Fr. Robert Barron Reports from Rome on the Canonization of Popes John and John Paul II

Those who can, will be watching this weekend's momentous events in Rome on EWTN.  But for those who don't have access to the global, Catholic, television network, or want to see again parts of the canonization of these two saints, Sunlit Uplands will be posting throughout the weekend on the events in Rome.

The chant, indeed the spontaneous, heartfelt prayer of millions, "Santo Subito!," will soon be answered.  Deo Gratias!

The Church's One Purpose

 

Why Pope John XXIII is a Saint

Father Robert Barron at Elmhurst College: Evangelizing the Culture

An acclaimed author, speaker and theologian, Robert Barron is a priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago and the founder of the global ministry Word on Fire. He is the creator and host of the 10-part TV series Catholicism, and serves as the Francis Cardinal George Professor of Faith and Culture at Saint Mary of the Lake Seminary in Mundelein.

In 2012, Father Barron presented the annual Joseph Cardinal Bernardin lecture at Elmhurst College, a comprehensive, private, liberal arts college in Elmhurst, Illinois which is affiliated with the United Church of Christ.

 

Father Robert Barron's Epic "Catholicism" - An Overview and the Complete Episode Six

The following is a condensed overview of Father Robert Barron's magnificent "Catholicism" series.  It presents highlights of all ten episodes of his epic documentary and all of episode six, The Church: Christ's Mystical Body.  

As we begin a holy season of preparation for the glory of Easter, this series is a powerful reminder of the goodness, truth and beauty of our holy faith and our role in the Mystical Body of Christ, in which "we live and move and have our being." 

Father Barron's Conclave Update #4

Father Barron's Conclave Update #2

Father Barron is one of the greatest evangelizers of our time.  He is also beginning to fill the huge void left by the passing of Father Richard Neuhaus in promoting an evangelical Catholicism and presenting the Church to an increasingly secular world.  We will post his thoughtful analyses as the Conclave progresses.

Father Robert Barron on Spiritual Classics Every Catholic Should Read

Origen: De Principiis
Irenaeus: Adversus Haereses
Anything by Augustine
Sermons of Chrysostom
Saint Jerome's Biblical Commentary
Maximus the Confessor: anything
Gregory of Nyssa: anything
Anselm: Why God Became a Man" & Proslogion
Aquinas: Summa Theologiae, De Ente et Essentia, Bible commentaries by him, Golden Chain, Summa Contra Gentiles

Bonaventure: The Mind's Road to God
John Henry Newman: Apologia Pro Vita Sua & An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine
GK Chesterton: anything
Ignatius of Loyola: spiritual exercises
St. John of the Cross: anything
Thomas Merton: Seven Story Mountain, New Seeds of Contemplation
...that's just "the surface of the surface"

Religious Liberty: A Commentary by Father Robert Barron

Father Robert Barron comments on the history of the Church in England, its vitality today, and the growing threats to religious liberty from secular tyrants.

Father Barron Comments on the HHS Contraception Mandate

Father Robert Barron says that the Obama administration’s recent ruling on contraception coverage shows that the secular state is seeking to impose its morality on the Church.

Father Barron’s ‘Catholicism’

From the Denver Catholic Register
By George Weigel

In the fall of 1972, a group of us, philosophy majors all, approached our dean of studies, Father Bob Evers, with a request: Under the supervision of a faculty member, could we build a two-credit senior seminar in our last college semester around Kenneth Clark’s BBC series, “Civilization,” which had been shown on American public television. Father Evers agreed, and we had a ball. “Civilization” was the perfect way to finish a serious undergraduate liberal arts education; it brought together ideas, art, architecture and history in a visually compelling synthesis of the history of western culture that respected Catholicism’s role in shaping the West.

Join Father Robert Barron for a LIVE Web Conference Here, Tonight

Tuesday, September 6, at 7 PM ET, Here at Sunlit Uplands

Watch live streaming video from imagebooks at livestream.com

What is Catholicism? A 2,000 year old living tradition? A worldview? A way of life? A relationship? A mystery? In his new book and DVD series Catholicism Father Robert Barron examines all these questions and more, seeking to capture the body, heart and mind of the Catholic faith.

You're invited to join in on the conversation through an online, live web cast with Father Barron! Tuesday, September 6, 2011 at 7:00 pm EST (4:00 PM Pacific Time)

Father Barron will discuss this ground-breaking series and will take YOUR questions live!

Fr. Barron Comments on A Nation Under God; A Nation that Keeps the Sabbath

"Catholicism" Documentary to Premiere on Public Television Nationwide

We have posted previously about the epic, multi-part documentary, Catholicism, that is being produced by Father Robert Barron. Now WTTW, Chicago's premier public television station, has announced that it will premiere and distribute four episodes of Catholicism in Ocober 2011 to public television stations nationwide.

This lavish documentary, considered by those who have seen it as the greatest media project in the history of the Church, illustrates the history and treasures of a global religion shared by more than one billion people around the world. The series is filmed in stunning high-definition and spans more than 50 locations in 15 countries. 

Here is an excerpt from Episode 1:

And the following presents an excerpt from episode 6:



Father Robert Barron, the Francis Cardinal George Professor of Faith and Culture at Mundelein Seminary and a priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago, is the creator and host of the series. The executive producer is acclaimed filmmaker Mike Leonard, a veteran correspondent for NBC’s Today Show and producer of the popular public television series Ride of Our Lives. Together, Fr. Barron and Leonard spent two years traveling the world with a crew of seasoned network television producers. 

Father Robert Barron on the Purpose of Lent

One of our favorite modern evangelists, Father Robert Barron, with a very succinct reflection on the purpose of Lent.

Father Robert Barron: 'The YouTube Heresies'

Father Robert Barron's keynote address at an Archdiocesan Congress in Vancouver in 2010.

Father Robert Barron Prepares Powerful Telling of the Catholic Story

Second to Pope Benedict XVI, Chicago priest Father Robert Barron may be the Church's most effective living evangelist.  He is completing a monumental documentary series on the rich tapestry that is the universal Church.  

CATHOLICISM, Father Barron's global effort to present the true story of Christianity and the Catholic faith, has raised over $2.5 million and filmed in over 50 locations in more than 15 countries in the past two years. He is now focused on raising $500,000 to fund global marketing and distribution.

A preview follows of what will be one of the most important instruments for the 'New Evangelization.'

John Henry Newman’s Prophetic Voice Still Inspires

John Henry Newman, a vibrant 19th century Catholic convert and eventual Cardinal, wrote some of Catholicism’s most masterful prose, which still serves to inspire the Church today. To honor Newman’s beatification on September 19, Word On Fire Catholic Ministries, led by Father Robert Barron, is introducing John Henry Newman-- A Prophet for Our Time. This new CD set features Fr. Barron’s insight on three of Newman's most compelling works. Fr. Barron believes Newman is still “relevant, inspirational and a profound prophetic voice” for all who seek a greater understanding of the philosophy and theology of the Church.

In the three-CD set, Fr. Barron begins by summarizing Newman’s autobiographical work, Apologia Pro Vita Sua, which traces Newman's own religious thought from his time as an Anglican to his conversion to Catholicism. As he reflected on his search for the truth, Newman said, “The one who discovers history becomes Catholic.” In the second presentation, Fr. Barron explains Newman's Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine, wherein Newman presents the idea of “doctrine” as organic and developing over time, while staying true to the key principles of the faith and being monitored by a “living voice of infallibility." Newman said: “In a higher world it might be otherwise, but here below, to live is to change and to be perfect is to change often.” Finally, Fr. Barron reflects upon the Grammar of Assent, a work that demonstrates how we come to belief. Newman explains that the process of assent is not one of agreeing only with arguments that prove absolute certainty, but one of evaluating arguments, impressions, experiences and other “converging probabilities" to come to assent.

Fr. Barron, one of the world’s great and innovative teachers of Catholicism, founded Word On Fire as a global media ministry to draw Catholics all over the world more deeply into the Faith and to attract people back to or into the Church. At the hub of Word On Fire is an interactive Website (www.WordOnFire.org), which uses the most cutting-edge resources to reach out to people across the globe, including YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, podcasts and RSS Feed. The Web site was originally launched in 1999 and currently draws more than 500,000 visitors each year from every continent.

Father Robert Barron on Anne Rice and the Church

Father Robert Barron on the Great Evangelization

Father Robert Barron is becoming one of the world's great evangelists for Christ and his universal Church. Among his many projects, his Word on Fire ministry is filming an epic documentary exploring Catholic themes through locations around the world and all the people, cultures, music, history, and art that comprise the story of the worldwide Church. His beautiful website reflects the dynamism, depth, and breadth of his extraordinary ministry.

Priest Answers the Holy Father's Call to Go Forth and Blog

Fr. Robert Barron and WordOnFire.org Spread the Message of Faith

In a Jan. 23 statement, Pope Benedict XVI called priests around the world to operate Web sites and blogs in order to participate in social media communications. The Holy Father also revealed the theme for the annual World Communications Day on May 16, "New Media at the service of the Word." Fr. Robert Barron of Chicago has answered the Pope's call -- he already embraces new media with his apostolate Word On Fire Catholic Ministries.

Fr. Barron, one of the world's great and innovative teachers of Catholicism, founded Word On Fire, a global media organization, in hopes of attracting millions into or back to the Catholic faith through his vibrant sermons and comprehensive online resources. Chicago's Francis Cardinal George calls Barron one of the Church's best messengers and now the priest from the Archdiocese of Chicago is harnessing today's technology to evangelize the culture.

"The spread of multimedia communications and its rich 'menu of options' might make us think it sufficient simply to be present on the Web," the Holy Father said. But priests are "challenged to proclaim the Gospel by employing the latest generation of audiovisual resources."

At the hub of Word On Fire is an interactive Web site (www.WordOnFire.org), which uses the most cutting-edge resources to reach out to people across the globe: YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, podcasts, and RSS Feed. Fr. Barron is preparing to re-launch his blog in the coming weeks. Word On Fire also produces written resources such as articles and books as well as CDs and DVDs. It is through all these formats that Fr. Barron reaches out to the world, encouraging participants to be active in their faith by broadening their understanding and depth of the Church's teachings. The Web site was originally launched in 1999 and currently draws more than 500,000 visitors each year from every continent.

"Pope Benedict is a man after my own heart," Fr. Barron said. "Even at 82 years old, the pontiff knows that we need to speak the language of our time to effectively spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We have engaged thousands of people in dialogue about the Christian Faith through the rich 'menu of options' the pope describes: YouTube videos, Facebook, Twitter, weekly audio sermons and our fully interactive Web site. I am also re-launching my blog so that I am able to connect with people in a more personal way."

Additionally, Word On Fire, led by Fr. Robert Barron, is filming an epic 10-part documentary which will take viewers deep into the rich heritage of the Catholic Church across the world. Filmed in high-definition video in 15 countries and 30 locations, it will make the beauty of the Church seem new again. The CATHOLICISM Project will explore, through a global journey, the living faith of the Catholic Church by visiting sites on every continent that have enriched our culture. Through his journeys, Fr. Barron explains what Catholics believe and why -- using art, architecture, literature, music and all the riches of the Catholic tradition to tell a visually arresting and inspiring story.

Supporters can participate in an in-depth virtual pilgrimage found on Word On Fire's Web site. The new and improved Virtual pilgrimage will be launched in the spring and will include a team blog, where the producers, editor and other filmmakers from The Catholicism Project can tell stories of the trip. It will also include behind the scenes footage and video and audio postcards from Fr. Barron. Additionally, users can participate in a group forum, where they can interact directly with Fr. Barron and the Word On Fire team, sharing pictures and videos from their trips to the same locations in order to become part of the story in a fully-interactive way.