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PODCAST

Way of the Fathers

CatholicCulture.org

A podcast about the Fathers and Doctors of the Church—the foundational figures of Christian history. A production of CatholicCulture.org. Currently covering all the Doctors of the Church! Seasons 1-3 were hosted by Mike Aquilina. Seasons 4-5 are hosted by Dr. Jim Papandrea. 1: The Church Fathers 2: The Early Ecumenical Councils 3: Cities of God 4: Heresies 5: Doctors of the Churcch Episodes marked as bonus are on miscellaneous topics.

religion & spirituality christianity

All Episodes

12:11

5.32 St. Peter Canisius: Second Apostle of Germany

Way of the Fathers ·

2026/04/08

St. Peter Canisius (1521 - 1597) A counter-Reformation apologist and reformer, St. Peter Canisius wrote the first official Catholic Catechisms, and was responsible for major parts of Germany and Switzerland remaining Catholic. Links Read the Encyclical of Pope Leo XIII, Militantis Ecclesiae (1897) on St. Peter Canisius: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=4886&repos=1&subrepos=0&searchid=2626034 Read the General Audience Address of Pope Benedict XVI (Feb. 9, 2011) dedicated

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16:05

5.31 St. Teresa of Avila: La Madre

Way of the Fathers ·

2026/03/25

St. Teresa of Avila (1515 - 1582) St. Teresa was already being called a saint, and a doctor, within her lifetime. She was a visionary who suffered greatly from physical illness, and spiritual disappointment, when even some of her friends didn't believe that her mystical experiences were real. She eventually convinced the naysayers, founded 17 convents and reformed the Carmelite order, all in the face of extreme opposition, even from the Spanish Inquisition. Links Check out this article on St

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26:49

New Lives of the Popes podcast, and pilgrimage with...

Way of the Fathers ·

2026/03/18

Way of the Fathers hosts Mike Aquilina and Jim Papandrea get together with producer Thomas Mirus two big announcements: Thomas's new podcast Lives of the Popes (a sister podcast to Way of the Fathers), and Mike and Jim's second "Way of the Fathers Pilgrimage" in Rome and Assisi this October. Lives of the Popes on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lives-of-the-popes/id1885968422 Lives of the Popes on CatholicCulture.org:

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18:45

5.30 St. Teresa of Avila: Doctor of Prayer

Way of the Fathers ·

2026/03/11

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 Church to go deeper, and her famous book, Interior Castle, is a spiritual classic. Links The song God Alone is Enough (based on the quote of St. Teresa of Avila) by John Michael Talbot:

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16:02

5.29 St. John of Avila: The Master

Way of the Fathers ·

2026/02/25

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 brought people back to the sacraments, and he often found that after he preached, he spent the rest of the day hearing confessions. Links A selection of 8 sermons by St. John of Avila: My Burden is Light: Suffering and Consolation in the Christian Life, translated by

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12:47

5.28 St. John of Avila: Apostle of Andalusia

Way of the Fathers ·

2026/02/11

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. He brought the people of southern Spain back to the Church, and brought the clergy of southern Spain back to holiness. Links A selection of 8 sermons by St. John of Avila: My Burden is Light: Suffering and Consolation in the Christian Life, translated by Brandon

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23:03

5.27 St. Catherine of Siena: Mystic of the Incarnate...

Way of the Fathers ·

2026/01/28

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 in how to progress in the spiritual life, and also the words of God spoken directly to her. Links The Dialogue, with Introduction: https://www.paulistpress.com/Products/2233-2/catherine-of-siena.aspx For comparison, the Diary of St. Faustina:

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15:53

5.26 St. Catherine of Siena: Mother of a Thousand Souls

Way of the Fathers ·

2026/01/14

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 negotiated peace (or tried to) between warring city states, and - like St. Hildegard before her - she had permission to preach and teach. Her "disciples" and spiritual advisees included women and men, laity and clergy. Links The letters of St. Catherine online:

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24:16

5.25 St. John Henry Newman: The Doctor of Friendship

Way of the Fathers ·

2025/11/26

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 of change that are really a deviation from Tradition and a corruption. Sorting this out led him to lose his trust in the Anglican communion, and in Protestantism in general, and unite with the Catholic Church. He would eventually be a cardinal, and he has been

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01:30:29

The Most Dangerous Man in England: Newman and the...

Way of the Fathers ·

2025/11/21

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 book from Word on Fire Academic, "The Most Dangerous Man in England": Newman and the Laity. During his lifetime, Newman was a controversial figure within the Catholic Church in large part due to his views on the laity and his advocacy for their role in running

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28:04

5.23 St. John Henry Newman: The Convert Doctor

Way of the Fathers ·

2025/11/12

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 Catholic, he made a lasting and significant contribution to Catholic thought and apologetics. Links Check out St. John Henry Newman in Catholic Culture Audio Books - there are over 50 titles, including lectures, poems and meditations, and sermons. The entire text of

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38:30

5.22 St. Thomas Aquinas: The Common Doctor

Way of the Fathers ·

2025/10/29

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 Common Doctor because the Church has affirmed that his teaching should be taught, and held up as the standard, in every school, university, and seminary. Links Check out this YouTube clip, How the Summa Replaced the Sentences as the Standard Theology Textbook, w/

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24:06

5.21 St. Thomas Aquinas: The Angelic Doctor

Way of the Fathers ·

2025/10/08

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 some ways, St. Thomas can be thought of as a second Augustine, who arguably even surpassed the great father of the Church, and brought Augustine’s teaching to a more perfect culmination. Links Three of St. Thomas’ academic sermons are available as audio books on

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22:50

5.20 St. Bonaventure: Prince of Mystics

Way of the Fathers ·

2025/09/24

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 St. Bernard of Clairvaux, and he preserves for us the mystical spirituality of St. Francis of Assisi, as well as being an important influence on later mystics, such as St. John of the Cross. Links Check out this three-part series on St. Bonaventure by Pope

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15:41

5.19 St. Bonaventure: The Seraphic Doctor

Way of the Fathers ·

2025/09/10

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 important for the organization of the order, and for bringing forth and expanding upon St. Francis’ spirituality. Links Check out this three-part series on St. Bonaventure by Pope Benedict XVI (from 2010) Part 1:

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22:30

5.18 St. Albert the Great: The Miracle of His Time

Way of the Fathers ·

2025/08/27

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 level of St. Augustine and Peter Lombard - even within his own lifetime. He was the mentor and teacher of a more famous doctor of the Church: St. Thomas Aquinas. Links For a great conversation about Peter Lombard’s Sentences, check out this article, The Most

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16:13

5.17 St. Albert the Great: Universal Doctor

Way of the Fathers ·

2025/08/13

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 important bridges between ancient and medieval philosophy. Links For a complete, unbiased, and very accessible overview of the Crusades, see the book God’s Battalions by Rodney Stark:

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22:09

5.16 St. Anthony of Padua: Hammer of Heresy

Way of the Fathers ·

2025/07/23

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 the personal attacks and name-calling that are so prevalent in apologetics, even among some other saints. So his homiletical hammer, as it were, was aimed more at the heresies than at the heretics. Listen in to find out why he's also the patron of people who have

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12:48

5.15 St. Anthony of Padua: Doctor of the Gospel

Way of the Fathers ·

2025/07/09

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 SIGN UP for Catholic Culture’s Newsletter: https://www.catholicculture.org/newsletters/ DONATE at: http://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio Dr. Papandrea’s Homepage: http://www.jimpapandrea.com Dr. Papandrea’s YouTube channel, The Original Church:

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01:01:58

5.14 The Music of St. Hildegard of Bingen w/ Margot...

Way of the Fathers ·

2025/06/30

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 name we know. Her chants are beautiful, otherworldly, virtuosic and ahead of their time. Some of them were written for her morality play, the Ordo virtutum, which is also the first of its kind. Thomas Mirus (producer of Way of the Fathers and host of the Catholic

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