CTS projects featured in new EWTN series

On 7 – 11 September 2015, the EWTN network will broadcast a series “Catholic Enlightenment” developed from the CTS projects “Lumen” and the “Catholic Knowledge Network“. The series will reclaim the word “Enlightenment,” by exploring the rich gifts Catholicism has given the world in areas of art, architecture, education, health, music, law, literature, science and more. The series is ideal for teachers, parents, students, and anyone interested in knowing the fruits of the Catholic faith and explaining these fruits to others. The series consists of five programmes of 30 minutes each, presented by Fr Marcus Holden and Fr Andrew Pinsent, filmed at the National Shrine of St Augustine, England. For programme details and times, click here.

Further programme details:

1. True Enlightenment, Space, Time and Exploration – How the title ‘Enlightenment’ should be reclaimed for the Catholic Faith and civilisation. The program examines the development of optics, scientific instruments and the pioneering work of Catholic clergy on key aspects of modern science, including the Big Bang theory and genetics. The Catholic contributions to concepts of time and timekeeping are examined, as well as the voyages of discovery that first mapped our planet.

2. The Sacramental Life – How Catholic belief in the Incarnation and the sacraments led to an explosion of creativity in art and architecture, care for the sick and dying, the founding of hospitals and orphanages, and the transformation of the idea of marriage from a contract to a shared life of grace. The program covers the works of Caravaggio, Giotto, Michelangelo, Pugin, and Raphael among others, and the impact of a sacramental life on the development of food, wines, beer, spirits and chemistry.

3. The Education and Dignity of the Human Person – How Catholic societies preserved records, founded schools and developed the first universities, an educational mission that continues today. The program also covers the impact of great Catholic thinkers such as Ss Augustine and Thomas Aquinas on philosophy, theology and ethics. The influence of Catholic ideas of society and the human person is discussed, as well as the significance of pioneering Catholic women in research, education, politics, and as Doctors of the Church.

4. Morality, Law and the Drama of Salvation – How Catholicism links faith and morality, encouraging believers to break with sin and be fruitful in grace. The program covers the application of Catholic ideas of human good, human action and justice to the development of the Western legal system, as well as Catholic influences on some of the key struggles for the defence of civilisation. These struggles include Catholic advocacy of the sanctity of life, resistance to oppression, and influences on some of the key battles of history.

5. Language, Literature, Music and Saints – How Catholic ideas and the desire to proclaim the Gospel propagated alphabets, shaped vernacular languages, and inspired famous literature and poetry, including works of Chaucer, Shakespeare, Dante and J. R. R. Tolkien. The program also traces Catholic influences on musical notation and chant, leading to an extraordinary diversity of musical forms and works of the greatest composers. Finally, the program examines the ultimate fruits of the faith: the saints.