Dead Theologians Society celebrates 25 years with book release

By Elizabeth Pardi

The Dead Theologians Society (DTS), a Catholic apostolate that seeks to evangelize through prayer and discussion of the saints’ lives, recently celebrated the 25th anniversary of its founding in 1996. 

To commemorate the occasion, DTS founder Eddie Cotter is releasing a book titled Wisdom & Inspiration from the Saints in a Sentence, published by Mater Media. The book is a daily devotional containing simple, single-sentence quotations from various saints for each day of the year.

“This makes it easy for the reader who has a busy life to get a substantial dose of saintly wisdom with minimal time and effort,” Cotter said.

Asked what he would like the book to accomplish, Cotter said, “I hope it ignites (lukewarm) Catholics to … fall in love with our Catholic faith. We’re going through some challenging times, but in every age and every challenge, great saints have emerged. They are here to intercede for us and help us to follow Jesus.”

In a news release, Cotter said a quotation from St. John Vianney, the Cure of Ars, changed his life. The saint said, “Anger never travels alone. It is always accompanied by plenty of other sins.” 

Cotter said those words made him think “how helpful it would be to research and compile (other quotes) from our great saints to help catechize and evangelize a multitude of people, both Catholic and non-Catholic.” 

Cotter said he also has been profoundly impacted by the words of Blessed Solanus Casey, who said, “Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger.” 

Cotter believes this quote and the others he compiled for the book are applicable for our times.

“We definitely live in a culture of gossip, put-downs and an insatiable appetite to find enjoyment in the destruction of the reputations of others,” he said, citing these words from St. John Chrysostom: “Slander is worse than cannibalism.”

Cotter also referenced St. Padre Pio’s saying, “The rosary is the weapon for these times.” 
At DTS meetings, one of the mysteries of the rosary is discussed, in addition to a particular saint’s life and work. He said DTS provides “a safe, prayerful and engaging atmosphere (at which) teens and young adults gather at their parishes to become catechized and evangelized through the inspiring lives of the saints.”

In the Diocese of Columbus, DTS has chapters at Plain City St. Joseph, Delaware St. Mary, Newark St. Francis de Sales and Columbus St. Patrick churches.

Since DTS’ founding, there have been about 18,000 participating members in more than 550 parishes and schools throughout the world. In 2015, the organization received canonical status as a Private Association of the Faithful by the late Bishop Robert C. Morlino of Madison, Wisconsin, the news release said.

“DTS has been very effective in encouraging (religious) vocations,” Cotter said, adding that he frequently hears from priests, deacons and women religious who participated in DTS as young people and found it helped them discover God’s will for them. 

“Dead Theologians Society is all about leading young people to Jesus through the examples of the great saints,” Cotter said, describing his book as “a way for the DTS apostolate to continue its mission while reaching an even greater number of people.” 

Asked what makes the book unique among other daily devotionals, Cotter said its size “makes it easy to carry with you (and) … to have the wisdom of hundreds of saints literally in your grasp.”

He also said the artwork “corresponds to what the Church designates as the devotion for (each) month.” The imagery was produced by Cotter’s friend Ronan Lynch, a graphic artist in Ireland.

“My truest hope for this book is that it helps people get to heaven,” Cotter said. “I hope it helps me get there. There is so much truth and inspiration contained in the wisdom of the saints, and as individuals and as a society, we desperately need positive messages that lead us towards heaven and away from hell.”

Wisdom & Inspiration from the Saints in a Sentence is being distributed through Roman Catholic Gear’s website, www.romancatholicgear.com.

For more information on DTS or to learn how to bring it to your parish, visit www.deadtheologianssociety.com.