Poets for the Kingdom:
The Sacramental Stories of Lewis and Tolkien
Perhaps no two authors in the last century have touched so many millions of lives with their deeply Christian imaginations than C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. Their desire to create “new mythologies” for England has quite literally touched the whole world, baptizing and evangelizing the imagination with a prophetic vision that speaks powerfully and critically to our reductionistic and “demythologized age”. This course, combined with the sacramental vision of St. John Paul II in the Theology of the Body and his Letter to Artists, will delve deeply into the fellowship of these two great men, revealing how their personal histories and shared experiences shaped the writings that continue to shape new generations of readers. We will also explore their sacramental imagination through a host of their novels, stories, poems and letters. As St. John Paul II wrote, “Humanity in every age, and even today, looks to works of art to shed light upon its path and its destiny.” (Letter to Artists)
Instructor
Bill Donaghy, M.A.
Bill is an instructor, international speaker, and curriculum specialist for the Theology of the Body Institute Certification Program. Bill worked for nearly a decade teaching theology at Malvern Preparatory School as well as Immaculata University, while giving talks, retreats, and conferences for the Theology of the Body Institute. He has worked in the fields of mission and evangelization since 1999, and has given talks and retreats to bishops, priests, deacons, consecrated men and women, and the lay faithful throughout the United States, as well as Canada, Mexico, Chile, Australia, and Papua New Guinea. He and his wife, Rebecca, live just outside of Philadelphia, PA, with their four children.