1. Contrasting Approaches to Considering the History of the Church (Read Pope Francis' Letter)
2. St. Paul and the Apostolic Era: Worship, Governance and Teaching (Read "Letter to the Philippians" by Polycarp and
   "On the Resurrection" by St. Justin Martyr, Ch. 5-8)
3. St. Polycarp and St. Justin Martyr: Development of Thought and Worship in the Church in the 2^nd Century
4. Marcion and Origen: How Heresies Clarified Church Doctrine
5. Decius and Diocletian: Blood of the Martyrs as Seeds of the Church
6. Key Early Church Counsels: Athanasius and Pelagius (Read St. Athanasius, On the Incarnation Ch 4-10; A Letter of Pelagius, the first few pages)
7. St. Anthony and St. Pachomius: The Wisdom of the Desert Fathers
8. St. Basil, St. Athanasius and St. Isidore:  The Patristic Era
9. Charlemagne, Cyril and Methodius: The Christianization of Europe
10. Mohammed, Urban II and the Crusades– Framing The Church’s Response to Islam
11. Michael Cerularius, Pope Leo IX:  The Great Schism of 1054
12. The 12^th Century as the Age of St. Bernard of Clairveaux
13. Erasmus and Alexander VI: Light and Darkness in the Catholic Renaissance
14. Caravaggio and Botticelli: Masters of Renaissance Art

• The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius
• The Cost of Discipleship
• Mission of the Redeemer
• City of God

1. Intro to Virtues -  Virtues as Habits: What is the "Golden Mean"?
2. Prudence, Justice, and the 4th Commandment
3. The Cardinal Virtues, Part II: Fortitude and Moderation as Self-Governance
4. The Theological Virtues: Faith and Hope as Active Habits - Guest Presenter: Peter Fraser, PhD
5. Intellectual Virtues: Truthfulness and an Attitude of Learning
6. Intellectual Virtues: Truthfulness and an Attitude of Learning - Guest Presenter: Kale Zelden, M.A.
7. Social Virtues: Friendship,  Human and Divine
8. Social Virtues: Hospitality, Mercy, and Kindness
9. Modesty and Intro to Vices
10. Civic Virtues: Citizenship: Loving Country while Serving God - Guest Presenter: Hon. Jeffry Fortenberry
11.  Addiction and Growth - Guest Presenter: Heather King

1. Short Consideration of “The Church of the Eucharist” by Pope St. John Paul II
2. The Catechism and the Eucharist
3. A Scriptural Exigesis of John 6
4. The Eucharist in Classical Painting
5. The Early Church and the Eucharist
6. St. Thomas Aquinas on the Eucharist
7. Art and Poetry and the Eucharist

Texts to include: Rerum Novarum, Lumen Gentium – Dei Verbum – Humane Vitae – Gospel of Life – Familiaris Consortio –

1. Of Human Life and the Theology of the Body: An Island of Sanity in the Post-Sexual Revolution Chaos
2. The Apostolate of the Laity
3. Pope St. Pius X on Modernism
4. The Means of Universal Salvation: Vatican II on the Church
5. Finding Your Family Mission: St. JPII on the Domestic Church
6. St. John Paul II on The Splendor of Truth
7. On Sacred Music (Musicam Sacram) by Pius XII
8. The Church and Science in the Writing of Pius XII and St. JPII
9. Leading Post-Modern Souls to Jesus: Paul VI on the Urgency of Evangelization
10. Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation (Dei verbum)

Texts to include:  The Divine Comedy, Dante, “The Grand Inquisitor” from Brothers Karamazov

1. The Dark Woods, The Three Beasts: Starting the Descent into Dante's Inferno
2. Caught in the Whirlwind: The Sins of Incontinence in Dante's Inferno
3. Raging at Reality: The Sins of Violence in Dante’s Inferno
4. Rejecting God’s Sovereignty: Sins Against Truth in Dante’s Inferno
5. Beginning the Climb up Purgatory Mountain: Souls Who Just Made It
6. Healing Envy, Anger, Sloth and Greed
7. The Sin of Pride and Remedies
8. Purgatorio: Healing Carnality and Reclaiming the Earthly Paradise
9. Dante’s Paradiso: Beyond Time and Space
10. Paradiso II: The Heaven of the Warriors of God
11. Paradiso III: The Garden of the Mystical Rose

In this second series, we will be breaking open together some of the most beautiful works of art, story, music and poetry that have come down to us through the ages in the Church.

1. Catholic Legacy: Art, Story, Music and Poetry
2. God as 'That Tremendous Lover' in the Hound of Heaven
3. The Hound of Heaven, Part II
4. "That Catholic Thing" in Brideshead Revisited, Part I
5. "A Twitch Upon a Thread:" The Movements of Grace in Brideshead Revisited, Part II
6. Gregorian Chant: The Summit of Sacred Music
7. He Leadeth Me: A Testimony of Divine Providence from the Horrors of Gulag
8. Hospitality, Grace and Thanksgiving: The Eucharistic Metaphor at the Heart of Babette's Feast
9. Brilliant, Perilous, and Exciting Orthodoxy: G.K. Chesterton's Answer to Modern Insanity
10. The Polyphonic Style: The Catholic Church's Other Great Gift to Western Music
11. Temptation in Dostoevsky's "Grand Inquisitor"
12. Bonus: Retreat for Ministry Leaders: "On Serving in Community"

St. Stephen’s new Mystagogy kicks off with a focus on prayer as the fundamental underpinning of the life of the Catholic disciple.

1. Sayings of the Desert Fathers
2. Elements of Catholic Prayer
3. Marian Hour of Adoration
4. St. Teresa of Avila on Prayer as Watering the Garden
5. St. Teresa of Avila and The Interior Castle
6. The Third to Seventh Mansions in St. Teresa of Avila's Interior Castle
7. The Stages of Spiritual Life
8. The Eucharist in Classical Painting - Guest Presenter: Kathleen Carr
9. The Spirituality of the Eucharist and Mass (Part 1)
10. The Spirituality of the Mass (Part 2) and the Blessed Sacrament
11. Aquinas on Suffering: A Call and Response
12. Saint Augustine's Confessions, I
13. Saint Augustine's Confessions, II: Books 3-4
14. Saint Augustine’s Confessions, III: Books 5-7
15. The Conversion of St. Augustine: Books 8 & 9 of The Confessions
16. The Early Church and the Eucharist

1. To break open Magisterial teaching on the lay state (selections from Vatican II as well as letters/encyclicals from recent popes) as well as classic spiritual texts to build a thoughtful, practical devotional life.
2. To introduce the various spiritual charisms in the Church (i.e. Dominican, Carmelite, Franciscan, Salesian, etc.) so that they may develop a personal program of spirituality rooted in the uniquely Catholic legacy;
3. To deepen the prayer life through study, communal prayer,  the practice of meditation, Mass, and the Liturgy of the Hours; and
4. To establish a fully Catholic life and mission, including a formation in the art of the Church, the corporal and spiritual works of mercy, and the commitment to a specific personal work of service.

Barbara R. Nicolosi Harrington is an award-winning writer, commercial screenwriter, internationally known public speaker and communications consultant with significant experience in the non-profit sector. As founder of the globally recognized Act One Program, she mentored Christians for mainstream entertainment careers. Additionally, she was the writer of the film Fatima (2020), serves on the Board of the Catholic Art Institute, and was a university professor of screenwriting, cinema, Great Books and theology.