5.27 St. Catherine of Siena: Mystic of the Incarnate Word

St. Catherine of Siena (1347 - 1380) was almost single-handedly responsible for bringing the Papacy back to Rome after the long Avignon Papacy. Her book, The Dialogue, demonstrates advanced theological understanding, and includes direction in how to progress in the spiritual life, and also the words of God spoken directly to her.  Links The Dialogue, with Introduction: https://www.paulistpress.com/Products/2233-2/catherine-of-siena.aspx For comparison, the Diary of St. Faustina: https://shopmercy.org/diary-of-saint-maria-faustina-kowalska.html The letters of St. Catherine online: http://www.domcentral.org/trad/cathletters.htm SIGN UP for Catholic Culture's Newsletter:  https://www.catholicculture.org/newsletters/ DONATE at:  http://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio Dr. Papandrea's Homepage:  https://jimpapandrea.wordpress.com/ Dr. Papandrea's latest book is The Original Church: What it Meant - and Still Means - to Be a Christian: https://scepterpublishers.org/products/the-original-church-what-it-meant-and-still-means-to-be-a-christian 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/  

St. Catherine of Siena (1347 - 1380) was a "third order" Dominican, spiritual advisor, and a mystic, but also a nurse, and a kind of free-lance politician. She wrote letters of advice (and criticism) to cardinals, bishops, and royalty. She negotiated peace (or tried to) between warring city states, and - like St. Hildegard before her - she had permission to preach and teach. Her "disciples" and spiritual advisees included women and men, laity and clergy. Links The letters of St. Catherine online: http://www.domcentral.org/trad/cathletters.htm SIGN UP for Catholic Culture's Newsletter:  https://www.catholicculture.org/newsletters/ DONATE at:  http://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio Dr. Papandrea's Homepage:  https://jimpapandrea.wordpress.com/ Dr. Papandrea's latest book is The Original Church: What it Meant - and Still Means - to Be a Christian: https://scepterpublishers.org/products/the-original-church-what-it-meant-and-still-means-to-be-a-christian 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/  

St. John Henry Newman (1801 - 1890) - Arguably the most famous convert since St. Paul, St. John Henry Newman defined the method for discerning the difference between legitimate growth and development in the Church, as opposed to the kinds of change that are really a deviation from Tradition and a corruption. Sorting this out led him to lose his trust in the Anglican communion, and in Protestantism in general, and unite with the Catholic Church. He would eventually be a cardinal, and he has been named co-patron of Catholic education, and now there are Newman Centers on college campuses across the US and the UK.   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 the audio books: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/audiobook_newman_titles.cfm St. John Henry Newman's reflections on the Blessed Virgin and Marian Doctrines: The Mystical Rose - https://scepterpublishers.org/products/mystical-rose?_pos=1&_sid=6251db2e1&_ss=r Fr. Juan Velez' Holiness in a Secular Age: The Witness of Cardinal Newman - https://scepterpublishers.org/products/holiness-in-a-secular-age-the-witness-of-cardinal-newman?_pos=2&_sid=0e574e4ce&_ss=r&variant=40294599821 SIGN UP for Catholic Culture's Newsletter:  https://www.catholicculture.org/newsletters/ DONATE at:  http://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio Dr. Papandrea's Homepage:  https://jimpapandrea.wordpress.com/ Dr. Papandrea's latest book is The Original Church: What it Meant - and Still Means - to Be a Christian: https://scepterpublishers.org/products/the-original-church-what-it-meant-and-still-means-to-be-a-christian 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/  

Cross-posted from the Catholic Culture Podcast with Thomas V. Mirus. Paul Shrimpton assisted in the process of making St. John Henry Newman a Doctor of the Church. He joins the podcast to discuss his involvement in the process, and his new book from Word on Fire Academic, "The Most Dangerous Man in England": Newman and the Laity. During his lifetime, Newman was a controversial figure within the Catholic Church in large part due to his views on the laity and his advocacy for their role in running Catholic schools. Shrimpton's book gives us a picture of Newman's view of the laity not only through his ideas, but through his practical endeavors in the world of education, his pastoral activity, and his deep and abiding friendships with many laypeople. "The Most Dangerous Man in England": Newman and the Laity https://bookstore.wordonfire.org/products/the-most-dangerous-man-in-england SIGN UP for Catholic Culture's newsletter: https://www.catholicculture.org/newsletters  DONATE to make this show possible! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

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 the audio books: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/audiobook_newman_titles.cfm SIGN UP for Catholic Culture's Newsletter:  https://www.catholicculture.org/newsletters/ DONATE at:  http://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio Dr. Papandrea's Homepage:  https://jimpapandrea.wordpress.com/ Dr. Papandrea's latest book is The Original Church: What it Meant - and Still Means - to Be a Christian: https://scepterpublishers.org/collections/new-releases/products/the-original-church-what-it-meant-and-still-means-to-be-a-christian?variant=46258102337713 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/  

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: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0od3JXnbfYY Also, check out this interview that St. Thomas' namesake - Thomas Mirus - did on the Catholic Culture Podcast with Matthew Minerd, about the education St. Thomas received and his responsibilities as a master of theology and his academic milieu: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/161-vocation-thomas-aquinas-matthew-minerd/ Three of St. Thomas' academic sermons are available as audio books on the Catholic Culture website: Beware of the False  https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/st-thomas-aquinas-beware-false/ Heaven and Earth Will Pass  https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/st-thomas-aquinas-heaven-and-earth-will-pass/ Send Out Your Spirit  https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/st-thomas-aquinas-send-out-your-spirit/ Mike Aquilina's Praying in the Presence of Our Lord with Thomas Aquinas: https://lambingpress.com/products/praying-in-the-presence-of-our-lord-with-st-thomas-aquinas The Classics of Western Spirituality volume on Albert & Thomas: https://www.paulistpress.com/Products/3022-X/albert-and-thomas.aspx The Penguin Classics Thomas Aquinas: Selected Writings: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/260880/selected-writings-of-thomas-aquinas-by-thomas-aquinas/ The Aquinas Institute Online Complete Works of St. Thomas Aquinas: https://aquinas.cc/la/en/~ST.I Pope Leo XIII, 1879 Papal Encyclical Aeterni Patris:  https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=4861&repos=1&subrepos=0&searchid=2570288 Pope Pius XI, 1923 Papal Encyclical Studiorem Ducem: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=4957 Pope St. John Paul II, 1998 Papal Encyclical Fides et Ratio: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=592&repos=1&subrepos=0&searchid=2570289 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 For Dr. Papandrea's take on St. Anselm, Peter Abelard, and St. Thomas Aquinas on the Atonement, see Reading the Church Fathers: https://sophiainstitute.com/?product=reading-the-church-fathers 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/    

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  https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/st-thomas-aquinas-beware-false/ Heaven and Earth Will Pass  https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/st-thomas-aquinas-heaven-and-earth-will-pass/ Send Out Your Spirit  https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/st-thomas-aquinas-send-out-your-spirit/ Also, check out this interview that St. Thomas' namesake - Thomas Mirus - did on the Catholic Culture Podcast with Matthew Minerd, about the education St. Thomas received and his responsibilities as a master of theology and his academic milieu: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/161-vocation-thomas-aquinas-matthew-minerd/ The Classics of Western Spirituality volume on Albert & Thomas: https://www.paulistpress.com/Products/3022-X/albert-and-thomas.aspx And, if you haven't already, check out the episodes on St. Thomas' teacher and mentor, St. Albert the Great, on this Way of the Fathers podcast: Episode 5.17 St. Albert the Great: Universal Doctor: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/517-st-albert-great-universal-doctor/ Episode 5.18 St. Albert the Great: The Miracle of His Time: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/518-st-albert-great-miracle-his-time/ 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 latest book is The Original Church: What it Meant - and Still Means - to Be a Christian: https://scepterpublishers.org/collections/new-releases/products/the-original-church-what-it-meant-and-still-means-to-be-a-christian?variant=46258102337713 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/    

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: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=9267 Part 2: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=9271 Part 3: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=9284 The Classics of Western Spirituality volume on St. Bonaventure: https://www.paulistpress.com/Products/2121-2/bonaventure.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 latest book is The Original Church: What it Meant - and Still Means - to Be a Christian: https://scepterpublishers.org/collections/new-releases/products/the-original-church-what-it-meant-and-still-means-to-be-a-christian?variant=46258102337713 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/  

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: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=9267 Part 2: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=9271 Part 3: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=9284 The Classics of Western Spirituality volume on St. Bonaventure: https://www.paulistpress.com/Products/2121-2/bonaventure.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 latest book is The Original Church: What it Meant - and Still Means - to Be a Christian: https://scepterpublishers.org/products/the-original-church-what-it-meant-and-still-means-to-be-a-christian 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/  

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: 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/