Way of the Fathers
Religion & Spirituality
About
A podcast about the Fathers and Doctors of the Church—the foundational figures of Christian history. A production of CatholicCulture.org, hosted by Jim Papandrea (formerly by Mike Aquilina).Currently covering all the Doctors of the Church!Seasons:1: Church Fathers2: Early Ecumenical Councils3: Cities of God4: Heresies5: Doctors of the Church
Episodes
- 5.34 St. John of the Cross: The Mystical Doctor
This episode of Way of the Fathers focuses on St. John of the Cross, a 16th-century Spanish mystic and poet. He is recognized as a significant figure in the Discalced Carmelites, co-founding the order with St. Teresa of Avila, and is famou…
- 5.33 St. Peter Canisius: Doctor of the Catechism
This episode discusses St. Peter Canisius (1521-1597), who played a significant role in restoring the Catholic faith in German-speaking regions and Switzerland. He is credited with standardizing the Hail Mary prayer and advocating for Cath…
- 5.32 St. Peter Canisius: Second Apostle of Germany
This episode covers St. Peter Canisius, a counter-reformation apologist and reformer who lived from 1521 to 1597. He is noted for writing the first official Catholic Catechisms and playing a significant role in maintaining Catholicism in p…
- 5.31 St. Teresa of Avila: La Madre
This episode discusses St. Teresa of Avila, a 16th-century mystic and reformer. Despite physical illness and spiritual disappointment, she founded 17 convents and reformed the Carmelite order, facing opposition from figures including the S…
- New Lives of the Popes podcast, and pilgrimage with Mike and Jim
Way of the Fathers hosts Mike Aquilina and Jim Papandrea discuss two announcements: the launch of the new podcast "Lives of the Popes" and the upcoming "Way of the Fathers Pilgrimage" to Rome and Assisi.
- 5.30 St. Teresa of Avila: Doctor of Prayer
St. Teresa of Avila (1515 - 1582) St. Teresa of Avila was the first female Doctor of the Church. She was the co-founder (with St. John of the Cross) of the Discalced Carmelites. A reformer, and a mystic, her books on prayer taught the Chur…
- 5.29 St. John of Avila: The Master
St. John of Avila (1499 - 1569) At the dawn of the Protestant Reformation, St. John of Avila stood in a long and noble tradition of preachers for reform within the Catholic Church. His down-to-earth, but pull-no-punches preaching style bro…
- 5.28 St. John of Avila: Apostle of Andalusia
St. John of Avila (1499 - 1569) In the aftermath of the reestablishment of Christendom in Spain, and at the dawn of the Protestant Reformation, St. John of Avila was a powerful and effective preacher for Catholic reform and evangelization.…
- 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…
- 5.26 St. Catherine of Siena: Mother of a Thousand Souls
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…
- 5.25 St. John Henry Newman: The Doctor of Friendship
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…
- The Most Dangerous Man in England: Newman and the Laity - Paul Shrimpton
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…
- 5.23 St. John Henry Newman: The Convert Doctor
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 Ca…
- 5.22 St. Thomas Aquinas: The Common Doctor
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 Co…
- 5.21 St. Thomas Aquinas: The Angelic Doctor
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…
- 5.20 St. Bonaventure: Prince of Mystics
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…
- 5.19 St. Bonaventure: The Seraphic Doctor
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 import…
- 5.18 St. Albert the Great: The Miracle of His Time
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 lev…
- 5.17 St. Albert the Great: Universal Doctor
St. Albert the Great (1206-1280) was one of the real geniuses of the middle ages, and was the teacher and mentor of St. Thomas Aquinas. St. Albert had mastered virtually every field of study available to him, and he is one of the most impo…
- 5.16 St. Anthony of Padua: Hammer of Heresy
St. Anthony of Padua (1195-1231) is actually called the Hammer of Heretics, but the truth is that even in his uncompromising critiques of heresy, he had compassion for those who were led astray by the heresies, and he refused to engage in…
- 5.15 St. Anthony of Padua: Doctor of the Gospel
St. Anthony of Padua (1195-1231) is called the Doctor of the Gospel, or the Evangelical Doctor, because he is known as both an expert in biblical interpretation, as well as one of the greatest preachers the Church has ever produced. Links…
- 5.14 The Music of St. Hildegard of Bingen w/ Margot Fassler
St. Hildegard of Bingen, 12th-century abbess, mystic, polymath, and Doctor of the Church, is best known to non-Catholics for something else – her music. We have more pieces of music by Hildegard than by any other medieval composer whose na…
- 5.13 St. Hildegard of Bingen: Teutonic Prophetess
St. Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) was a mystic, an anointed prophet, a reformer, theologian, poet, teacher, and preacher. Over eight centuries ago, she wrote, "Today the Catholic faith is in a state of agitation, on a global scale. The g…
- 5.12 St. Hildegard of Bingen: Multimedia Visionary
St. Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) was a visionary, teacher, Abbess, composer, theologian, painter, and the first woman in history to be given papal approval to preach in public. Four centuries before the emergence of the "Renaissance Man…
- 5.11 St. Bernard of Clairvaux: Arbiter of Christendom
St. Bernard of Claivaux (1090 - 1153 AD) was the founder of the Cistercians, a reform order of the Benedictines, and was one of the Church's true mystics. He opposed the "intentionalism" of the heretic Peter Abelard with his quip: "The roa…
- 5.10 St. Bernard of Clairvaux: The Mellifluous Doctor
St. Bernard of Claivaux (1090 - 1153 AD) was born to be a knight, and grew up in a castle, but he chose to be a different kind of knight - a true prayer warrior - and he supported the invention of the Christian knight by endorsing the Knig…
- 5.9 St. Anselm of Canterbury: Father of Scholasticism
St. Anselm (1033 - 1109 AD) was Abbot of the monastery of Bec, and later, Archbishop of Canterbury. He was the first of the medieval scholastics, and the first real systematic theologian. His treatise, Cur Deus Homo brought together biblic…
- 5.8 St. Anselm of Canterbury: Doctor of the Atonement
St. Anselm (1033 - 1109 AD) was Abbot of the monastery of Bec, and later, Archbishop of Canterbury. He was the first of the medieval scholastics, and the first real systematic theologian. In many ways, St. Anselm is the bridge between St.…
- 5.7 St. Peter Damian: Monitor of the Popes
St. Peter Damian (1007 - 1072 AD) was an advisor to, and sometimes corrector of, Popes, Emperors, and Kings. Through his writings he was a reformer of the clergy, and the monasteries, especially calling out and confronting immorality among…
- 5.6 St. Peter Damian: The Medieval Jerome
St. Peter Damian (1007 - 1072 AD) is another one of our lesser-known Doctors of the Church, and yet he was, in his time, a man who could give advice to the Popes, and call for reform in the clergy and in the monasteries. Known as a Catholi…
- Sicilian Pilgrimage with Mike Aquilina and Jim Papandrea
The Holy Father has proclaimed 2025 as a Jubilee year, and pilgrims are already flocking to Rome to cross the thresholds of the major basilicas, and to visit the tombs of Sts. Peter and Paul. Original host of the Way of the Fathers podcast…
- 5.5 St. Gregory of Narek: Doctor of Mercy
St. Gregory of Narek (c. 945-1003), was an Armenian saint: a monk, scholar, poet, and hymn writer. Praised as a saint by Pope St. John Paul II, who called by him the "great Marian doctor of the Armenian Church," St. Gregory of Narek was of…
- 5.4 St. Gregory of Narek: Patron Saint of Armenia
In the first episode on St. Gregory of Narek (c. 945-1003), Dr. Papandrea introduces one of the newest additions to the list of Doctors of the Church. Gregory was an Armenian monk, scholar, poet, and saint, who was praised by Pope St. John…
- 5.3 St. Bede: The Father of English History
In this second episode on St. Bede the Venerable (c. 673–735 AD), Dr. Papandrea talks about the literary legacy of this Doctor of the Church. Bede is not only considered the "father of English history," but also the "father of English educ…
- 5.2 St. Bede the Venerable: Monk and Scholar
In this episode, the first in our series on the Doctors of the Church, Dr. Papandrea introduces you to St. Bede the Venerable (c. 673–735 AD). He lived in a Benedictine monastery from the age of seven, and he wrote the first scholarly hist…
- 5.1 The Doctors of the Church–Introduction
With this episode, we begin our new series on the Doctors of the Church. What is a Doctor of the Church? Are all Doctors also saints? What makes a person a Doctor of the Church? All these questions, and more, will be answered, as well as s…
- St. Boethius: Church Father and Medieval Scholar
St. Severinus Boethius was a man with one foot in the ancient world and one foot in the middle ages. He is another one of our lesser-known fathers who were anything but forgotten among the medieval scholastics. In this episode, Dr. Papandr…
- Who Was Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite?
Whenever you see "Pseudo-" in front of a name like this, it means we don't really know who the person was. This Church father wrote under the name of Dionysius the Areopagite, a convert of St. Paul mentioned in the book of Acts. But the do…
- Egeria the Pilgrim and the Stations of the Cross
Egeria (or Etheria) was a woman who embarked on a three-year pilgrimage to the Holy Land, in the late fourth century. From her "pilgrimage diary" (actually fragments from her letters to her "sisters" back in Spain) we learn much about litu…
- Rufinus of Aquileia and the Apostles' Creed
Rufinus is mostly known as the translator of Origen, and the opponent of St. Jerome in the controversy over Origen. But he also wrote an important commentary on the Apostles' Creed, which is on Dr. Papandrea's list of "state of the art doc…
- Pope St. Stephen and the Sacraments
After the controversies in the mid-third century, in the aftermath of the persecution of the emperor Decius and the schism of Novatian, Pope St. Stephen was instrumental in clarifying the Church's theology of the sacraments of Baptism and…
- Father Caius and the Tomb of St. Peter
Caius was a priest in Rome, in the third century. He wrote that if one comes to Rome, one can visit the shrines at the tombs of St. Peter and St. Paul. These tombs had been known and visited since the apostle's deaths, and are known to thi…
- Athenagoras the Athenian: Apology Not Accepted
The early Christian apologist Athenagoras may not be as famous as some of the other Church fathers, but he's a great example of someone who started out as an apologist against Christianity, but when he actually learned what the apostles an…
- Papias of Hierapolis and the Book of Revelation
In the first episode of an interim series on lesser known fathers, Dr. Papandrea introduces one of the "apostolic fathers," Papias of Hierapolis. We only have fragments of his writings, but those fragments started a controversy over the au…
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- 4.18 The Heresies—Conclusion: So Then, What is Orthodoxy?
Throughout this series, Dr. Papandrea has been outlining the major heresies of the early Church, defining them in contrast to the orthodoxy of mainstream Catholicism. So after all of this, what can we say about orthodoxy (correct doctrine)…
- 4.17 The Heresies—Iconoclasm and the Art-Smashers
Does the devotional use of Christian art and iconography break the commandment against worshiping idols? How and where does one draw the line between legitimate reverence and idolatrous worship? In this controversy - as is often the case -…
- 4.16 The Heresies—Eutyches and Monophysitism: A Drop in the Ocean
The pendulum swings one more time as Eutyches overreacts against Nestorius, and emphasizes the union of the two natures in Christ, to the point of blurring the distinction between them. In this conception of the Person of Christ, the divin…
- 4.15 The Heresies—Nestorianism: Two People in One
The pendulum swings again as Nestorius overreacts against Apollinarius, and emphasizes the distinction between the two natures in Christ, to the point of describing a radical separation of natures. It was as if Nestorius was saying that Ch…
- 4.14 The Heresies—Apollinarius and Monothelitism: The Word in a Human Suit
Apollinarius tried to say that Jesus could not have sinned because his human nature had no will of its own. In doing this, he stumbled onto a heresy called Monothelitism ("one-will" christology), which would become a huge controversy later…