5.23 St. John Henry Newman: The Convert Doctor
Way of the Fathers
St. John Henry Newman (1801 - 1890) was an Anglican priest and Oxford scholar who reasoned his way into the Catholic Church, with the help of the Church fathers. He spent the first part of his life and career as a Protestant, but once a Catholic, he made a lasting and significant contribution to Catholic thought and apologetics. Links Check out St. John Henry Newman in Catholic Culture Audio Books - there are over 50 titles, including lectures, poems and meditations, and sermons. The entire text of The Idea of a University is also included. Click this link for the list of titles and links to...
info_outline
5.22 St. Thomas Aquinas: The Common Doctor
Way of the Fathers
St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) - Aquinas brought the development of Catholic thought and theology to a plateau, navigating the middle path between Augustine and Pelagius; Anselm and Abelard; and even Plato and Aristotle. He’s called the Common Doctor because the Church has affirmed that his teaching should be taught, and held up as the standard, in every school, university, and seminary. Links Check out this YouTube clip, How the Summa Replaced the Sentences as the Standard Theology Textbook, w/ Philipp Rosemann: Also, check out this interview that St. Thomas’ namesake - Thomas Mirus -...
info_outline
5.21 St. Thomas Aquinas: The Angelic Doctor
Way of the Fathers
St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) - Student of St. Albert the Great, and friend of St. Bonaventure, St. Thomas Aquinas brought theology and scholastic philosophy together in a way that remains the standard of Catholic thought to this day. In some ways, St. Thomas can be thought of as a second Augustine, who arguably even surpassed the great father of the Church, and brought Augustine’s teaching to a more perfect culmination. Links Three of St. Thomas’ academic sermons are available as audio books on the Catholic Culture website: Beware of the False Heaven and Earth Will Pass...
info_outline
5.20 St. Bonaventure: Prince of Mystics
Way of the Fathers
St. Bonaventure (1221-1274) continued the legacy of St. Anthony and was the Franciscan counterpart to Aquinas. He’s called the second founder of the Franciscans, and the Prince of the Mystics, because he continued the mystical tradition of St. Bernard of Clairvaux, and he preserves for us the mystical spirituality of St. Francis of Assisi, as well as being an important influence on later mystics, such as St. John of the Cross. Links Check out this three-part series on St. Bonaventure by Pope Benedict XVI (from 2010) Part 1: Part 2: Part 3: The Classics of Western Spirituality volume on...
info_outline
5.19 St. Bonaventure: The Seraphic Doctor
Way of the Fathers
St. Bonaventure (1221-1274) was the friend and colleague of St. Thomas Aquinas. What Aquinas was to the Dominicans, Bonaventure was to the Franciscans. St. Bonaventure is known as the second founder of the Franciscans because he was important for the organization of the order, and for bringing forth and expanding upon St. Francis’ spirituality. Links Check out this three-part series on St. Bonaventure by Pope Benedict XVI (from 2010) Part 1: Part 2: Part 3: The Classics of Western Spirituality volume on St. Bonaventure: SIGN UP for Catholic Culture’s Newsletter: ...
info_outline
5.18 St. Albert the Great: The Miracle of His Time
Way of the Fathers
St. Albert the Great (1206-1280) mastered every field of study available to him, from astronomy to zoology. He was called the “miracle of his time,” not because he performed miracles, but because he was considered an authority - on the level of St. Augustine and Peter Lombard - even within his own lifetime. He was the mentor and teacher of a more famous doctor of the Church: St. Thomas Aquinas. Links For a great conversation about Peter Lombard’s Sentences, check out this article, The Most Influential Theology Book Nobody Reads: For the background on Pseudo-Dionysius, listen to...
info_outline
5.17 St. Albert the Great: Universal Doctor
Way of the Fathers
St. Albert the Great (1206-1280) was one of the real geniuses of the middle ages, and was the teacher and mentor of St. Thomas Aquinas. St. Albert had mastered virtually every field of study available to him, and he is one of the most important bridges between ancient and medieval philosophy. Links For a complete, unbiased, and very accessible overview of the Crusades, see the book God’s Battalions by Rodney Stark: SIGN UP for Catholic Culture’s Newsletter: DONATE at: Dr. Papandrea’s Homepage: Dr. Papandrea’s book on ROME is revised and updated for the...
info_outline
5.16 St. Anthony of Padua: Hammer of Heresy
Way of the Fathers
St. Anthony of Padua (1195-1231) is actually called the Hammer of Heretics, but the truth is that even in his uncompromising critiques of heresy, he had compassion for those who were led astray by the heresies, and he refused to engage in the personal attacks and name-calling that are so prevalent in apologetics, even among some other saints. So his homiletical hammer, as it were, was aimed more at the heresies than at the heretics. Listen in to find out why he's also the patron of people who have lost something. Links For more on how the Church fathers interpreted Scripture, see Reading...
info_outline
5.15 St. Anthony of Padua: Doctor of the Gospel
Way of the Fathers
St. Anthony of Padua (1195-1231) is called the Doctor of the Gospel, or the Evangelical Doctor, because he is known as both an expert in biblical interpretation, as well as one of the greatest preachers the Church has ever produced. Links SIGN UP for Catholic Culture’s Newsletter: DONATE at: Dr. Papandrea’s Homepage: Dr. Papandrea’s YouTube channel, The Original Church: Dr. Papandrea’s book on ROME is revised and updated for the Jubilee year: ROME: A Pilgrim’s Guide to the Eternal City - Second Edition: Theme Music: Gaudeamus (Introit for the Feast of...
info_outline
5.14 The Music of St. Hildegard of Bingen w/ Margot Fassler
Way of the Fathers
St. Hildegard of Bingen, 12th-century abbess, mystic, polymath, and Doctor of the Church, is best known to non-Catholics for something else – her music. We have more pieces of music by Hildegard than by any other medieval composer whose name we know. Her chants are beautiful, otherworldly, virtuosic and ahead of their time. Some of them were written for her morality play, the Ordo virtutum, which is also the first of its kind. Thomas Mirus (producer of Way of the Fathers and host of the Catholic Culture Podcast) interviews musicologist Margot Fassler about what makes St. Hildegard’s music...
info_outlineSt. Albert the Great (1206-1280) mastered every field of study available to him, from astronomy to zoology. He was called the “miracle of his time,” not because he performed miracles, but because he was considered an authority - on the level of St. Augustine and Peter Lombard - even within his own lifetime. He was the mentor and teacher of a more famous doctor of the Church: St. Thomas Aquinas.
Links
For a great conversation about Peter Lombard’s Sentences, check out this article, The Most Influential Theology Book Nobody Reads: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/195-most-influential-theology-book-nobody-reads-philipp-rosemann/
For the background on Pseudo-Dionysius, listen to this Way of the Fathers episode: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/who-was-pseudo-dionysius-areopagite/
The Classics of Western Spirituality volume which includes Albert & Thomas: https://www.paulistpress.com/Products/3022-X/albert-and-thomas.aspx
SIGN UP for Catholic Culture’s Newsletter: https://www.catholicculture.org/newsletters/
DONATE at: http://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio
Dr. Papandrea’s Homepage: http://www.jimpapandrea.com
Dr. Papandrea’s book on ROME is revised and updated for the Jubilee year: ROME: A Pilgrim’s Guide to the Eternal City - Second Edition: https://wipfandstock.com/9798385206643/rome-second-edition/
Dr. Papandrea’s YouTube channel, The Original Church: https://www.youtube.com/@TheOriginalChurch
Theme Music: Gaudeamus (Introit for the Feast of All Saints), sung by Jeff Ostrowski. Courtesy of Corpus Christi Watershed: https://www.ccwatershed.org/