Word on Fire is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. That’s twenty-five years of proclaiming the Gospel, evangelizing the culture, and working hard to bring people to—or back to—Christ and his Church. It’s worth pausing to look back to remember where it all began and how the ministry has grown along the way. What is Word on Fire’s origin story? When, where, and why did Bishop Barron—then Fr. Barron—first conceive of the idea to found Word on Fire? What were the early years like? What have been some major developments along the way? What obstacles were encountered, what lessons learned? And what does the future look like for the next five, ten, and even fifty years?
A listener asks how he might be able to become a part of the Word on Fire religious order.
00:00 | Introduction
01:22 | Minnesota bishops visit state capital
02:55 | A brief look at Bishop Barron’s early priestly life
06:18 | Bishop Barron’s cathedral project
06:58 | Word on Fire’s beginning
09:49 | Beginning the Catholicism series
11:24 | Cardinal Francis George
14:30 | Early days with Fr. Steve Grunow
15:41 | Reddit’s “Ask Me Anything”
18:48 | Sunday Sermons
23:22 | Bishop Barron Presents
25:45 | The Word on Fire Show
27:07 | Public speaking events
28:32 | Speaking at Google and Facebook
29:57 | Expanding into the United Kingdom
31:17 | Word on Fire’s Institute and Publishing
33:58 | The Word on Fire Bible
37:08 | Looking into the future
38:32 | A message to donors
39:17 | Listener question: How can I join Word on Fire’s Third Order?
40:35 | Join the Word on Fire Institute
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