Catholic culture “is something you experience aesthetically as well as intellectually, with the emotions as well as the mind, through friendships and worship and experiences-beyond-words as well as through arguments and syllogisms.” - George Weigel
George Weigel's Letters to a Young Catholic explores and comments on Catholic culture, examining history and theology, art and architecture, literature and music. This series, author by Dr. Ann Brodeur, walks through Weigel's work letter by letter, providing imagery to enhance the reader's experience.
Acquiring a 'Habit of Being'
In the first chapter of "Letters to a Young Catholic," George Weigel explores what it means to grow up Catholic, growing into a common way of life with shared customs and a shared symbolic world.
The Grittiness of Catholicism
In the second chapter of "Letters to a Young Catholic," Weigel explores the grittiness and historicity of Christianity, focusing on the bones of St. Peter in the Vatican excavations ('Scavi').
The Face of Christ
In the third chapter of "Letters to a Young Catholic," Weigel explores two places that confront us with the reality of Christ: a monastery on Mt. Sinai and the Holy Sepulchre.
Mary and Discipleship
In the fourth chapter of "Letters to a Young Catholic," Weigel explores the Benedictine Abbey of the Dormition in Jerusalem to reflect upon Mary's unhesitating "fiat" to the will of God.
Newman and 'Liberal' Religion
In the fifth chapter of "Letters to a Young Catholic," Weigel explores the Birmingham Oratory to reflect on the conversion, life, and theology of St. John Henry Newman.
Chesterton's Pub and a Sacramental World
In the sixth chapter of Letters to a Young Catholic, Weigel explores Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese to reflect on the life and vision of G.K. Chesterton.
Brideshead Revisited and the Ladder of Love
In the seventh chapter of "Letters to a Young Catholic," Weigel explores Castle Howard in Yorkshire, England, to reflect upon the choice offered to us all: submit to reality or fly into fantasy.
Body Language, God-Talk, and the Visible Invisible
In the eighth chapter of "Letters to a Young Catholic," Weigel explores the masterfully decorated Sistine Chapel, which shows forth the grand drama of salvation history and threatens to pull back the veil of the spiritual realm.
Why and How We Pray
In the ninth chapter of "Letters to a Young Catholic," Weigel explores restoration and liturgical renewal by focusing on St. Mary's Catholic Church in Greenville, South Carolina.