MESSENGER OF JESUS CHRIST FOR THE 21st CENTURY

One of my new favorite people is a new auxiliary bishop of the archdiocese of Los Angeles ordained in 2015. BISHOP ROBERT BARRON is the founder of Word on Fire Ministries.

 and the host of Catholicism,  a groundbreaking, award-winning documentary about the Catholic Faith. Bishop Barron is a #1 Amazon bestselling author and has published numerous books, essays, and articles on theology and the spiritual life.

Bishop Robert Emmet Barron was born on November 19, 1959, in Chicago. He spent his childhood first in Detroit, then in the Chicago suburb of Western Springs. His mother was a homemaker, and his father, who died in 1987, was a national sales manager for  a national food distributor company.

Bishop Barron discovered Thomas Aquinas when he was a freshman in high school where he was educated by Benedictines. He was ordained a priest in 1986 by Cardinal Joseph Bernardin. He earned his M.A. at Catholic University of America, where he had won the Basselin Scholarship in philosophy and public speaking. He is a Doctor of Sacred Theology under the pontifical system from the Institut Catholique de Paris in 1992.  In addition to his native English, he is fluent in French, Spanish, German, and Latin.

He was the Professor of Faith and Culture at University of St. Mary of the Lake near Chicago until his installation as auxiliary bishop. The late Cardinal Francis George (whom Bishop Barron considers a mentor) called Bishop Barron "one of the Church's best messengers". He is a prominent theologian having lectured around the western world.

 Archbishop Gomez of Los Angeles gave each of the three forthcoming auxiliary bishops pectoral crosses modeled after the one Pope Francis wears, noting that Bishop Barron's media talent and rapport with young people, as well as his outreach to other faiths and to the world of culture (including with non-believers and non-practicing or fallen away Catholics) and education, would be good for the archdiocese. Bishop Barron's website, WordOnFire.org, reaches millions of people each year. His regular YouTube videos have been viewed over 14 million times. Next to Pope Francis, he is the most-followed Catholic leader on social media.

In 2000 Barron launched "Word on Fire Catholic Ministries", a non-profit organization, that supports his evangelistic endeavors. Word on Fire programs have been broadcast regularly on WGN America, EWTN, Telecare, Relevant Radio and the Word on Fire YouTube Channel. His Word on Fire website offers daily blogs, articles, commentaries and over ten years of weekly sermon podcasts. Bishop Barron's pioneering work in evangelizing through the new media led Francis Cardinal George to describe him as “one of the Church’s best messengers.”

I advise everyone to tune into Youtube  to watch this riveting messenger of Christ. He is bright, funny, warm, and most definitely a man who loves Christ and the Church. As I write this he is in Krakow, Poland for World Youth Day and daily sending news.