Insight Scoop | The Ignatius Press Blog

Two Approaches To Culture: Evangelistic & Diagnostic

Fr. Robert Barron, author of "Seeds of the Word" (www.WordonFire.org) and Dr. James
A. Patrick, author of "Essays on Modernity and the Permanent Things" (www.TowerPressBooks.com)

Two Approaches To Culture: Evangelistic & Diagnostic | Carl E. Olson | CWR Editorial

New books by Fr. Robert Barron and Dr. James A. Patrick are exceptional guides to the confused and confounding dominant culture

“The best is the betting of one's very life on behalf of Christ, the good, the self-denying and the dangerous.” — Dr. James A. Patrick

"The authentically Christian spiritual itinerary never ends with something as bland as 'self-discovery.' Rather, it ends with the splendid privilege of participating in God's own work in bringing grace into the world." — Fr. Robert Barron

[Robert] Graves really is writing about our own age, not of some remote future: of life in today's United States .... He is saying that culture arises from the cult; and that when belief in the cult has been wretchedly enfeebled, the culture will decay swiftly. The material order rests upon the spiritual order.” — Russell Kirk, “Civilization Without Religion?” 

A friend, having recently read Fr. Robert Barron's review of Kenneth Branagh's movie, “Cinderella”, sent me this quote from Cardinal John Henry Newman:

“With Christians, a poetical view of things is a duty. We are bid to color all things with hues of faith, to see a divine meaning in every event.”

 It's an apt description of a Christian cultural critic, and Fr. Barron is an especially fine commentator on culture, whether it be “high”, “low”, or “pop” culture. His new book Seeds of the Word: Finding God in the Culture (Word on Fire, 2015) is a collection of over 80 of his essays about movies (“Imago Dei: God in Film”), literature (“Take and Read: God in Books”), politics (“City On a Hill”), and culture at large (“Rays of Truth”). It is an exceptional example of an accomplished academic—Fr. Barron is a skilled theologian and the Rector/President of Mundelein Seminary in Chicago—engaging with the good, bad, beautiful, and ugly found throughout American culture.  

It's important to point out that Fr. Barron, who I've had the pleasure of working for on two catechetical series (“Catholicism” and “Priest Prophet King”), is fundamentally motivated by a love for God, truth, and souls. In an homage written a week ago for the late Cardinal Francis George, Fr. Barron highlights the missionary vision and heart of the late Archbishop of Chicago. He notes that Cardinal George was not satisfied with Catholics taking a “counter-cultural” stance only, as “this can suggest a simple animosity, whereas the successful evangelist must love the culture he is endeavoring to address":

But he saw a deeper problem as well, namely, that, strictly speaking, it is impossible to be thoroughly counter-cultural, since such an attitude would set one, finally, against oneself. It would be a bit like a fish adamantly insisting that he swims athwart the ocean. Therefore, the one who would proclaim the Gospel in the contemporary American setting must appreciate that the American culture is sown liberally with semina verbi (seeds of the Word).

This approach, as he explains in his book, is an adaptation of the patristic method of seeking out “seeds of the Word”—“hints and echoes of the Gospel that can be found, often in distorted form, in the high and low contemporary culture.” 

Continue reading at www.CatholicWorldReport.com.

The Legacy of Cardinal Francis George

The Legacy of Cardinal Francis George | Matthew A. Rarey | CWR

As Chicago’s shepherd, Cardinal George formed a new generation of priests, emphasized orthodox catechesis, and defended marriage and life

In his seventeen years as the Archdiocese of Chicago’s chief shepherd, Cardinal George, who retired last September, leaves behind a legacy as pastor, teacher, and defender of the Faith, including on the national stage during his presidency of the USCCB (2007-2010). He died April 17 after a long battle with cancer.

“He was a man of tremendous intellectual power and clarity and strength,” said Dan Cheely, vice president of Catholic Citizens of Illinois and president of the Chicago Church History Forum. “I’d go so far as to say that in the entire history of the American Catholic hierarchy, the only person I know who had the intellectual qualities comparable to Cardinal George was Archbishop Fulton Sheen. I’ve seen him give talks at the drop of a hat to highly sophisticated audiences that were literally breathtaking—and without notes.”

Rather than being a “bricks-and-mortar bishop,” Cheely describes Cardinal George as a “thought, word, and deed bishop” who communicated his “powerful love of Christ and his Church on both a personal level and as philosophical truth” to the people and clergy of the sprawling Archdiocese, which encompasses six vicariates. And Cheely, as others interviewed for this article, identifies Cardinal George’s dedication to the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary as one of his main achievements.

Forming a new generation of priests

Fr. Thomas Baima, vice rector for academic affairs at the seminary and a professor of dogmatic theology, praises Cardinal George’s deep personal engagement with the seminary community.

Continue reading at www.CatholicWorldReport.com.

New from Ignatius Press: "Tweeting with God"

Now available from Ignatius Press:

Tweeting with God: #Big Bang, prayer, Bible, sex, Crusades, sin, career

by Fr. Michel Remery

If you are curious, you ask questions - even about difficult topics. Can Catholic teaching provide answers relevant to your life today? In this book you will find 200 daring questions from young people about God, faith, prayer and morality. Fr. Michel Remery thoughtfully answers them all in Tweets of 140 characters or less, and provides expanded explanations based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Bible.

Fr. Remery shows how faith is logical, even in the 21st century! He introduces you to Jesus, shows you how to pray, and explains the sacraments. He explores some of the more difficult chapters of Church history, and helps you to discover what it means to live a good and purposeful life.

This book is ideal for:

• young men and women who are curious about the Catholic faith
• new Catholics and current catechumens
• anyone who wants to share his faith or freshen up his knowledge of the faith
• those who want to speak with others about the faith

It is lavishly illustrated with color images on every page of the book.

Fr. Michel Remery is a Dutch Catholic priest. After studying architecture at the university level, he worked for the Dutch Royal Air Force and then an engineering company in the Baltic States. Later, after finishing his theological studies in Rome, he completed a dissertation at the Pontifical Gregorian University on the relationship between liturgy and architecture. He was a member of an advisory commission for new media and youth at the Vatican Internet Service and worked with young people and university students in Leiden, Netherlands. He is currently vice secretary general of the Council of European Episcopal Conferences (CCEE).

Praise for Tweeting with God:

“Combines  the timeless teaching of our faith with the best of modern technology.”
– @cardinaldolan, Archbishop of New York

“Provides a sound, concise summary of Church teaching.”
– Most Rev. Salvatore Cordileone, Archbishop of San Francisco

 “Important pages for helping us to become the missionary disciples that we are meant to be.”
– Most Rev. Jose Gomez, Archbishop of Los Angeles

“ #Fact: Tweeting with God is ingenious, timely, and attuned to the fast-paced, on-the-go, new-media dimension of the New Evangelization.”
– @PatrickMadrid, Host of "Patrick Madrid Show"

“To learn how to effectively share your faith in the digital age, let Fr. Remery be your guide. No topic is off limits. He calmly accepts all questions about God, faith, morality, and the Church, using the Twitter-verse to probe the universe.”
– @BrandonVogt, Content Director, Word on Fire Catholic Ministries

“Fr. Remery proves that employing the platform of Twitter to learn about, enthusiastically share, and fall in love with our Catholic faith can indeed have great impact on both the sender and the recipient. A must-have for anyone  who desires to share their voice in the New Evangelization.”
– Lisa Hendey, Founder, CatholicMom.com

The Case for a Mass Conversion of Men

[Graphic: us.fotolia.com | © Alex White]

The Case for a Mass Conversion of Men | Matthew James Christoff  | CWR blog

Research shows that almost 9 out of 10 Catholic men don’t participate in a Catholic activity outside of attending Mass; if men aren’t being reached in the Mass, they aren’t being reached.

Despite the fact the New Evangelization has been an ongoing emphasis by the Catholic Church for over forty years, it has failed to stem the disastrous losses of the faithful in the U.S. Since 2000, 14 million Catholics have left the faith, parish religious education participation of children has dropped by 24%, Catholic school attendance has dropped by 19%, baptisms of infants has dropped by 28%, baptism of adults has dropped by 31% and sacramental Catholic marriages have dropped by 41%. Something is desperately wrong with the Church’s approach to the New Evangelization.

Of Mass and Men

One reason the New Evangelization is faltering is because it is missing men. The New Emangelization Project has documented the serious Catholic “man-crisis” in the United States. 1 in 3 baptized Catholic men have left the faith and of those who remain, 50-60% of them are “Casual Catholics”, men who don’t know and don’t practice the faith. Of those who practice the faith, many are lukewarm, not converted to the point of conviction, a conviction in which they are prepared to make disciples for Christ and His Catholic Church. The New Evangelization has largely ignored men, with no substantial or sustained efforts to directly confront the Catholic “man-crisis”.

The Catholic “man-crisis” matters. The souls of men matter and many are being lost; for example, two thirds of Christian men are looking at porn at least monthly and the numbers are much higher for younger men. The faith of the children matter and huge numbers of young people are leaving the faith because they have followed their fathers out of the Church. Without a New Emangelization in which millions of Catholic men become newly committed to Christ and His Church, there can be no New Evangelization.

While a complex set of forces have driven the Catholic “man-crisis”, including both massive cultural changes outside the Church and serious missteps within the Church, the lack of engagement of men in the Mass is a major contributing factor: men don’t understand the Mass and well-meaning, but misinformed priests in many parishes have de-sacralized the Mass causing many men to simply “drift away.”

Why is the Mass a key driver of the Catholic “man-crisis”?

Continue reading on the CWR blog.

A mission of love

Pope Francis hands gifts to children during a meeting with an Italian association for large families to mark the the feast of the Holy Family in Paul VI hall at the Vatican Dec. 28, 2014. (CNS photo/L'Osservatore Romano via EPA)

A mission of love | George Weigel | CWR blog

The months leading up to the World Meeting of Families this September should be a time when Catholics ponder the full, rich meaning of marriage and the family

The World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia this September should be more than a vast Catholic “gathering of the clans” around Pope Francis—and so should the months between now and then. If the Church in the United States takes this opportunity seriously, these months of preparation will be a time when Catholics ponder the full, rich meaning of marriage and the family: human goods whose glory is brought into clearest focus by the Gospel. Parents, teachers and pastors all share the responsibility for seizing this opportunity, which comes at a moment when marriage and the family are crumbling in our culture and society.

Now, thanks to a fine mini-catechism prepared by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and the Pontifical Council for the Family, we’ve been given a basic resource with which to do months of preparatory catechesis on marriage and the family—and preachers have been offered reliable material for shaping homilies on these great themes between now and September.

“Love Is Our Mission: The Family Fully Alive” (Our Sunday Visitor) begins by reminding us that the Catholic Church’s teaching on marriage and the family is not composed of “positions” or “policies,” a widespread misunderstanding today.

Continue reading at www.CatholicWorldReport.com.

What Is the Spirit Saying through Pope Francis?

What Is the Spirit Saying through Pope Francis? | Fr. Michael Najim | Homiletic & Pastoral Review

When I was in seminary, I learned in moral theology the importance of avoiding moralistic preaching. In short, moralistic preaching is when a priest simply states the rules. For example: a priest preaches that abortion is wrong and sinful; however, the preacher fails to put the sinfulness of abortion into the larger context of God’s plan for each person, that God wills and loves every human life, that each human life, created in God’s image and likeness, has dignity and inestimable value.

Sadly, the preacher does not speak of the love and mercy that God offers to the one who has chosen abortion, that God can, and desires, to forgive and renew us. The preacher ends, or even remains exclusively focused, on a note of judgment, rather than inviting his hearers into the fullness of God’s love, and, more importantly, inviting them to know that God’s love and mercy is infinite. To the hearer, moralistic preaching is judgmental, cold, and unfeeling. Moralistic preaching rarely, if ever, can lead the hearer to a genuine, life-transforming encounter with Jesus Christ, who is Love and Mercy incarnate.

This might explain why so many people throughout the world have been so attracted to Pope Francis, for his style is the antithesis of moralism. Francis came onto the world stage proclaiming that the Church and the world, more than anything else, need to be invited into a personal relationship with a God whose very essence is love and mercy, a God who desires that all people be saved.

To be clear, this was the same approach taken by St. John Paul II and Pope Benedict; neither was moralistic in his approach. John Paul and Benedict both proclaimed God’s love and mercy, and the importance of friendship with Jesus. However, and sadly, the truth is that, for many, the face of the Church for some time now has been perceived as a face of judgment on immoral behaviors. And unfortunately, for many, perception is reality.

And this is where Pope Francis comes in, for maybe the Church and the world—and the media!—are in need of being shaken from this perception.

Continue reading at www.HPRweb.com.

Preaching, Music, and Acoustics

Preaching, Music, and Acoustics | Deacon W. Patrick Cunningham | Homiletic & Pastoral Review

The work of the New Evangelization is identical to the work of evangelization in every age: to communicate to those who are unaware of the saving work of the Son of God those things that will bring them to accept the gift of faith, and come to new life through the sacraments entrusted to the Church. What is “new” is the environment and the means. The environment in which we operate most of the time is, at best, neutral to the work of the Church. At worst, it is actively hostile to the teachings of Christ in the Church. It is necessary, then, to use new methods and new communications media to help Jesus Christ and the Church become visible and attractive to modern humans.

Now the Catholic Church has many advantages in this mission, as she always has. These advantages are summarized in the “three Cs” which are creed, cult, and code/community. I prefer to speak of the three transcendentals that are embodied in the Church as they are in no other institution. They are Truth, Goodness, and Beauty. The fullness of Truth is preached, and always has been, in the Catholic Church. The sacraments and the doctrines of the Church have helped and continue to help many to attain to saintly Goodness. And in the sacramental forms, prayers, architecture, and music, there is Beauty that is truly a making present on earth the Beauty of the Kingdom of God.

In the 21st century, however, the Church operates at a distinct disadvantage within the culture, and some of that problem is of our own making. Relativism, as communicated through the media, universities, and political institutions, is rampant in society. Many believe that there are many truths, not just One Truth. When we preach the Truth, particularly in sexual and family morals, we are teaching things that annoy, rather than attract. The media have, since the dawn of the new millennium, made it a daily objective to find people, particularly clergy, doing evil in the Church. The sexual abuse scandal and occasional financial irregularity casts doubt on the moral integrity of the leaders of the Church. Thus the millions who find Goodness in the Church, and who daily do good for others, including their persecutors, are ignored.

Beauty, however, has a way of disarming the critic and providing an instant experience of transcendence. As Dr. William Mahrt says, “beauty persuades by itself.”¹That is, as traditional philosophy teaches us, in the very perception of the Beautiful, “the intellect is delighted,” and that delight is intrinsic and immediate. By contrast, the apprehension of Truth must come from reasoning, and the apprehension of Goodness by a positive act of the will, informed by the actions of the intellect. These processes can be corrupted because of the weakness of the intellect and will, engendered by Original Sin. Our apprehension of the Beautiful is immediate, and so, is harder (but not impossible) to corrupt.

Thus, if the Catholic Church is to appeal to modern humans, we must “lead with Beauty.”

Continue reading at HPRweb.com.

Remarriage, Repentance, and Reaching Young Adults

People sing during a Mass for young adults at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York in December 2011.(CNS photo/Gregory A. Shemitz)

Remarriage, Repentance, and Reaching Young Adults | Bill Maguire | CWR blog

Changing the Church's teaching about Communion and remarried Catholics would create a major obstacle to the catechesis and evangelization of young people

Having spilled some ink on the topic of civilly divorced and remarried Catholics and after closely examining the vast body of definitive Magisterial teaching on the subject, the following is clear to me: Civil remarriage is always an objective grave evil if the first marriage is valid; consequently, the reception of Eucharistic communion and the sacrament of Reconciliation is not possible unless there is repentance and a firm purpose of amendment, which means separation or in cases where this is not possible — i.e., where there are children born from the second union — the commitment to live in complete continence.

The Church’s definitive teaching is unambiguous on this point and cannot change — that is, cannot change without at the same time undermining both her competence and authority to speak about marriage and family in the first place. Thus, I would like nothing better than to move on to the real question at hand: What pastoral approaches can the Church develop as effective means to bring about the conversion and repentance of civilly divorced and remarried Catholics — i.e., separation and/or complete continence — so they are able to once again be admitted to the sacrament of Reconciliation and Eucharistic communion?

After all, the theme for last year’s Extraordinary Synod on the Family was: “The pastoral challenges of the family in the context of evangelization.” It would seem that two constitutive components of the Church’s mission to evangelize include: (1) the effort to persuade us to accept and conform our lives to the truth and beauty of God’s will; and (2) the effort to call us to repentance, to change those areas of our lives that contradict God’s will.

As Mary said at the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry, “Do whatever he tells you” (Jn 2:5). Or as Jesus himself said, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Mk 4:17).

With the publication of the Lineamenta for this year’s Ordinary Synod on the Family — which includes the rejected paragraph of the Relatio Synodi on the possibility of communion for the civilly divorced and remarried (n. 51), plus questions which call for yet further exploration of the topic — it seems, however, it is precisely these two components of evangelization (persuasion and repentance) that are off the table.

Continue reading on the Catholic World Report blog.

Pope Benedict XVI’s Theology of Beauty and the New Evangelization

 

Pope Benedict XVI’s Theology of Beauty and the New Evangelization | Dr. Matthew Ramage | Homiletic & Pastoral Review

“I have often affirmed my conviction that the true apology of Christian faith, the most convincing demonstration of its truth…are the saints and the beauty that the faith has generated.”¹ Throughout his career, Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI has, time and again, emphasized that the via pulchritudinis, the way of beauty, constitutes a privileged path by which to advance the New Evangelization. In a de-Christianized society that is often hostile to the Church’s truth claims and moral norms, Benedict believes that recourse to the universal language of beauty is indispensable if today’s evangelist is to compellingly present the Gospel to would-be believers. In this brief reflection, we will explore the concept of beauty in Benedict’s theology and suggest areas in which it might be fruitfully applied by the Church today in her ministry of evangelization.

The nature of beauty and its power to convert

It is commonly said that “beauty lies in the eye of the beholder.” There is certainly some truth to this saying. When it comes to some matters (say, whether you like a particular song or movie), there is considerable room for debate among people of good will as to whether a given work of art should be called “beautiful.” Yet, to relegate beauty solely to the realm of the subjective gives rise to grave problems when pushed to its logical conclusion. This can be seen by the fact that there exist certain realities that any sane person would recognize as not beautiful. For an extremely obvious example, take the carnage of Auschwitz—not the acts of heroism by those imprisoned, but the brutal acts of aggression perpetrated upon them. If one is to call that beautiful, then one has clearly emptied the word “beauty” of all meaning.

So what is beauty? As we will discover below, Pope Benedict provides us with something different from a textbook definition of beauty. But for now, a good starting point is St. Thomas Aquinas whose thought mirrors a large part of the reflection on the subject. Within this tradition, beauty is described as having three hallmarks: integrity, proportion, and clarity, or luminosity. A piece of art possesses integrity when it is whole (a painting is not ripped in half); proportion occurs when a thing’s various parts are all in proper relation with one another (the painting has not been drawn with twig-like limbs); clarity is that “shine” that allows for the self-revelation of the beautiful (a painting could possess integrity and proportion but lack adequate light).

For his part, Benedict draws on Plato to give us more of a phenomenological account describing the experience of beauty, rather than seeking to define its precise nature. He teaches us that the dominant effect of beauty is to give us a healthy “shock” that draws us out of ourselves, and the rut in which we sometimes find ourselves entrenched throughout our daily routine.

Continue reading at www.CatholicWorldReport.com.

Engaging the Academy From the Heart of the Church

(Photos: www.saintbenedictforum.org)

Engaging the Academy From the Heart of the Church | Carl E. Olson | CWR

How two Catholic professors at a Reformed Protestant college are working to provide spiritual formation with a serious intellectual dimension for their students

The Saint Benedict Forum (saintbenedictforum.org) was co-founded in 2014 by two Catholic professors and scholars, Dr. Jared Ortiz and Dr. Jack Mulder, at Hope College, a liberal arts college rooted in the Reformed tradition, in Holland, Michigan. The Forum's site explains that it “seeks to promote and nurture intellectual work done from the heart of the Catholic Church, to foster an ecumenical community of Catholic Christians and friends committed to the renewal of culture, and to aid in the formation of intellectually and spiritually mature Christians by making available the riches of the Catholic tradition to Hope College and the wider community.”

Dr. Ortiz, Executive Director of The Saint Benedict Forum, attended the University of Chicago in the 1990s as a lapsed Catholic and self-described “confused agnostic,” eventually returning to the Catholic Church. He then studied patristics at the Catholic University of America, where he received an MA and a PhD. His doctoral dissertation was on creation, deification, and liturgy in St. Augustine’s Confessions. Dr. Ortiz is currently assistant professor of religion at Hope College.

Dr. Jack Mulder, Assistant Director of the Forum, studied philosophy and religion at Hope College before pursuing an MA and PhD in Philosophy at Purdue University, where he wrote his dissertation on Kierkegaard. He was received into the Catholic Church while attending graduate school, and he is the author of several books, including Kierkegaard and the Catholic Tradition (Indiana University Press, 2010). Dr. Mulder is chair and associate professor in the Philosophy Department at Hope College.

The two scholars recently corresponded with Carl E. Olson, editor of Catholic World Report, about the work of Saint Benedict Forum.

CWR: What is the Saint Benedict Forum?

Dr. Ortiz: The Saint Benedict Forum is a new way of establishing a robust and credible Catholic witness on college campuses. The statistics about Catholics at college are rather staggering: upwards of 85% of college-age Catholics in the United States don’t attend Mass regularly. And even the ones who do are often not very well formed in their faith. The Saint Benedict Forum is our New Evangelization response to the crisis of formation that has afflicted the Church for the past few generations.

When we started discussing this crisis, Jack and I decided that we wanted a Catholic center that could form the whole person. So, the Saint Benedict Forum combines two endeavors that are not often found together: a campus ministry—aimed at spiritual formation—and a center for Catholic thought—aimed at intellectual formation and engaging the academy from the heart of the Church. We are, roughly, a Newman Center combined with a Lumen Christi Institute. We know that spiritual formation without a serious intellectual dimension leaves our students vulnerable, while intellectual formation without a serious spiritual dimension can leave our students arid. We know our students need both if they are to live integrated and happy lives in service to God and neighbor.

Dr. Mulder: We also have the good fortune of being at a college with an intentional Christian mission. We’ve tried to partner with the resources on our campus in ways that are organic and integral, so that we can build on existing relationships and complement the good things already going on at Hope.

CWR: How did it come about—especially at a school, Hope College, that is rooted in the Reformed, Calvinist tradition?

Continue reading at www.CatholicWorldReport.com.

Brew Evangelization: The Ongoing Renaissance of Monastic Beer

Brew Evangelization: The Ongoing Renaissance of Monastic Beer | Robert Jared Staudt | CWR

As craft beer continues to rise in popularity in the United States, those responsible for creating western brewing practices are reclaiming their own

What is it about monks and beer? The two just go together. And as craft beer continues to rise in popularity in the United States, the ones responsible for creating western brewing practices are reclaiming their own.

This renewal is important for monastic life in providing another opportunity for monks to produce their own goods and to sustain their monasteries (in an age when many of their traditional farming practices are in decline; see an odd example in Mepkin Abbey’s controversy with PETA). St. Benedict affirms the necessity of the monk’s work: “When they live by the labor of their hands, as our fathers and the apostles did, then they are really monks” (Rule, ch. 48). Benedict also states that “the monastery should, if possible, be so constructed that within it all necessities, such as water, mill and garden are contained, and the various crafts are practiced” (ch. 66).

Although this self-sufficiency is meant, in part, to insulate the monks from the world, the crafts Benedict mentions are important to provide an opportunity for the monks to witness to society. St. Benedict foresees the contribution of the monk on society: “Whenever products of these artisans are sold, those responsible for the sale must not dare to practice any fraud. . . . The evil of avarice must have not part in establishing prices, which should, therefore, always be a little lower than people outside the monastery are able to set, so that in all things God may be glorified (ch. 57, quoting 1 Pt 4:11). Though speaking of prices in particular (although aren’t Trappist beers the most expensive?), Benedict wants the monks to glorify God when they enter into contact with the outside world through their products.

This combination of bolstering monastic life and creating a more dynamic engagement with our culture has the potential for what has been called a Brew Evangelization. The New Evangelization is a renewed proclamation of the treasury of the Christian faith to meet the needs and challenges of modern culture, especially for those Christians who have fallen away from the faith. The revival of brewing is also a small recovery of monastic tradition. Monastic brewing can be considered a part of a general need for Catholics to reassert our presence and influence in modern culture.

One brewery, which is certainly making a splash, is Birra Nursia, brewed by the Monastery of St. Benedict, an international community with many American monks, in Norcia Italy, St. Benedict’s hometown.

Continue reading at www.CatholicWorldReport.com.

Available through Ignatius Press: "Priest, Prophet, King" by Fr. Robert Barron

Now available:

• Priest, Prophet, King (DVD)
• Priest, Prophet, King: Leader's Guide
• Prophet, Priest, King: Study Guide

by Fr. Robert Barron

The better we understand Jesus, the better we understand ourselves. But who was Jesus, this itinerant preacher whom many called the Messiah? In Priest, Prophet, King, you'll discover Jesus as the Anointed One-the ultimate priest, prophet, and king foreshadowed throughout the Hebrew Scriptures. Using biblical insights and engaging stories, Father Barron affirms that we see Jesus most clearly through the lens of the Old Testament.

This deeply biblical program, filmed in high-definition video, features an accompanying study guide by notable Catholic writer and apologist, Carl E. Olson, written under Fr. Barron's direction. (Carl also wrote the study guide for the CATHOLICISM formation program.)

Through this presentation of Priest, Prophet, King, you will better understand Jesus, become more familiar with Scripture, and realize your own priestly, prophetic, and kingly mission.

This DVD contains the following language options: English and English subtitles. Dubbed Spanish and Spanish subtitles.

The six lessons are as follows:
1. Adoratio: Adam as Priest (View lesson one video sample)
2. The High Priest
3. Challenging False Worship: Elijah the Prophet
4. The Word Made Flesh
5. Ordering the Kingdom: King David
6. King of Kings

Additional materials for this program include:
• Leader's Guide (Facilitator Guide; six lessons and Answer Key)
• Study Guide (six lessons for participants)  View a sample of the study guide.

Each small group discussion leader should have the Leader's Guide and each participant should have his/her own copy of the Study Guide.  

A complete session plan and other program advice is outlined in the Facilitator’s Guide, which is part of the Leader’s Guide. Each DVD segment is 20 minutes long and the discussion should be planned for 60-70 minutes, so each lesson can be covered in a total of 90 minutes. Participants should read the commentary in the study guide and prepare the Questions for Understanding and the Questions for Application before the small group discussion. This preparation can be accomplished either before or after they view the DVD, as the commentary in each lesson is very detailed.

Catholic Radio Launches in Los Angeles

Catholic Radio Launches in Los Angeles | Jim Graves | CWR

After a long absence, Catholic programming enters the country’s largest radio market.

Los Angeles welcomed the return of English-speaking Catholic radio on November 17, when Archbishop Jose Gomez “flipped the switch” to turn on KHJ AM 930, broadcasting Catholic programming to a market of 15 million for the first time in more than a decade. The station is owned and operated by Immaculate Heart Radio (IHR), and features such programs as Right Here Right Now with Patrick Madrid, Catholic Answers Live, and The Terry and Jesse Show. IHR has a station in San Diego, KCEO AM 1000, which, combined with the Los Angeles station, gives the network coverage from Oxnard to the Mexican border.

At the November 17 launch, Archbishop Gomez called KHJ “a beautiful blessing for our mission,” and said, “Catholic radio is truly a gift from God. It is another way that God uses to speak to us.”

“Our launch has gone great. We’re off to a good start,” said Doug Sherman, founder and CEO of IHR. “Right now, our focus is to build audience, which we’re doing through billboard advertisements, articles in local papers, and, at the parish level, through the Knights of Columbus. We’re also hoping that people active on the radio dial will find us.”

IHR purchased KHJ for $10 million, funded by cash donations, pledges, and low-interest loans from friends of IHR. IHR had intended to purchase a smaller station, but opted for KHJ instead when it became available. Sherman was excited to enter the LA market, he noted, as it is the biggest in the United States.

“It’s an important way to spread the Catholic faith,” he said.

In attendance at the station’s launch party were several Catholic celebrities, including former professional baseball player Mike Sweeney.

Continue reading at www.CatholicWorldReport.com.

Save 50% on these best-selling and new DVD series, thru Dec. 31st

Don't miss the best deals of the season! This Christmas help enrich your loved ones' faith by gifting them with one of our inspirational and educational DVD series. And, as our gift to you, from now until December 31st we're offering 50% OFF on the best-selling and new DVD series listed below. Don't miss this opportunity! Order today! Symbolon: The Catholic Faith Explained The Complete Set Symbolon: The Catholic Faith Explained is a stunning new video series that systematically presents the BIG picture of the Catholic Faith. This compelling series contains two parts including ten episodes each. In Part 1 we journey through the core teachings of the Catholic Church traced out in the Creed and Catechism with the goal of knowing the Faith. In Part 2, we focus on our encounter with God in the sacraments and the moral life so that we can be fully living the Faith. Order Today YDisciple True Beauty and True Strength DVD Set The True Beauty and True Strength series focuses on what it takes to be real man or woman of God, as it discusses the themes of chastity, love, fellowship, and relationships in the everyday lives of young men and women. Order Today Lectio: Peter Cornerstone of Catholicism* Join Dr. Tim Gray — gifted Scripture teacher, internationally acclaimed author, and President of the Augustine Institute — on a Biblical voyage unlike any other. In this first installment of Lectio: Unveiling Scripture and Tradition, Dr. Gray takes us on an intensive journey into the life of one of history’s most compelling characters. Peter: Cornerstone of Catholicism offers a fascinating, in-depth study series on the life and meaning of St. Peter. Bringing together Biblical stories, historical knowledge, solid Church teaching, and personal insights, Dr. Gray gives a fresh perspective on the fisherman who Jesus entrusted with His Church. In these 10 stirring lectures, we’ll learn what happens when flawed humanity comes up against God made flesh. *This is available as a presale item that will ship by December 12, 2014. Pre-order Today Copyright © 2014 Ignatius Press, All rights reserved. Share Tweet Forward

Unveiling Scripture and Tradition

 

Introducing a brand new bible study video series featuring Dr. Tim Gray

San Francisco, November 24, 2014 – The Augustine Institute, partnering with Lighthouse Media and Ignatius Press, is excited to announce a brand new video-based study series: Lectio: Unveiling Scripture and Tradition. This dynamic series explores the truth and relevance of the Scriptures and Tradition of the Catholic Church.

The first installment of this new series, entitled Peter: Cornerstone of Catholicism, offers an intensive and fascinating course on the life and meaning of Saint Peter. In 10 dynamic presentations given by Dr. Tim Gray — a gifted teacher and scholar from the renowned Augustine Institute – viewers learn what happens when flawed humanity comes up against God made flesh.

Bringing together biblical stories, historical knowledge, solid Church teaching, and personal insights, Dr. Tim Gray gives a fresh perspective on the life and work of the man Jesus entrusted with leadership of His Church.

Dr. Gray calls the Lectio series “a compelling new adult faith formation series that intertwines Scripture and Tradition in a rich, and uniquely Catholic way.  The videos incorporate wonderful footage from the Holy Land and Rome along with a rich selection of Catholic art through the ages to visually capture the beauty and splendor of our Catholic Tradition.”

The Peter: Cornerstone of Catholicism series features 5 DVDs with over 7 hours of video presentation, a convenient Study Resource featuring 10 weeks of guided reflection, and a Comprehensive Leader Guide for effective group study.

Dr. Gray explains what makes the Lectio series unique, saying, “Lectio provides the most robust and content rich participant’s guide of any study, with daily guided meditation for personal prayer with scripture (lectio), essays on beautiful art related to the topic, geography, history, and literary insights into Scripture, memory verses along with questions and discussion points for small groups and a leaders guide.”

For more information, or to view a sample clip from Peter: Cornerstone of Catholicism, please visit: http://www.LectioIP.com

About Tim Gray: Dr. Tim Gray is the President and Co-Founder of the Augustine Institute, a dynamic new Graduate School of Sacred Scripture and Evangelization & Catechesis in Denver. A nationally renowned speaker and author, Dr. Gray has filmed numerous series for EWTN, produced multiple audio presentations for Lighthouse Catholic Media, and published numerous books and articles. He is also the co-author of the popular study series The Great Adventure Bible Timeline.

Dr. Gray is available for interviews about this series. To request a review copy or an interview with Dr. Tim Gray, please contact: Rose Trabbic, Publicist, Ignatius Press at (239) 867-4180 or [email protected]

The Bishops' Priorities, the Media's "Agenda", and the "Francis Effect"

Auxiliary Bishop Christopher Coyne of Indianapolis at a November 2012 discussion between U.S. bishops and Catholics active in social media. (CNS photo/Nancy Phelan Wieche)

The Bishops' Priorities, the Media's "Agenda", and the "Francis Effect" | CWR Staff

Bishop Christopher J. Coyne, the newly elected Chairman of the USCCB's Committee on Communications, discusses the recent General Assembly, the Pope, media spin, and mission vs. maintenance

Bishop Christopher J. Coyne is an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis and is the newly elected Chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Committee on Communications. He received his doctorate from the Pontifical Institute of Liturgy at St. Anselmo in Rome, and is a former Professor of Sacred Liturgy and Preaching at St. John’s Seminary in Brighton, MA. Bishop Coyne is a former director of the Office for Worship for the Archdiocese of Boston and was also the media spokesperson and Cabinet Secretary for Communications of the Archdiocese of Boston.

Bishop Coyne recently corresponded with CWR's editor, Carl E. Olson, about the recent USCCB General Assembly, held last week in Baltimore, and shared his thoughts about that meeting, specific challenges facing the U.S. bishops, and the “Francis effect”.

CWR: As you noted in a post you wrote during the recent USCCB General Assembly in Baltimore, there have been competing, even contradictory, media accounts of that meeting and its agenda. How would you, as an actual participant in that meeting, describe the proceedings? What were the main points of discussion, concern, and focus?

Bishop Coyne: The general meetings of the USCCB are driven by a list of priorities established by the bishops for four-year planning and action purposes. Our work in session is intended to assist each Ordinary in his Archdiocese or Diocese in fulfilling his mission as its chief Shepherd. A lot of what we do in the general meetings is routine and often unglamorous: we receive reports from the various regular or ad hoc committees on the present state of the work of the Conference as regards the present “priorities.”

So, for example, two of the priorities of the Conference at the present time are the defense of religious liberty and the traditional understanding of marriage. As such, we had a report both in public session and executive session from each ad hoc committee which deal with these issues. As someone who has been attending these meetings for the last four years, at times they are very informative and helpful, at other times they can be tedious and routine. Its the nature of assembles like ours.

CWR: You’ve noted that the top points of discussion were established even before the election of Francis. Yet many seem intent on reading the so-called “Francis effect” into everything. First, how would you describe the “Francis effect”? And how do you think it actually affected, shaped, or challenged how the U.S. bishops are approaching this meeting and their efforts in the coming year?

Bishop Coyne: Well the “Francis effect” plays itself out in a number of ways.

Continue reading at www.CatholicWorldReport.com.

Surprising Lessons from Ten Million YouTube Views

Surprising Lessons from Ten Million YouTube Views | Fr. Robert Barron | CWR blog

The printing press constituted a revolution, and something very similar, but even more explosive, is at work today

Just last month, my media ministry Word on Fire marked a milestone: 10,000,000 views on our YouTube channel. This achievement fills me with gratitude both to God and to the many people who have taken the time to watch one or more of the videos that I’ve produced over the past several years. It also provides the occasion for me to reflect a bit on both the pitfalls and advantages of evangelizing through the new media.

When we commenced our outreach through YouTube seven years ago, we did so in the manner of an experiment. YouTube had just come into being at that time, and it largely featured crude, homemade videos of cats jumping off the roof and babies gurgling for their mother’s camcorder. I thought that we should try to invade this space with the Gospel and so I resolved to make short video commentaries on movies, music, current affairs, cultural happenings, etc. We had absolutely no idea whether anyone would watch, and at first, our offerings garnered just a small audience. I distinctly remember being thrilled when one of our videos managed to pass the 500 views mark for the first time.

But over the months and years, word spread, and we began to build an audience. The first video of ours to go viral was my response to Bill Maher’s awful movie “Religulous.” In the course of a few weeks, it had been seen by 100,000 people, and it continues to perform well, even to the present. In fact, the atheists have been my most active friends on the Internet. Whenever I do a video on Maher or Christopher Hitchens or Richard Dawkins or Stephen Hawking, I get a strong reaction and lots of views.

One of the features of YouTube that I appreciate the most is its interactivity.

Continue reading on the CWR blog.

Ignatius Press President Mark Brumley's article on the "Synod Surprise"

From his commentary in the National Catholic Register:

Those expecting big changes in Catholic teaching in the final report of the Extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the Family just encountered the “God of surprises,” to use Pope Francis’ expression. No big changes.

Of course, the interim report surprised people, too. Apparently, someone “adjusted” it to fit a certain approach to issues concerning homosexual persons, civilly remarried Catholics, and Communion and cohabitation. This approach wasn’t generally shared by the synod fathers, despite everyone’s desire to be inclusive and merciful. That made the report a misrepresentation. Surprise.

Media “spun” the story, essentially saying that the Catholic Church had “caved in,” to use George Weigel’s expression. The Church is changing her teaching, they said. The story was wrong. No surprise.

What surprised many was the bishops’ pushback. Many openly criticized the interim report. They began taking more responsibility for their own “messaging.” Even some of the so-called “progressive” voices severely qualified things:

Mercy, inclusivity and respect for human dignity doesn’t mean anything goes, many bishops noted. Human dignity isn’t a blank check to do as we please. Disapproving of certain things doesn’t mean we don’t know that people do other, praiseworthy things. Even bad actions sometimes have positive elements, which don’t, of course, make the bad things good. None of this needs to compromise Catholic teaching. We should praise faithful Catholic families. And so on.

Told by synod leadership that the bishops’ small-group reports wouldn’t be available to the public, the bishops balked. The small-group reports were published.

The final report of the synod aligns with Catholic teaching.

Some observers compared the synod’s discussion to Vatican II. Good comparison. The Roman Curial leadership at the Second Vatican Council wanted the bishops to “rubber stamp” the prepackaged documents. The bishops said, “No.” Similarly, some synod fathers tried to get a “rubber stamp” on a misrepresentative interim report. The bishops said, “No.”

Surprise.

Read the entire piece, "Synod Surprise," at www.NCRegister.com. Also see Brumley's essay, "It's time for the full Gospel of the Family" (Cruxnow.com; Oct 6th).

Ignatius Press CEO Mark Brumley interviewed by "America" magazine...

... about apologetics and American culture. An excerpt:

People consider you to be a Catholic apologist. What do apologetics mean to you in the context of American culture today?

America is both religious and secularized. As a result, people often mistakenly think they know what Christians or Catholics believe. Apologetics today must first clarify for Americans what Catholicism is and then show how faith fulfills the deep
aspirations of the human soul, even in 21st century America! Concretely, apologetics must address such things as the “I’m-spiritual-but-not-religious” outlook, the idea that faith means believing things you know aren’t true, why this “Jesus guy” is so important, why the Catholic Church, and what makes life about more than pleasure and building your 401k. 

You’ve worked many years for Catholic Answers and Ignatius Press. How have Catholic apologetics changed or evolved in the course of your work?

I would note three changes: broader subject matter, more resources, and more sophisticated, evangelical apologists. When I started at Catholic Answers, in the late 1980s, we focused on Protestant Fundamentalism. Nowadays, social and cultural issues are important, too: human sexuality (including marriage as a civil institution), the human person, pro-life concerns, religion’s place in the public square, etc. And of course basic questions such as the existence of God, the historicity of Jesus, and the claims of the Catholic Church remain essential. Meanwhile, the resources are plentiful—books, videos, audio CDs, websites, phone apps, Catholic radio and TV, etc.  What’s more, many apologists—Jimmy Akin and Trent Horn of Catholic Answers come to mind among others—are first-rate thinkers and don’t simply present other people’s arguments. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that!) Finally, people increasingly see apologetics as evangelization’s "flipside."  The goal can’t be simply to win an argument, as I say in my book, to dispose people to the work of the Holy Spirit. The New Evangelization is “highway and byway” evangelization—taking Christ to people instead of waiting for them to knock at the rectory. The new evangelists see apologetics’ value and apologists see they must be new evangelists. That’s a significant change.

The media has given a lot of attention to how the collapse of families is altering the cultural landscape in America. What challenge does this reality pose for Catholic apologetics?

In some ways, we’ve been here before. The church dealt with collapsing families in pagan Rome. But, as Chesterton and Lewis noted, a post-Christian paganism differs from pre-Christian paganism, as a bitter divorcee differs from an unmarried virgin. The full impact of familial collapse we have yet to experience. The redefinition of marriage and family will have further disastrous consequences. In the meantime, we speak with hurting people who think they know all about Christianity. They know not everything is relative but they often talk and act otherwise. They’re subjects of the dictatorship of moral relativism, at least when it comes to certain areas of their lives. We talk with people who think science has disproved Christianity or that multiculturalism has discredited it. We’re surrounded by children of the sexual revolution, with whom we must speak a language they can understand. Theology of the body helps here. In all of this, we must “walk the walk” as well as “talk the talk” (make arguments). Yes, we’ll fall short. Experiencing mercy can help. Paul VI’s statement about people listening to witnesses more than to teachers is key. If we witness to mercy because we have experienced it, we’ll get “street cred.” People will be more apt to listen. People need mercy—love’s response to suffering. Pope Francis has underscored this in his unique way. But then we have to be prepared to say something worth hearing, too.  We’ll need to be ready to make our case.

Read the entire interview at AmericaMagazine.org.

Ignatius Press President: "It's time for the full Gospel of the Family"

Mark Brumley, President of Ignatius Press, has penned an op-ed for CRUX titled, "It's time for the full Gospel of the Family". Here are a couple of excerpts:

Perhaps you’ve noticed that some reporters describe the disagreement between Catholic leaders as between those who want to keep the status quo on marriage and family and those who want merciful and compassionate change.

What nonsense. What political spin.

Many of us dubbed “conservative,” who supposedly peddle a “closed system of theology,” and allegedly confuse the “gospel with a penal code” certainly don’t want the status quo. We believe in change.

In the book “The Gospel of the Family,” the authors, Father Juan Jose Pérez-Soba and Dr. Stephan Kampowski, underscore the transformative power of the gospel on marriage and family life. They want a full engagement of the gospel’s power, which they believe hasn’t been happening in the Catholic Church. That’s hardly status quo. As Cardinal George Pell writes in his foreword, the Church must provide “lifeboats for those who have been shipwrecked by divorce” but the Church must also direct people to a safe port, not toward the rocks or the marshes. And the Church should provide leadership and good maps to reduce the number of shipwrecks to begin with. Again, no status quo.

It’s not a matter of staying the course; it’s a matter of helping people get on the right course. ...

For decades, some Church officials sent mixed messages to young people, to those preparing for marriage, and to married couples about whether the Church really believes what she says. We haven’t collectively directed our creative energies into converting and forming our people. We shouldn’t pretend as if we have. Indeed, in some cases, in the name of being “pastoral”, some leaders formed young people with a vision contrary to the faith. Now we look up and wonder why the world’s problems with sexuality, gender, and marriage and family life so deeply affect the Church.

We need a renewed missionary effort here. How about a, well, New Evangelization? I’m not talking simply about teaching the truth — although that’s crucial. While things have begun to turn around, we have had far too little systematic and engaging teaching in so much of parish life. New resources are available, but we have a long way to go.

No, when I speak of evangelization I mean evangelizing for serious discipleship and doing so in the context of the Gospel of the Family — the good news of what life in Christ says about the family. Catechesis assumes and implies conversion. Conversion is bound up with evangelization. Far from being contrary to mercy, it is, as St. John Paul II, the Pope of Divine Mercy, taught, at the very heart of the Gospel. If we want to live the Gospel of Mercy, then we must convert the family.

Read the entire piece on at CruxNow.com.

For more about Ignatius Press books relating to the Synod, family, and marriage, visit the Synod Resources page.