Don't worry about missing classes

Several people have apologetically told us that they can't attend many classes and hope it's all right with us. Others aren't coming at all because they feel they can't commit to 20 weeks. Since we started leading Bible studies 6 years ago, we've been saying that even if you only come to one class, you'll still learn something you didn't know before. Believe us when we say that we don't mind at all if you only show up once in a while.

But the new program Ascension Press is offering where you can view the study content online--with the purchase of a study guide from them--lets you view the entire thing from home if you like. The link to order a book for this class is here. (Yes, it says it's at St. Theresa's in Leeds--we had to be associated with a parish.)

If you haven't been able to come to the first 2 classes, don't worry about it--many others haven't been able to either. We don't mind. Really.

Epic Session 2 Notes

In Session 2, Steve Weidenkopf spoke of persecutions to the Church, plus the beginning of heresies and schisms. The study guide has charts for all of these in the Appendix; for those who are not using the guide, here are online sources for you:

Persecutions

Persecuting Roman Emperors (this is not a Catholic site, but it seems accurate)
The Empire and the Early Church, a Tale of Persecution and Justice. An essay by Christopher Check, president of Catholic Answers.

Heresies

The Great Heresies from Catholic Answers

A Short Guide to Ancient Heresies by Kenneth Whitehead

Schisms

This entry from the Catholic Encyclopedia is quite long and isn't the easiest to read, but if you scroll down, you'll find a list of the principal schisms in the Church.

Recommended Reading

The Letters of St. Ignatius 

Kenneth Whitehead: One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic 

Schedule for Epic & Great Moments in Church History

Note the change of date from June 29 to June 30.
This is in Guadalupe Hall on the grounds of EWTN. See posts below for more details. We invite you to come to as many or as few sessions as you like.

Session	Epic	Great Moments in Church History	Monday	Tuesday
1	Introduction & Mustard Seed			April 14
2	Persecution - Part I	From Christ to Constantine		April 21
3	Persecution - Part II			April 28
4	Conversion & Councils - Part I	The Christian Era & the Barbarian Invasion		May 12*
5	Conversion & Councils - Part II			May 19
6	Missionaries & the Emperor - Part I	Beginning of the Middle Ages		May 26
7	Missionaries & the Emperor - Part II		June 1
8	Crusaders & Scholars - Part I	The Crusaders	June 8
9	Crusaders & Scholars - Part II		June 15
10	Crusaders & Scholars - Part III	The Late Middle Ages & the Renaissance	June 22
11	Weak Leaders & Schism - Part I	The Protestant Revolt		June 30
12	Weak Leaders & Schism - Part II		July 6
13	Protectors & Defenders - Part I	Henry VIII’s Revolt & the Counter Reformation	July 13
14	Protectors & Defenders - Part II	The Church vs. the Total State & Revolution	July 20
15	The Catholic Reformation - Part I	The Church & the United States	July 27
16	The Catholic Reformation - Part II	The 19th Century Catholic Revival	Aug 3
17	Revolutions & Modernism	The Century of Martyrs	Aug 10
18	A World At War	The Church in WWII & the Cold War	Aug 17
19	The New Springtime	Vatican II to John Paul II	Aug 24
20	The Threshold of Hope & Conclusion		Aug 31

* No class May 5

Items Mark mentioned at the end of our first session

You can read the complete text of the Didache here.

This is Father McClosky's book list of books every Catholic should read.

The Sister Servants of the Eternal Word's Casa Maria Bookstore has the book Mark mentioned, The Bones of St. Peter. 

Sr. Madeline Marie says that the bookstore "has about 90% of our inventory online. There is an option there for "in-store pick up. If somebody wanted to order that way, we can have the items ready for them." Call (205) 956-6760 to arrange a pick-up time or to ask when you can visit the bookstore which is usually only open on retreat weekends.

NOTE: Next week we will start at 6:30 sharp with a half-hour segment from Great Moments in Church History entitled "From Christ to Constantine."

Great news!

Thanks to Father Gray Bean and Theresa Brown of St. Theresa's parish in Leeds, participants in the Epic study will have the option to register with Ascension Press, order a study guide directly from them--and then be able to view the study videos online whenever they want! This means that you'll never have to worry about missing a session. You can view what you missed anytime you like online.

Use the link below to purchase a study guide--keeping in mind that even though the link will show study as being at St. Theresa's in Leeds, it will actually be at Guadalupe Hall as stated in the post below. (Theresa will eventually be offering Epic at St. Theresa's, so you may wish to wait for that.)

Purchase study guide

And even though Theresa is listed as the study leader, please email us with any questions: EpiphanyStudies@gmail.com.

Meeting dates/time for Epic study

Epic: A Journey Through Church History

by Steve Weidenkopf & Dr. Alan Schreck

Where: Guadalupe Hall on the grounds of EWTN, 

5817 Old Leeds Rd, Irondale, AL 35210

When: 6:30pm on the following dates

Tuesday, April 14, 21, 28, May 12, 19, 26 (no class May 5)
Monday, June 1 through August 31

The epic story of the Catholic Church spans thousands of years. With an unlikely beginning in a remote outpost of the Roman empire, the Catholic Church now claims over a billion living members. The persecutions, martyrdoms, conquests, and triumphs all came together to shape Western civilization as we know it today.

Our identity as Catholics means that we are the inheritors of the deeds of holy men and women who for 2,000 years have built a great civilization and spread the Gospel throughout the world. Church history is not just the recitation of popes, people, places, and events; it is a story of adventure, intrigue, rebellion, reform, and devotion. This story is, in fact, our story; this is our family. If we know our past, and how we fit into the story, we will be better prepared to face whatever may come in the future.

We will begin each session with an episode from the EWTN series, 

Great Moments in Church History 

Harry W. Crocker and Fr. C. John McCloskey discuss several fascinating points in history. This series include discussions of Emperor Constantine, the Middle Ages, the Counter Reformation, the martyrs of the 20th Century and Pope John Paul II. Treat yourself to a real look at the Catholic history that revisionists would sweep under the carpet of modernism.

Contact Mark McCoy at 205 661-3693 or at EpiphanyStudies@gmail.com if you have any questions.

New study at EWTN starts April 14, 2015

Epic: A Journey through Church History

Please join us for this new study to take place at Guadalupe Hall on the grounds of EWTN.

More details to follow soon.