Join Father Beddingfield and others on Wednesday evenings for a simple soup dinner followed by a video and discussion.  Over the five weeks we will watch short videos that introduce us to major personalities in Christian spirituality.  We will look at some of each person’s original work and discuss the implications of the person’s work and life or us and the Church.

February 13: Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179)
A German nun and abbess, Hildegard was an intellectual, writer, composer, and artist. She wrote about music, art, medicine, natural history and theology and her musical compositions are being played to this day. Hildegard is remembered also for her visions, which she wrote about in great detail. She was a renaissance woman far ahead of her time.

February 20: Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD)
Augustine of Hippo, was bishop in North Africa in the 4th century and one of Christianity's most influential thinkers. A brilliant theologian and prolific writer, his longing for God was restless and relentless. Chronicling his spiritual journey in the "Confessions," Augustine is forever pushing the boundaries of self-knowledge in order to understand himself in relation to God. His pilgrimage holds meaning today for anyone searching for the point where God and self meet.

February 27: Julian of Norwich (1342?-1416)
Julian of Norwich is recognized today as one of 14th century England's most compelling mystics. A contemporary of Chaucer and survivor of the black plague, Julian received sixteen startling images of the crucified Christ that forever changed her life. Her descriptions of her visions in "Revelations of Divine Love" have given birth to enduring images of God's nurturing and familial love that continue to inspire seekers today.

March 5: William Blake (1757-1827)
Blake always sensed there was something different about himself, and he was surely right! Visionary, mystic, engraver, printer, poet, artist, writer -- his extraordinary creative skills flowed through many forms to give expression to the extraordinary inner world he inhabited. As a result he helped us to see with new eyes. His ability to tap the depths of Biblical imagery remains a gift to the ages including the materialistic culture that surrounds us today.

March 12: Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)
Teresa of Avila was one of the most colorful mystics of the Medieval Period. A Carmelite nun, she struggled in prayer for nearly twenty years before she experienced a profound conversion. Reflecting a remarkable determination in her quest to know God, Teresa of Avila speaks across the centuries to those yearning for transcendence amid the distractions of modern life.