In honor of the Feast of St. Benedict on Saturday July 11, Bishop Barron’s WORD ON FIRE Institute is offering free viewing of the newest chapters of the PIVOTAL PLAYERS series, “St. Augustine of Hippo and St. Benedict of Nursia.”

View it here.

Benedict lived shortly after the collapse of the Roman empire, a frightening, chaotic time. Bishop Barron says “without Benedict there would be no Aquinas.” In our own dark time, the light of the church is our guide and Benedict, in the beginning of his “Rule” or “Regula,” calls us to “listen to a higher voice.”

Bishop Barron suggests that the Catholic church goes through periods of withdrawal and regrouping, for the purpose of clarifying faith and strengthening resolve, then returns to the world. He says while Vatican II called the church to get involved with the secular world, perhaps now it is time to retreat, to revisit our history and traditions, to clarify who we are as a church, and then return again to the task of evangelizing the world.

St. Elizabeth’s has a copy of “Pivotal Players” and we could watch it outdoors on the grass behind St. Hubert’s on Thursdays. You can enjoy the Farmer’s Market and have a picnic dinner watching the Pivotal Players.

VOLUME I

ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI:  
Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa, Franciscan priest and preacher to the papal household 

ST. THOMAS AQUINAS:
Dr. Matthew Levering, renowned Catholic theologian and Thomistic scholar 

ST. CATHERINE OF SIENA:
Fr. Paul Murray, O.P., Dominican preacher and spiritual master

BL. JOHN HENRY NEWMAN:
Fr. Ian Ker, world’s leading Newman scholar

G.K. CHESTERTON:  
Dale Ahlquist, founding president of the American Chesterton Society

MICHELANGELO:  
Dr. Anthony Esolen, professor of Renaissance English Literature at Providence College

Email 3churchesecc@gmail.com if you are interested.