Join us for a four week series about the century that changed the shape of Western Christianity. Following the cultural flowering of the Renaissance period, Western Christianity went through a period of division, disagreement and discord.
Liberated by the new medium of printing and cut off from Eastern Christianity by the advances of Muslim forces and the Fall of Constantinople, Europe was enveloped in a hundred plus years of heresy, schism, reform, warfare…and a flourishing of many forms of Christian spirituality!
During this same period, the discovery of the New World and the opening up of Asia and Africa to trade with the West led to the greatest period of Christian missionary activity ever as millions heard the Gospel message for the first time.
We will gather on Wednesdays, May 1, 8, 15 & 22 at 7:00 pm in Rm. 101.
Our focus for this first session will be the people, ideas and events that led up to Christianity’s most controversial century, including the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks, the invention of the movable type printing press, the Renaissance and the discovery of the New World.
For session 2, we’ll examine the major players in the Protestant and English Reformations, with an emphasis on major theological controversies and changes in everyday spirituality.
For session 3, we’ll take a close look at the Catholic Church’s responses to Protestantism, its own internal reforms and the work of the Council of Trent. We also take the time to look at Catholic spirituality in the 16th Century, focusing on the Jesuits, Oratorians and Carmelites.
For session 4 (final session), we’ll examine three critical areas to understanding the 16th century: a) the enormous worldwide missionary activity of that era; b) the wars of religion that plagued Europe during the centuries after the Reformation, and c) the profound effects that the Reformation had on the founding of the United States of America.
Facilitated by our RCIA Coordinator, Jim Curry. All are welcome!