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Why a Master's Program?
It is no secret that the Church has been hemorrhaging members in recent years. Troubled by polarization, skepticism, and narcissism, our culture aches for the peace and joy of life in Jesus Christ. But how can it hear the truth of the Gospel anew?
To take on this challenge, the Word on Fire Institute and University of St. Thomas–Houston created a brand-new accredited Master of Arts program offering academically rigorous engagement with the thinkers, ideas, and practical methods necessary to proclaim the Gospel in a secularized and tech-saturated world.
Inspired and guided by Bishop Robert Barron, we are on a mission to supply the Church with an army of intellectually adept, culturally agile, thick-skinned, high-spirited, and new-media-savvy evangelists who are well-equipped to identify and engage with the “seeds of the Word” wherever they exist in the culture.
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A Message from Bishop Robert Barron
Why a Master's Program?
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A Message from Bishop Robert Barron
It is no secret that the Church has been hemorrhaging members in recent years. Troubled by polarization, skepticism, narcissism, our culture aches for the peace and joy of life in Jesus Christ. But how can they hear the truth of the Gospel anew?
To take on this challenge, the Word on Fire Institute and University of St. Thomas-Houston created a new accredited Master’s of Arts program offering academically rigorous engagement with the thinkers, ideas, and practical methods necessary to proclaim the Gospel to a secularized and tech-saturated world.
Inspired and guided by Bishop Robert Barron, we are on a mission to supply the Church with an army of intellectually adept, culturally agile, thick-skinned, high-spirited, and new-media-savvy evangelists who are well-equipped to identify and engage with the “seeds of the Word” wherever they exist in the culture.
An accredited advanced degree in the Word on Fire ethos
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About the Program
Anchored in the eight principles of Bishop Robert Barron’s Word on Fire movement—with special emphasis on identifying the “seeds of the Word” in the world—this program teaches students how to employ the Church’s rich philosophical, theological, moral, and artistic traditions, both classical and contemporary, to evangelize the culture and draw individuals into, or back to, the Church. All courses will be taught live online, with an optional intensive in-person summer residency on the campus of UST. Students will have dedicated faculty available to them throughout the program. Faculty will include faithful scholars and Catholic thought leaders, including Word on Fire Institute professors. For more information, click the button below to download a free PDF packet.
The Theology of Bishop Robert Barron
This course engages the thought of Bishop Robert Barron to examine major themes in systematic theology and their relevance to evangelizing the culture. The course includes introductions to Eucharistic theology, dogmatic theology, and ecclesiology.
Biblical Studies for Evangelists
This course offers an introduction to Old and New Testament theology using a “hermeneutics of evangelization” that sees revelation in five acts: creation, the fall, the formation of Israel, Jesus Christ, and the Church. Students will also learn how to evangelize using The Word on Fire Bible.
Christology for Evangelists
This course provides an introduction to the Church’s understanding of the second person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ, God made flesh, with special emphasis on Christ’s identity as both eternal logos and historical redeemer.
Reading for Evangelists
This course teaches how to understand and appreciate the Catholic literary tradition and its power to evangelize the culture. Topics include the making/discovering of meaning, the use of the imagination, and the evangelical relevance of good storytelling.
The True: Philosophy for Evangelists
This course provides an introduction to Catholic apologetics with the goal of equipping students to respond to the most common secular objections to Catholicism. Topics include arguments for the existence of God, the historicity of the Resurrection, the problem of evil, and the relationship between faith and science.
The Good: Moral Theology for Evangelists
Anchored in the thought of Fr. Servais Pinckaers, this course provides an introduction to Catholic moral theology with the goal of teaching students how the Catholic conception of the meaning and purpose of human action leads to authentic happiness. Topics include natural law, justice, the common good, virtue, conscience, character, and sanctification.
The Beautiful: Art and Architecture for Evangelists
This course provides an introduction to the distinctively Catholic conception of beauty and how beauty can serve as an effective tool for evangelization. Topics include sacramentality, transcendence, and the relationship between “high art” and “popular art.”
Dante for Evangelists
This course examines how one of history’s best poets provides a perennially compelling and relevant vision of the Catholic philosophical, theological, moral, and artistic life.
* elective
The Evangelical Legacy of Vatican II
This course addresses common misconceptions about the purpose and content of Vatican II with the goal of teaching how Vatican II principles remain essential for effective evangelization.
*elective
Spirituality for Evangelists
This course explores how the thought and practice of the great spiritual masters and saints of the Church can serve as potent tools for inviting people into a relationship with Jesus Christ.
*elective
Patristics for Evangelists
This course provides an introduction to patristics with the goal of showing how the Church Fathers can effectively address both Protestant and secular criticisms of the Church.
*elective
Practical Evangelization
This course focuses on the concrete “How-tos” of effective evangelization in contemporary contexts. Topics include how to use social media to evangelize, how to create and nurture digital and physical evangelical communities, how to build a culture of life, how to respond to indifference, and how to respond to opposition and hostility.
*elective
Evangelization & Anthropology
This course explores the anthropological dimensions—biological, psychological, sociological, and spiritual—of being the subject and object of evangelization.
*elective
Advanced Topics: Summer Residency
The Summer Residency provides students the opportunity to study a special topic at the University of St. Thomas campus. Topics include evangelization and new media, evangelization and persecution, Church history for evangelists, and cross-cultural evangelization.
* elective
Faith & Science
One of the top reasons people leave the Church is the false notion that faith and science are at odds. It’s time to put that myth to rest once and for all. Learn how faith and science not only do not conflict with each other but, in fact, are mutually complementary and illuminating.
6 COURSES
Justice & Virtue
What does it mean to be a good person and to treat others justly? Secular culture fails to provide an adequate answer to these questions–with disastrous consequences for social stability and individual happiness. Learn how the Church not only cares about justice, including social justice, and good character, but also provides a better moral and political alternative to the reigning ideologies of our day.
3 COURSES
Popular Culture
Popular culture is important to the Church precisely because it’s where the people are, especially the young. Learn how to identify and make good use of the “seeds of the Word” in entertainment, politics, and even stand-up comedy to evangelize the culture.
3 COURSES
Prayer &
Sanctification
There is no greater evangelical power in the world than the saints, those who embody the Good News in their very lives–and all of us are called to become saints. Learn how to deepen your prayer life and conform yourself, by the grace of God, ever more perfectly to Christ's will.
3 COURSES
“It has fostered a hunger in me to know God more deeply and to love Him more profoundly.”
AGGIE
Why should you pursue higher education from Word on Fire and the University of St. Thomas?
Rigorous
Learn how to employ the Church’s rich philosophical, theological, moral, and artistic traditions, both classical and contemporary, to evangelize the culture and draw individuals into, or back to, the Church.
Practical
Gain practical evangelization skills to fulfill the Great Commission in your own life.
Accessible
Complete the program remotely with an optional in-person summer intensive, and be formed by faithful scholars and Catholic thought leaders, including Word on Fire Institute professors.
Rooted in the
8 Principles
of Word on Fire
Rooted in the
8 Principles
of Word on Fire
1. Unwavering Christocentrism
2. Evangelizing the Culture
3. Special Commitment to New Media
4. Rootedness in the Mystical Body
5. Leading with Beauty
6. Affirmative Orthodoxy
7. Collaborative Apostolate
8. Grounding on the Eucharist
Rooted in the 8 Principles of Word on Fire
Living in greater joy, peace, and freedom can only be done through a deeper encounter with our Lord Jesus Christ. Be trained in the life of prayer and participate in community groups that can help deepen your prayer life.
Learn
Bishop Barron has stated that the dumbing down of the faith has been a pastoral disaster. Learn from Bishop Barron and other handpicked experts in the comfort of your home on topics like Theology, Writing, Faith and Science, Philosophy, and the Bible.
Evangelize
We've all heard Bishop's unwavering call to Proclaim Christ in the Culture. But how do we do that amidst the busyness of our lives and within an apathetic and sometimes hostile society? Become confident in your ability to be a witness to Christ and learn how to feed souls hungry for beauty, peace, and purpose in a fallen world.
Pray
“My faith has deepened and allowed me to share the beauty of our Church in ways I never expected.”
–DANIEL
Learn
“The courses are one of my favorite resources at the Institute. Some people listen to television or the radio while working around home. I listen to Word on Fire courses.”
–MARSHA
Evangelize
“I particularly work with children, and I find I can express much more skillfully theological concepts to them in ways that are true to the faith but accessible.”
–ANDREA
Pray
“My faith has deepened and allowed me to share the beauty of our Church in ways I never expected.”
DANIEL
Learn
“The courses are one of my favorite resources at the Institute. Some people listen to television or the radio while working around home. I listen to Word on Fire courses.”
MARSHA
Evangelize
“I particularly work with children, and I find I can express much more skillfully theological concepts to them in ways that are true to the faith but accessible.”
ANDREA
Get a physical copy of Evangelization & Culture four times a year.
Bishop Barron has set out to create a beautiful and intellectually stimulating quarterly journal that gives Catholics and seekers alike a smart and practical reflection of the Word on Fire ethos. This award-winning publication covers topics such as creativity, economics, cinema, Scripture, humor, freedom, the Eucharist, joy, and much more. We'll send you the latest edition when you sign up today, and you'll also get online access to all 17+ past issues!
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Issue 17
Education
Issue 16
Pope Benedict XVI
Issue 15
Suffering
Issue 14
Joy
Issue 13
The Eucharist
Issue 12
Childhood
Issue 11
The Four Last Things
Issue 10
Freedom
Issue 9
Poetry
Issue 8
Humor
Issue 7
The Catholic Sensibility of Bishop Barron
Issue 6
Hope
Issue 5
Scripture
Issue 4
Cinema
Issue 3
The Digital Age
Issue 2
Economics
Issue 1
Creativity
Word on Fire Digital
You will also get access to ALL of Bishop Barron's past films along with downloadable and printable PDF study materials which are perfect for in-person small group studies!
Bishop Barron explains why he started the Word on Fire Institute and why now is the perfect time to join!
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Word on Fire Digital
You will also get access to ALL of Bishop Barron's past films along with downloadable and printable PDF study materials which are perfect for in-person small group studies!
“One of the best things I've done is become a member of the Word on Fire Institute which has enriched my life in every way.”
BETTY
“I was an under-catechized ‘none’ who rediscovered faith through the Word on Fire podcast and books. Once I realized how little I had learned growing up, I wanted to go deeper to understand my faith and the Church. Since joining the Word on Fire Institute, I have grown in leaps and bounds. . The Word on Fire Institute has quality content for education in the faith, which is exactly what I was seeking.”
PETER
“If you want to grow and share your faith and join a vibrant community, the Word on Fire Institute is a perfect fit.”
KELLY
What You Get Today
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$27 / month 30-Day FREE Trial
Cancel anytime. No contracts.
Your card will not be charged until after the 30-day trial.
You can keep the Centered book and Evangelization & Culture journal even if you cancel.
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FAQs
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We created the program to offer everyone a means to receive an accredited advanced degree in the Word on Fire evangelical ethos. Drawing on Bishop Barron’s charism and broad appeal, we also created the program to supply the Church with intelligent, thick-skinned, high-spirited, and culturally-agile evangelists who are well-equipped to identify and engage with the “seeds of the Word” wherever they exist in the world, especially the digital world.
The Church has been hemorrhaging members the past few decades in the United States and much of the West. While the causes are complex, one of the most significant factors is, as Bishop Barron frequently notes, because the Church has lost confidence in embracing and sharing the beauty, truth, and goodness of her teachings, especially to young people.
All courses will be taught live online, with an optional in-person summer residency on the campus of the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas. There will be no pre-recorded lectures.
The program launched in June 2024.
This Master of Arts in Evangelization & Culture is the only advanced accredited degree rooted in Bishop Barron’s Word on Fire ethos. Learning theology with a laser-sharp focus on evangelization is exactly how the Apostles learned from Christ. Through this academically rigorous program, you will receive practical skills to fulfill the Great Commission in your own life.
Please email admissions@stthom.edu or call (713) 525-3500 to talk to an admissions representative.
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Word on Fire Catholic Ministries is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit ministry.
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Word on Fire Catholic Ministries is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit ministry.
