A fresh look at a complex pope with a simple agenda: radically reforming the Catholic Church.Jorge Mario Bergoglio is the consummate disruptor, disrupting archaic modes of church governance, disrupting our collective spiritual complacency in the face of new challenges to our human flourishing while at the same time remaining deeply faithful to the organic traditions of the church. He is the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, but beyond that he is a universal lead...

Presented by acclaimed biographer Prof. Michael W. Higgins, Ph.D., this course explores the life and literary genius of Thomas Merton.When Thomas Merton published The Seven Storey Mountain in 1948, no one could have expected it to become an international sensation. An autobiography of his conversion to Catholicism, it became a wildly popular bestseller, propelling this humble Trappist monk to literary fame. Today, it is widely regarded as a spiritual class...

Experience Henri Nouwen''s fullness of life spirituality with this new course presented by his official biographer.Henri Nouwen (1932–1996) was one of the most popular and influential spiritual thinkers of the twentieth century. Born in the Netherlands, Nouwen was ordained as a Catholic priest and trained as a psychologist. He spent much of his life in America, where he ministered and taught throughout the continent. His profound spiritual works, such as The Return...

The fact is, both Thomas Merton and Henri Nouwen have been profiled in great depth. What more can you expect to learn by studying them side-by-side? This series answers that question without hesitation: much more.Masterfully crafted by their biographer, Thomas Merton and Henri Nouwen: Spiritual Guides for the 21st Century folds Dr. Michael W. Higgins’ (Ph.D., York University) years of dedicated research, writing, and teaching into a single, spiritually edifying se...

What would it be like to listen to great figures of our faith discuss their struggles, life lessons, and spiritual insights?A number of remarkable Christians have bequeathed to us their autobiographies. Now, you can access their words and understand the contexts in which they lived with a master scholar and teacher as your guide.In this course, you will explore fourteen inspiring writers who have revealed their spiritual yearnings and encounters with the transcendent. As yo...

Explores the genesis and evolution of Nouwen’s multi-layered understanding of priestly ministry.

People of God is a brand new series of inspiring biographies for the general reader. Each volume offers a compelling and honest narrative of the life of an important twentieth or twenty-first century Catholic. Some living and some now deceased, each of these women and men have known challenges and weaknesses familiar to most of us, but responded to them in ways that call us to our own forms of heroism. Each of them offers a credible and concrete witness of faith, hope, and love to people o...

A fresh look at a complex pope with a simple agenda: radically reforming the Catholic Church.Jorge Mario Bergoglio is the consummate disruptor, disrupting archaic modes of church governance, disrupting our collective spiritual complacency in the face of new challenges to our human flourishing while at the same time remaining deeply faithful to the organic traditions of the church. He is the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, but beyond that he is a universal lead...

An intimate look at this important spiritual writers life, enriched with the personal accounts of some of the people closest to him: friends, family, and colleagues. A twelve-page photo section is included.

A collection of presentations from the Vatican II Conference, A Universal Call to Holiness, held at Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, CT. Seven of the presentations are based on the seven speeches given by several cardinals at the conclusion of the council on December 8, 1965.

In Introducing Moriarty Canadian theologian and academic Michael W. Higgins compiles the essential writings of Irish philosopher and mystic, John Moriarty. This distillation of Moriarty's texts on ecology, mysticism and spirituality is a perfect introduction to the work of this complex and, at times, esoteric philosopher. Higgins' commentary provides an excellent guide to one of the country's most enigmatic modern thinkers and is an essential addition to the library of anyone interested in...

New York Times bestselling author of The Seven Storey Mountain and New Seeds of Contemplation invites you to explore great literature.How can poetry help us understand the world? Thomas Merton’s life and works are the stuff of legend. A modern-day Augustine, he left behind his life as a worldly intellectual to join a Trappist monastery. There, he made a name for himself as a best-selling spiritual writer and social activist.This s...