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Join us Wednesday evenings during the summer as we go through Volume I of Bishop Barron's series on "The Pivotal Players." Accompany Bishop Robert Barron on a journey to unlock the history behind some of the most influential people of the Catholic Church.
June 30: St Francis Assisi - The Reformer
Rebuild my Church! Christ’s mission to St. Francis of Assisi is the perennial task of the Church in every age. But how is that reform and renewal accomplished? The radical simplicity of St. Francis’ life demonstrates how the foundation of true and lasting reform is built on the solid rock that is the witness of the saints.
In this episode Bishop Barron and his team travel to Italy to visit all of the locations that played a significant role in the formation and vocation of Francis, which in turn reformed the life of the Church. Francis realized that the commission given to him was not simply about restoring church buildings, but building up the life of the Church itself.July 7: St Thomas Aquinas- The Theologian
The relationship of faith and reason is under intense scrutiny in an age of competing claims of fundamentalism and secularism. So called “new atheists” insist that the claims of religion amount to mere superstition left over from a time long ago. Thomas Aquinas demonstrated that to believe is to think and that the life of the mind is integral to life in Christ.
In this episode Bishop Barron and his team travel to Rome, Florence, Paris and all of the locations that played a significant role in the formation and vocation of St. Thomas, which in turn formed the life of the Church. With all his heart, Thomas Aquinas wanted nothing more than Christ, nothing more or less than Christ.July 14: St. Catherine of Siena – The Mystic
Mystic, wonderworker, and confidant to popes and kings, Catherine of Siena exemplified the power of a life lived in relationship with Jesus. Her love for Christ cast out all fear and transformed her into a living expression of him. In her weakness his strength was revealed and through that strength she provided an example of faith that changed her culture and left an enduring legacy in the Church.
In this episode Bishop Barron and his team travel to Rome, Siena, Avignon, and all of the locations that played a significant role in the formation and vocation of Catherine of Siena, which in turn formed the life of the Church.July 28: St. John Henry Newman – The Convert
Is there any truth in matters of religion? Should the Church simply retreat in the face of challenges from the culture? John Henry Newman came into the Church as a convert and used his prodigious intellectual gifts to help the Church better understand its identity and mission, and to engage the assaults of a secular age.
In this episode Bishop Barron and his team travel to Oxford, London, Dublin, and all of the locations that played a significant role in the formation and vocation of John Henry Newman, which in turn formed the life of the Church.August 4: G. K. Chesterton – The Evangelist
How does anyone engage a culture that is befuddled by Christ and suspicious of the Church? The life and witness of G. K. Chesterton, a 19 th century literary convert, shows that the fundamental disposition of effective evangelization is joy, and that life in Christ is a day-to-day encounter with an abundant and surprising offer of grace.
In this episode Bishop Barron and his team travel to Oxford, London, Beaconsfield, and all of the locations that played a significant role in the formation and vocation of G. K. Chesterton, which in turn formed the life of the Church.August 11: Michelangelo – The Artist
Michelangelo, a master of sculpture and painting, is not canonized, but serves as the privileged representative of the creative potential engendered by the Catholic faith. The Church professes that beauty is a route of access to God, and that through humanity’s creative artistry we glimpse the power and glory of the Lord.
In this episode Bishop Barron and his team travel to Rome, Florence, and all of the locations that played a significant role in the formation and vocation of Michelangelo, which in turn formed the life of the Church.
All are welcome to join at any point for any session. Please consider registering below so you can stay up to date with all announcements and links regarding the study guides to use in this program.