God, Dating, and Beer...what more could you want to talk about?

Last week, a mere 4 days after returning from Australia, I had the privilege of speaking at four Theology on Tap sites for the Diocese of Joliet. I credit the topic, “Between match.com and the Altar: A Catholic’s Guide to Dating,” with being the draw that brought people out. Never having spoken at a TOT before, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but talking to a bar full of 20-and 30-somethings while dodging waitresses bringing fish and chips was a pretty funny experience.

In the talk, and in the conversations that followed, we talked about four themes that, at least in my mind, come up in most serious dating relationships:

1. Discernment—How do I know if this person is the person I should marry?
2. Conscience Formation—How do I make moral decisions, especially regarding sex?
3. Relationships—How do other relationships change when dating someone new? How should my dating relationship grow?
4. Intimacy—Where do I find intimacy and what does that look like?

Thanks to everyone who came out to Quigley’s Irish Pub (Naperville), Pilot Pete’s (Schaumburg), Auld Dubliner Irish Pub (Bolingbrook) and Champp's Americana (Lombard). It was great to spend the evening with you!

-Lauren G.