of Michigan offers four year-long courses at parishes around the state and online that take participants through every book of the Bible with help from masters-level instructors. Julia Check, as well as Richard and Gina Zmijewski opted for the in-person classes for the accountability it promised, while Dr. Bernard Noveloso took the online version for flexibility with his schedule.

Julia took the class with her husband from 2012 to 2016, all while working and raising their children. She said that through it all, the class was important to her, and it always managed to fit into her schedule.

“You can never outdo God in generosity. That's what I would always tell people. If there was ever a week where I felt pressured with time, God always worked that out. He's way more generous to us than we ever know.”

Richard and Gina have a similar testimony. When Richard graduated in 2020 after taking the four-year course, Gina was inspired to attend after seeing the enthusiasm her husband had for reading scripture and sharing it with their family. She enrolled in fall of 2020 and took the first year online. At the same time, they began homeschooling their children, but Gina said in the busyness of their season of life, the Bible course added a structured prayer life that she didn’t realize she needed.

“It forced me to have a prayer life for the first time in my life, where I had to wake up early in the morning before my kids to read scripture. Knowing I had the accountability of my small group helped me make time for it all,” Gina said. “Some weeks, it just didn't get done, and that was OK. Everybody in the class was in a different season of life so there was never any judgment if I got a bit behind.”

Bernard, a full-time doctor, recalled that he was drawn to the online version of the class due to the flexibility it provided.

“What really resonated with me at the time was the flexibility of an online format. I am required to be at work early in the mornings and have a long commute, so I would listen to a lecture before I began my day and would listen to the Bible passages through an audio Bible on my commute.”

Even through differing seasons of life, all four alumni recognize the fruits that have come out of their experience taking the Bible course. Julia graduated and felt called to lead Bible studies with other moms that her kids went to school with, and now she works as the liturgical coordinator at her parish.

“In James 4:8, he says, ‘Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you,’” Julia said, “I came to understand that God is speaking to me, and he's speaking to you through his Word. It's this gift that helps us to know him, understand ourselves, and know how we should conform our lives to Christ.”

Rich and Gina’s experience has shaped their view of the world around them and inspired them to continue learning about the Catholic faith.

“The quote by St. Jerome comes to mind where he says, ‘to be ignorant of scripture is to be ignorant of Christ,’ and I fully believe that because before this course, I didn’t realize how much of the Catholic faith is steeped in scripture,” Gina says. “Everything from the prayers in the Mass to the hymns we sing include references to scripture,” Richard added.

Bernard finished the course with a deeper appreciation for the books of the Catholic Bible, some of which he didn’t know were unique to the Catholic translation.

“Discovering those books brought richness in knowing another part of the Catholic tradition that opening a Protestant Bible wouldn’t necessarily provide.”