Dr. Phil Johnston will be offering a lecture series on the history of the Catholic Church.

How did the Catholic Church get to be the way it is? Was Peter the first Pope? Did Jesus create the Sacraments? Where did all the rules come from? Can the Catholic Church change? How are Catholics different from other Christians? Are all religions the same?

Knowing a bit about where you come from helps you to not only answer questions from your children and others, but to live a bit more comfortably in your own religious tradition. This series will explore the origin and development of the Catholic Church, identify its strengths and recognize its failings. Hopefully when we’re done you’ll find it a little easier to deal with being a Catholic in today’s world. The Series will address the topics shown below. All sessions will been in school classroom 8A, 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., except the session on December 15, which will be in the Community Center.

• September 15 – In the Beginning: Jesus, his disciples: the development of the early Church
• Three week break
• October 6 – Constantine and the Roman Empire: The Church becomes an institution
• October 13 – Byzantium and Eastern Orthodox Christians: The Break that took a Thousand Years
• October 20 – Pope Gregory the Great and the Roman Catholic Church: Becoming a Monarchy
• October 27 – Avignon Papacy and the Great Western Schism: Problems, Problems, Problems!
• November 3 – The Protestant Reformation: What happened and why?
• November 17 – The Council of Trent and the Catholic Reformation: After the Divorce!
• November 24 – Thanksgiving [no class meeting]
• December 1 – Issues of the 19th and 20th Centuries: Finding its way in a whole new world
• December 8 – American Catholicism: Why American Catholics are different.
• December 15 – The Second Vatican Council: Can the Catholic Church change?

No charge for the series. All are welcome.

Recommended reading for this lecture series is Church History, Twenty Centuries of Catholic Christianity by John C. Dwyer, published by Paulist Press and available at The Paulist Press Book Store or online at Amazon.com. Amazon usually has used copies available at discount prices as well.