Institute of Catholic Culture

06/11/2026

FEAST OF ST. BARNABAS THE APOSTLE, "SON OF ENCOURAGEMENT"

On June 11, the Church commemorates Saint Barnabas the Apostle, one of the most consequential and underappreciated figures in the entire New Testament. Born Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, he was renamed Barnabas ("Son of Encouragement") by the Apostles themselves, a title that perfectly captures his irreplaceable role in the early Church.

When St. Paul arrived in Jerusalem after his conversion, it was Barnabas alone who vouched for him, brought him before the Twelve, and staked his own credibility on the authenticity of Paul's transformation (Acts 9:27). Without that act of courageous charity, the greatest missionary in Church history might never have been received into the community of believers.

Barnabas later accompanied Paul on Paul's first missionary journey, helped establish the Church at Antioch, where believers were first called "Christians," and participated in the Council of Jerusalem.

Though not one of the Twelve, he is explicitly named an Apostle in Acts 14:14. Scripture itself offers his epitaph: "He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith" (Acts 11:24).

To learn more about the life and the Epistle of St. Barnabass, watch our lecture "Approaching Judgment: The Epistle of Barnabas and the Way of Wickedness" by Eric Jenislawski, Ph.D.
https://instituteofcatholicculture.org/events/approaching-judgment

06/10/2026

ICC NEW CURRICULUM: HERE'S WHAT TO LOOK FORWARD TO IN QUARTER IV

A new quarter begins at the Institute of Catholic Culture, and it begins in beauty.

At the heart of our Quarter IV curriculum stands a new live course, "The Beauty of Faith: Christian Art History 102," with Dr. Jared Staudt. Every Thursday from July 16-December 10, Dr. Staudt will trace the sacred art of the Church from the pointed arch of Christendom to the glass and concrete of modernism, following the long contest between the beauty that gives God glory and the sin that defaces it.

This quarter also welcomes a remarkable company of scholars and shepherds:
✝️ Most Rev. Thomas Paprocki — on the Eucharist and the call to receive worthily in an age of relativism
✝️ Rev. Sebastian Walshe, O. Praem. — on Pope Leo XIII's "Aeterni Patris" and the restoration of Christian philosophy
✝️ Ben Reinhard, Ph.D. — on the liturgical imagination of J.R.R. Tolkien
✝️ Rod Dreher, Leah Libresco Sargeant, and Dr. John Cuddeback — on the Christian household and the Benedict Option

As Pope Benedict XVI taught, "Art and the saints are the greatest apologetics for our faith." The masterpieces of Christendom were created to lift our eyes upward. Let this be the quarter we learn, once more, to gaze in wonder.

To our ICC members in the U.S., Quarter IV Brochure is on the way to your mailbox; be on the lookout!

06/09/2026

NEW COURSE OPEN: "THE BEAUTY OF FAITH: CHRISTIAN ART HISTORY 102"

The conflict between the beauty of faith and the ugliness of sin is a fundamental dividing line throughout history.

The artistic achievements of the Gothic and Renaissance periods stand unparalleled for their awe-inspiring beauty and transcendent perfection. And yet, these masterpieces met fire and sword as revolutions throughout the modern world violently shifted attention from heaven down to earth.

In the second millennium, the Catholic Church has been both the great creator and preserver of art and culture, persevering through religious division and political revolution.

Join us as we trace the major figures, masterpieces, and styles of Catholic art from the grandeur of the pointed arch of Christendom to the glass and concrete of our flattened modernism. Be a part of this pilgrimage to explore the history of sacred art and see firstand how it beckons us out of darkness and draws us to Christ!

https://instituteofcatholicculture.org/the-beauty-of-faith

06/09/2026

TODAY: "SACRAMENT OF FLESH AND BLOOD" WITH DR. JARED STAUDT

When Jesus instituted the Eucharist, he gave his disciples bread and wine to eat and drink, explicitly stating that they were His Body and Blood. Yet, Catholic belief in the Holy Eucharist has been discredited because the word "transubstantiation" is not in Scripture.

While it is true that “transubstantiation” is not a word used in the Bible, this doctrine proclaims the reality of what Jesus meant at the Last Supper — the Eucharist truly is the Body and Blood of Christ.

Join the ICC and Dr. Jared Staudt to trace the development of doctrine concerning the Eucharist.

This event takes place TONIGHT, Tuesday, June 9
Pre-class Discussion: 7:30 PM ET
Lecture: 8:00-9:15 PM ET

Access the webinar through our event page: https://instituteofcatholicculture.org/events/sacrament-of-flesh-and-blood

06/08/2026

CREED, CULT AND CODE: FR. SCALIA ON THE UNITY THAT EUCHARISTIC COHERENCE DEMANDS

In his lecture "Partners in the Altar," Fr. Paul Scalia offered a penetrating examination of what it means to receive Holy Communion: it is not an isolated devotional act but a commitment that must animate the whole of one's life.

Drawing on St. Paul's Eucharistic theology in 1 Corinthians 10 & 11, Fr. Scalia centered his argument on "Eucharistic coherence," a concept developed by the Bishops at the Aparecida Synod.

To be coherent, he explained, is to hold together as an organic whole. Catholic life is structured around three inseparable pillars: creed, cult, and code — what we believe, how we worship, and how we live. These do not run on separate tracks but are unified in a single integrated life; to fracture them is to fracture the faith itself.

The Mass ends with "Ite, missa est" — "you are sent." Eucharistic coherence asks whether we are actually living out that mission. How do you carry the altar with you into the world?

The lecture "Partners in the Altar: The Moral Implications of St. Paul's Eucharistic Theology" is posted and ready for your review on the Institute of Catholic Culture event page: https://instituteofcatholicculture.org/events/partners-in-the-altar

06/07/2026

"HE WHO EATS THIS BREAD WILL LIVE FOR EVER" (JOHN 6:58)

(Gospel for The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ)

"I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you: he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me. This is the bread which came down from heaven, not such as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live for ever.” "

This Sunday, join Fr. Paul Scalia as he outlines the origins of this feast and elucidates not only what Catholics believe but how we worship: https://instituteofcatholicculture.org/events/pange-lingua

06/06/2026

NEW COURSE OPEN: "THE BEAUTY OF FAITH: CHRISTIAN ART HISTORY 102"

The conflict between the beauty of faith and the ugliness of sin represents a fundamental dividing line throughout history. Christians have raised churches to render glory to God, constructing the most beautiful buildings the world has ever seen, adorned with a light that reflects heaven.

The artistic achievements of the Gothic and Renaissance periods stand unparalleled for their awe-inspiring beauty and transcendent perfection. And yet, these masterpieces met fire and sword as revolutions throughout the modern world violently shifted attention from heaven down to earth, making man and his utilitarian comfort the new center of production.

In the second millennium, the Catholic Church has been both the great creator and preserver of art and culture, persevering through religious division and political revolution. This course will trace the major figures, masterpieces, and styles of Catholic art from the grandeur of the pointed arch of Christendom to the glass and concrete of our flattened modernism.

Join us as we explore the history of sacred art, the beauty that is the splendor and goodness of the faith. Be a part of this pilgrimage to see firsthand how it beckons us out of darkness and draws us to Christ!
https://instituteofcatholicculture.org/the-beauty-of-faith

06/05/2026

MEET OUR INSTRUCTOR, DR. JARED STAUDT AND JOIN US FOR "SACRAMENT OF FLESH AND BLOOD"

Jared Staudt, Ph.D., serves as Director of Content for "Exodus 90" and as a professor for Rosary College.

He is the author of Words Made Flesh: The Sacramental Mission of Catholic Education (Catholic Education Press) and How the Eucharist Can Save Civilization (TAN).

He and his wife Anne have six children and he is a Benedictine oblate.

His upcoming lecture, "Sacrament of Flesh and Blood: Bl. Lanfranc of Canterbury's Defense of the Real Presence" is now open for registration on the ICC website. Enroll now:

Is Jesus truly present in the Eucharist: Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity? This question came to the forefront centuries before the Protestant...

06/05/2026

FEAST OF ST. BONIFACE, ARCHBISHOP OF MAINZ

On June 5, the Church commemorates Saint Boniface of Mainz, a Benedictine monk, Archbishop, papal legate, and one of the greatest missionaries in the history of the Western Church.

Born Wynfrith in Devon, England around 675 AD, St. Boniface was commissioned by Pope Gregory II in 719 AD to evangelize the pagan Germanic tribes of central Europe. What followed was one of the most audacious acts of missionary courage on record: at Geismar, before a crowd of pagan onlookers, he took an axe to the sacred Oak of Thor — the great tree venerated as the dwelling of the Germanic gods. When no divine retribution came, the crowd converted. He built a chapel from the oak's timber; the Cross literally replaced the idol.

Boniface spent the next three decades building up the Church in Germany and reforming the Frankish Church under Pepin and Carloman I, laying the ecclesiastical foundations of what would become Christian Europe.

He was martyred on June 5, 754 AD by pagan Frisians while preparing to baptize converts, reportedly raising a Gospel book to shield himself. The book was found afterward, bearing the sword cuts. As Boniface himself wrote: "Let us stand fast in what is right, and prepare our souls for trial. Let us wait upon God's strengthening aid." He did not merely preach the Faith, he staked his life on it.

St. Boniface, pray for us 🙏

To learn more about the life and martyrdom of St. Boniface, watch our lecture "St. Boniface and the Conversion of the Germanic Tribes" by Christopher Check: https://instituteofcatholicculture.org/events/st-boniface

06/04/2026

THE LIVING BREAD THAT CAME DOWN FROM HEAVEN

This week, the Church lovingly celebrates Corpus Christi, the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.

Pope Urban IV formally instituted this feast in 1264, following the Eucharistic Miracle of Bolsena (1263), in which a priest who had begun to doubt the Real Presence witnessed blood flowing from a consecrated Host. The Pope commissioned none other than Saint Thomas Aquinas to compose the Mass and Office for the feast. He produced the immortal hymns "Pange Lingua," "Tantum Ergo," and "O Salutaris Hostia," among the greatest sacred poetry ever written.

At the theological heart of Corpus Christi stands the doctrine of transubstantiation: at the words of consecration, the bread and wine truly become the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Corpus Christi is the Church's annual, public, joyful profession that even after His glorious Ascension, Christ remains — really, truly, substantially — in every tabernacle in the world.

To delve deeper into the mystery of this sacrament, join the ICC for our live event "Sacrament of Flesh and Blood" with Dr. Jared Staudt this upcoming Tuesday:
https://instituteofcatholicculture.org/events/sacrament-of-flesh-and-blood