Book Club
Upcoming Events
February/March Book Selection - The Confessions (St. Augustine)
The faculty of our parish school has initiated a book club focusing on classical and religious literature. In this year dedicated to Saint Paul, the selections have been chosen with a mind to the life and writings of Paul. In September we read Pope John Paul II’s encyclical, Fides et Ratio. For an educational community, it is critical to understand the integral relationship between faith and reason, discussed so beautifully by our late pope. For October, we chose to continue our book club with an examination of The Odyssey. The epic poem describes the various trials and travels of Odysseus (Ulysses), mirrored in many ways by St. Paul. On November 6, the St. Benedict Institute has invited a renowned Dante scholar to speak on Paradiso, Dante's vision of Heaven. We will look at how Dante and St. Paul compare in their view of the afterlife as we read this classic finale to The Divine Comedy during the month of November. For December we read The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis. It is part of Lewis's well-regarded series about the land of Narnia. These stories use an allegorical style to reveal Christian truths. Dostoevsky's Russian classic, The Brothers Karamazov, was chosen for January. The story deftly descibes the failings of human nature through the lives of three brothers.
We are currently reading The Confessions, an autobiographical work by Augustine of Hippo. Recognized as one of the premier philosophers of Western Civilization, the North African bishop shares the story of his gradual conversion to the Christian faith. In order to include the participation of the parents, parish, and the wider community, an element of the book club will be online in order for you to share in our discussion.