All it took was a slight nod from the priest to settle the loud crowd.
Instinctively, the hands collectively rose in unison to touch their fingertips to their foreheads.
In the name of the Father.
The hands of the hundred or so young Catholics then fell to touch the middle of their chests.
And of the Son.
The hands swiftly moved to their left shoulders.
and of the Holy …
And without pausing, they moved their hands across their body to touch their right shoulders.
Spirit.
Like they have countless other times, often in Mass, they let out a collective Amen.
It was all so familiar, yet unfamiliar at the same time.
Instead of gathering in pews to learn more about the Gospel and the church, this standing-room-only crowd of young Akron-area Catholics ventured out on a rainy January night to the Winking Lizard in Peninsula to grow in their faith.
They took sips from tall glasses of beer and soda.
They noshed on chicken wings, potato skins and pizza.
They laughed heartily and talked even louder.
Yet, amid the clatter of clanking glasses, the chatter from the kitchen staff nearby and the low hum of the basketball games on TVs throughout the tavern, the young souls quickly fell silent when the priest took one last swig from his own tall beer to bear witness to the teachings of the church.
Chants of “Father Lou” filled the air as Father Louis Thomas of St. Francis de Sales Parish in Portage Lakes took the mic.
If you take away the prominent white collar and neatly pressed black shirt and pants, Father Lou looked more like a stand-up comedian sizing up the crowd.
There were no hecklers here — just willing disciples eager to listen to his talk, Galileo and the Church: A Lovers’ Spat.
But make no mistake. This offering in the monthly Theology on Tap Akron series was far from a dry sermon on the early history of the church’s interpretations of the Bible in light of scientific advances at the time.
At one point Father Lou broke out in song, singing a few lines from Mel Brooks’ song The Inquisition from the History of the World, Part I film that took a comedic poke at the church’s effort to combat heresy.
“The Inquisition, what a show
The Inquisition, here we go
We know you’re wishing that we’d go away
But the Inquisition’s here and it’s here to stay.”
Amid laughter, Father Lou said: “Good someone is listening.”
Galileo’s struggles with the church hierarchy came thanks to his early telescope that could literally look into the heavens. It caused some consternation at the time as he loudly questioned whether Earth was the center of the universe.
Galileo, himself a Catholic, found himself imprisoned for what was considered heresy at the time.
What is ironic, Father Lou said, is that Galileo found himself running afoul of the very church that has historically embraced scientific study, from that of Robert Grosseteste to Nicolaus Copernicus to Gregor Mendel.
It was Galileo’s unwillingness to fully research and prove his early theories, a bit of arrogance and the way he thumbed his nose at the pope that led to his undoing.
“God has placed on our hearts a desire to know the fullness of truth,” Father Lou said.
The desire to grow in one’s faith and learn a little church history is what drew many to the Winking Lizard on an otherwise dreary winter’s night.
The Akron ministry — geared for Catholics in their 20s and 30s — has only been around here since October and quickly outgrew its original home at the Thirsty Dog Brewery in Akron after just a couple meetings.
And, after just one gathering at the Winking Lizard, it will be moving from a small room off the bar to the main dining room when it reconvenes Feb. 8.
For Mary Neugebauer, who helps promote the gatherings, the talks and the opportunity to meet other young people who share her faith has filled a void she felt since graduating from Franciscan University of Steubenville last spring.
“You just feel God working through this,” said the Akron woman.
Eric Eiermann, who works at St. Sebastian and St. Joseph parishes, said the goal of bringing Theology on Tap to Akron — there has been an active group on Cleveland’s west side for years — is to offer a friendly and fun environment for young adults to grow spiritually and maybe become more serious about their faith.
“The key is how do we get young people back into the church,” he said.
The early success of Theology on Tap has organizers looking at starting a similar monthly talk for Catholics over the age of 40 called Theology on the Rocks.
Rocco Galizio, of Akron, who emcees the talks, joked that the beauty of this gathering is that there are no collection plates, just dinner plates.
“I am going to go out and embrace my faith — and embrace drinking,” he added wryly.
The next talk will be Oil of Desire: Reflection on the Parable of the 10 Virgins by Mother Theodora from Christ the Bridegroom Monastery in Burton.
Galizio said organizers like to keep the topic titles just “cryptic” enough to entice folks to come back again.
The overall goal is to grow in grace and faith, Galizio said, and it doesn’t hurt to “eat, drink and be merry.”
“We are Catholics,” he said. “This is what we do.”
Craig Webb can be reached at cwebb@thebeaconjournal.com or 330-996-3547.