The Night School is an adventurous exercise of greater depth and reflectivity than is normal for most people. Once a month, our speaker welcomes into our gathering a profound thinker, explorer, philosopher, painter, poet, theologian or mystic from the ancient or nearer past. Here you can access audio files and additional resources for each class.
Series XI:
November 2022: Simone Weil
October 2022: Marcus Aurelius
Presented by Dr. Travis Pickell
September 2022: Homer
Presented by Rick Ganz
Series X:
May 2022: J.R.R. Tolkien
April 2022: Charles Williams
March 2022: Owen Barfield
Presented by Rick Ganz
February 2022: Dorothy Sayers
Presented by Rick Ganz
January 2022: John the Apostle
Series IX:
December 2021: The Great Poets of Advent and Christmas
November 2021: St. Bonaventure, Part II
Presented by Rick Ganz
October 2021: St. Bonaventure, Part I
September 2021: The Author of the Letter to the Ephesian
Presented by Rick Ganz
Series VIII:
May 2021: Madeleine L’Engle
Presented by Rick Ganz
Painting referred to during the class: Mary, Undoer of Knots (c 1700)
March 2021: Job of the Book of Job
January 2021: Rene Girard
Series VII:
November 2020: Dionysius the Areopagite
October 2020: Dante Alighieri
September 2020: Daniel of the Book of Daniel
Series VI:
December 2019: A Baby, Just Born
Presented by Tara Ludwig
About Tara’s work at the Faber Institute
November 2019: St Ignatius of Loyola
Presented by Bill Zuelke
St. Ignatus bio detail
Fall in Love Poem
The First Principle and Foundation
Outline of the Spiritual Exercises
Tuesday, November 12th Eastside Audio:
October 2019: George MacDonald
Presented by Paul J. Pastor
Recommended Readings:
Biography: George MacDonald by William Raeper
Devotional: The Diary of an Old Soul
For Kids: The Princess and the Goblin
For Imagination: Lilith
For Inklings Fans: Phantastes
Short Stories: The Wise Woman and Other Stories
Anthology: The Gospel in George MacDonald by Plough Publishing House
Tuesday, October 15th Eastside Audio:
September 2019: Eli, the Last Prophet of Shiloh
Presented by Rev. Dr. Geordie Ziegler
Image Handout
Tuesday, September 17th Eastside Audio:
Thursday, September 19th Westside Audio:
Series V:
May 2019: St Teresa of Avila
Presented by Joel Kibler
St. Teresa of Avila photos
St Teresa of Avila notes
Tuesday, May 21st Eastside Audio:
April 2019: Charles and John Wesley
Presented by Steve Moore
A Baker’s Dozen of Wesleyan Distinctives_1
Tuesday, April 16th Combined Eastside Audio:
March 2019: The St John’s Bible
Dr. Paul Anderson presents the artists of The St John’s Bible
Dr. Paul Anderson’s St John’s Bible Powerpoint
Dr. Paul Anderson’s Huffington Post Page
Tuesday, March 19th Eastside Audio:
Thursday, March 21st Westside Audio:
February 2019: Rumi the Poet
Fr Steve Lantry, February 2019 Night School Presentation
Tuesday, February 19th Eastside Audio:
Thursday, February 21 Westside Audio
January 2019: Ephrem the Syrian
Frederic Rilliet – Ephrem the Syrian (EAC)
Kathleen McVey – Intro to Ephrem the Syrian
Maronite History | Saint Sharbel Church
Sebastian Brock on Ephrem the Syrian
Syrian Orthodox Church (John Meno)
Russell – Get to Know St. Ephrem, the “Harp of the Holy Spirit”
Ephrem the Syrian – Commentary on Genesis 2-3 (Brock)
Tuesday, January 15 Eastside Audio:
Thursday, January 17 Westside Audio:
Series IV:
December 2018: Julian of Norwich
Anne L Clark – on Julian of Norwich
Anthony Domestico, On Julian of Norwich
Carl Sagan – Pale Blue Dot (1994)
Denise Levertov – Julian of Norwich
Earth seen by Voyager I (14 February 1990)
Evelyn Underhill, on Julian of Norwich
Jean de Brebeuf, SJ – The Huron Carol
Julian of Norwich – Popular Resources | The Julian Centre
Julian of Norwich: Mystic, Theologian and Anchoress – Medievalists.net
Katharina Wilson – Christian Medieval Women Writers
November 2018: St Gregory of Nyssa
Gregory of Nyssa (Christian History Magazine #80)
McGinn, Endless Pursuit on St. Gregory of Nyssa (2003)
Tuesday, November 13 Eastside Audio:
Thursday, November 15 Westside Audio:
October 2018: The Holy Spirit
Cantalamessa, on the Holy Spirit (20 March 2015)
Elowsky – on We Believe in the Holy Spirit
Levinson – On the Holy Spirit in the Bible
Matthew 3, 13-17 (The Baptism of Jesus)
Tuesday, October 16 Eastside Audio:
Thursday, October 18 Westside Audio:
September 2018: Hosea the Prophet
Gale Yee, PhD – Intro to Book of Hosea
Intro to Book of Hosea (CSB)
Tuesday, September 18 Eastside Audio:
Thursday, September 20 Westside Audio:
Series III:
May 15, 2018: St. John of the Cross
CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA – St. John of the Cross
Cunningham – St. John of the Cross, Mystic of the Light | America Magazine (2006)
Daniel Chowning, OCD, Negation in John of the Cross
Graham Schwieg, Crucifix of John of the Cross
John of the Cross | Christian History
Michael Dodd, OCD, Life, Times, Writing of John of the Cross
Note on The Drawing of Christ on the Cross
St. John of the Cross (1542-1591) — Britannica Online Encyclopedia
Thomas Merton, on John of the Cross
Book Recommendation: The Impact of God by Fr. Iain Matthew
April 17, 2018: St. Catherine of Genoa
Catherina of Genoa, Life and Doctrine (CCEL)
Catherine of Genoa – Wikipedia
Catherine of Genoa, Purgation & Purgatory (Google Digital Texts)
CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: St. Catherine of Genoa
Harvey Egan, SJ, In Purgatory, Mystics (December 2012)
Pope Benedict XVI, on Catherine of Genoa (12 January 2011)
September 15 – on St Catherine of Genoa
Book Recommendation: Catherine of Genoa: Purgation and Purgatory, The Spiritual Dialogue (Classics of Western Spirituality)
March 20, 2018: Plotinus
Ganz Notes – Plotinus (205-270 CE)
Plotinus – Britannica Online Encyclopedia
PLOTINUS, Ennead I, 6 (text) – on Beauty
The Enneads – Wikipedia
Billy Collins, Today
Plotinus, Texts to Recommend
January 16, 2018: Ezekiel the Prophet
Ganz Notes on the Book of Ezekiel (6th c BCE)|
Michael Fishbane – on the Book of Ezekiel
Prophet Ezekiel – Vatican Museums
Series II:
December 12, 2017: Karl Rahner, SJ
Ingvild Rosok, Spirituality and Theology of Rahner (The Way 50:4)
Karl Rahner, SJ – IgnatianSpirituality.com
Mary Steinmetz, Karl Rahner and Experience of God
Reading Karl Rahner: Twenty-five years after his death, Rahner’s works still illuminate. | America Magazine
Book Recommendations: Encounters with Silence, The Mystical Way in Everyday Life
November 14, 2017: St Anselm of Caterbury
Anselm of Canterbury – Devotions
Anselm of Canterbury – Twenty-one Meditations
Anselm of Canterbury, Monk, Archbishop, Theologian
Saint Anselm of Canterbury — Britannica Online Encyclopedia
Text – Anselm’s Prayer 18 – For my Friends
Text – Anselm’s Prayer 19, For my Enemies
October 17, 2017: St Ignatius of Antioch
Ignatius of Antioch (Christian History)
Letters of Ignatius of Antioch (trans J H Srawley, 1919)
Saint Ignatius of Antioch (Britannica Online Encyclopedia)
September 19, 2017: The Author of the Book of Ecclesiastes
Ganz – Notes on the Book of Ecclesiastes
Series I:
June 20, 2017: Irenaeus of Lyons
Ganz – Notes on St Irenaeus of Lyons (for 20 June 2017)
POPE JOHN PAUL ON THE CONTEMPORARY IMPORTANCE OF ST IRENAEUS
May 16, 2017: The Epic of Gilgamesh
Ganz – Notes on the Epic of Gilgamesh
A BBC Reading of Gilgamesh:
April 18, 2017: Aristotle
G
anz – Some Notes concerning Aristotle
March 21, 2017: Plato
Ganz – The Night School on Plato, 21 March 2017
Plato’s Symposium Dialogue (narrative version)
Plato’s Symposium Dialogue (downloadable ebook)
Plato’s Crito Dialogue (narrative version)
Plato’s Crito Dialogue (PDF version)
February 21, 2017: Athanasius of Alexandria