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Course name
The Fathers of the Church
Live course taught by Holly Vaughan for Spring 2025 High School Church History/Doctors of the Church
Summary

Saint John Henry Cardinal Newman, a convert from Anglicanism to Catholicism, famously said “To be steeped in history is to cease to be Protestant.” In our own time in history, we see many obstacles facing the Church. While there are many different approaches to encouraging people to stay strong in faith, knowing our history, and having solid examples of those who have faced such obstacles before and not only remained steadfast, but defended the Church steadfastly, is so important. In our “post-Christian” world we see old heresies resurfacing, and the need for the type of evangelization that was practiced early in our history. Who better to learn from than those who lived through such times? This course will teach students about the fascinating, and often tumultuous, lives of the Fathers of the Church, with the goal of nurturing the same zeal (and sense of adventure) in each of us.

In this course, we will look weekly at various Fathers of the Church, their lives, and the threats to the faith that they had to face in their day, with an eye to how the same threats present themselves in our day as well. We will first explore their culture, including the resemblance to our own, and then move chronologically through the generations of these leaders of the Church, gleaning lessons from the way they lived their faith in such uncertain times.

Instructor: Holly Vaughn

Special notes

For a full year of Theology, register for The Catholic View of Salvation offered in the Fall semester.

Total classes

12

Class dates

Thursdays, January 9 to April 10, 2025. (No class on Feb. 6 & March 6)

Starting time

4:00 PM Eastern (3:00 PM Central; 2:00 PM Mountain; 1:00 PM Pacific)

Duration

55 Minutes

Prerequisites

None

Suggested grade level

9th – 12th grade

Suggested credit

One Semester of Theology

Outline

Class 1: The World of the Fathers

Class 2: The Apostolic Fathers – Clement of Rome, Ignatius of Antioch, Polycarp, and Hermas

Class 3: The Ante-Nicene Fathers – Aristides, Justin Martyr, Melito of Sardis, Theophilus of Antioch

Class 4: The Ante-Nicene Fathers – Athenagoras of Athens, Irenaeus of Lyon, Tertullian

Class 5: The Ante-Nicene Fathers – Hippolytus, Cyprian, Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Dionysius, Methodius, Lactantius

Class 6: The 4th Century: The Golden Age of Doctrine – Eusebius, Athanasius, Aphrahat the Sage, Ephrem, Basil, Greory of Nazianzus

Class 7: The 4th Century: The Golden Age of Doctrine – Gregory of Nyssa, Asterius of Amasea, Cyril of Jerusalem, Pacian, Ambrose

Class 8: The Later Fathers – Epiphanius, John Chrysostom, John Cassian, Theodore, Cyril of Alexandria, Jerome, Chromatius, Augustine

Class 9: The Later Fathers – Prudentius, Paulinus, Vincent of Lerins, Leo the Great, Peter Chrysologus

Class 10: The Later Fathers – Jacob of Serugh, Romanus the Singer, Benedict, Venantius, Gregory the Great

Class 11: The Later Fathers – Dionysius, Maximus the Confessor, Isidore of Seville, John of Damascus

Class 12: The Mothers – Perpetua, Syncletica, Egeria the Pilgrim

Materials

The Fathers of the Church (Third Edition) by Mike Aquilina (ISBN: 978-1-61278-561-5). Check bookfinder.com for used copies.

Homework

Homework will be about thirty minutes to an hour outside of class, and will include reading, as well as a mix of quizzes and writing assignments.

Fees

For all 12 classes: $207 if you register on or before November 15; $227 if you register after Nov. 15. (Registration closes one week before the first day of class. After that date, registrations are not guaranteed. There is a $20 surcharge for late enrollments after the course is closed.)

Course name
The Fathers of the Church
Instructor
Holly Vaughan
Semester
Spring 2025
Category
Theology ➤ Church History/Doctors of the Church
Grade level
High School
Course type
Live
Price
$227
Seats available
25 seats available
Seats remaining
18 seats remaining
Start time
January 9th, 2025 at 4:00 PM ET
End time
April 10th, 2025 at 9:00 PM ET
Access start time
January 2nd, 2025 at 12:00 AM ET
Access end time
December 15th, 2025 at 12:00 AM ET
Enrollment availability start time
March 1st, 2024 at 12:00 PM ET
Early enrollment discount ends
November 15th, 2024 at 11:59 PM ET
Late enrollment penalty start time
January 2nd, 2025 at 12:00 AM ET
Enrollment availability end time
January 5th, 2025 at 12:00 PM ET
Relative due dates
Relative due dates are disabled for this course.

About Holly Vaughan

Holly Vaughan comes to Homeschool Connections with an extensive background in parish catechetical work. She has experience in catechesis with all ages, particularly with middle school, high school, and adult faith formation. She has not only taught, but been involved in curriculum creation for all of these ages, and is especially interested in creating classes that teach in the format developed by the Early Church Fathers, which roots everything we learn in Scripture. After studying theology as an undergrad at the University of Dayton, she was accepted to the Master’s Program at Augustine Institute to study for her MA in Theology with a concentration in Sacred Scripture. She has a special love for helping high school and young adult students grow in their faith, and for the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults, both of which provide many opportunities to see people come alive as the teaching of our Catholic faith comes alive for them in a new way. Holly lives in rural Southern Illinois with her wonderful husband, who is a farmer, and her two amazing teenage sons, who are both Homeschool Connections students.

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  • Click here for more info on Holly Vaughan!

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