There are three kinds of Catholic authors;
1) Those of us who don’t know too much about the Faith, and either don’t care or don’t know how to deepen it. Being a ‘Catholic author’ is not a concern.
2) Those of us who are moderately familiar with it, and are as aware of it as a new convert, like a catechumen on fire with a new world of sacraments and symbols.
3) Those of us who are intimately familiar with the Faith, to the point where we almost don’t see it any more, the way we no longer see the air we breathe, because it is our state of ‘normal.
This course is for authors #2 and #3.
“With few exceptions, not since Catholic fiction’s heyday in the mid-20th century have there been works of prose that would pique the interest of the critical and discerning Catholic reader… They entertained their readers, while at the same time daring to challenge them and stir within them a desire for something beyond themselves. They and their contemporaries imparted into their writing that element which, I believe, is missing in Catholic fiction today—a sense of the sacred.” Michelle Tholen, ‘What’s Wrong with Contemporary Catholic Fiction?’
I’d awkwardly put myself in a 4th camp–someone who was intimately familiar with a protestant faith, and is now scrambling to figure out what’s still true and what unfathomable mysteries are in reach as a recently-baptised Orthodox convert. That said, I think this course will be good for me too. :)
Absolutely! We’re all brothers in Christ and on a sacred pilgrimage.
Welcome to the Fold!
I really like that quote from Michelle Tholen. This part in particular: “…They entertained their readers, while at the same time daring to challenge them and stir within them a desire for something beyond themselves. They and their contemporaries imparted into their writing that element which, I believe, is missing in Catholic fiction today—a sense of the sacred.” Thank you, Dominic, for creating this course. It’s very insightful and refreshing.
I’m very happy it’s helpful to you!