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The Pivotal Players

The Pivotal Players

12 Heroes Who Shaped the Church and Changed the World

by Bishop Robert Barron

Format
Regular price $29.95 USD
Regular price $29.95 USD Sale price $29.95 USD
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In two thousand years, the Catholic Church has yielded countless saints, artists, mystics, and scholars. But among them are figures that are truly pivotal—men and women who not only shaped the life of the Church but changed the course of civilization.

In this vibrant book based on the multi-part film series CATHOLICISM: The Pivotal Players, Bishop Robert Barron draws readers into the life and work of twelve Pivotal Players—from great saints such as St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas to literary masters such as G.K. Chesterton and Flannery O’Connor—who personally demonstrated the dynamics of the Christian faith in their distinct time and place. These stories capture both the great variety of personalities and vocations in the Catholic Church and the harmonies between them, all oriented to its ultimate purpose: to be salt and light for all the nations.

Elegantly designed with full-color images and photography, The Pivotal Players is a unique journey into the truth and beauty of Catholicism as exemplified in the concrete lives of some of its most fascinating figures.

Details

Publisher: Word on Fire
ISBN: 9781943243679
Binding: Hardcover
Page count: 280
Dimensions: 6.125 x 9.25 (in)
Thickness: 0.75 (in)
Made in: United States
Language: English
Release date: Sep 15, 2020

About the Author

Bishop Robert Barron

Bishop Robert Barron is the founder of Word on Fire Catholic Ministries and the host of CATHOLICISM, a groundbreaking, award-winning documentary about the Catholic faith. On July 21, 2015, Pope Francis announced his appointment as Auxiliary Bishop in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, and on June 2, 2022, he appointed Bishop Barron the ninth bishop of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester (Minnesota). Ordained in 1986 in the Archdiocese of Chicago, Bishop Barron received a master’s degree in philosophy from The Catholic University of America in 1982 and a doctorate in sacred theology from the Institut Catholique de Paris in 1992.

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  • Please contact us as soon as possible—ideally within 2 hours of placing your order—at 866-928-1237 or sales@wordonfire.org with your order correction details. We’ll work quickly to see if any edits to your order are still possible.
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For non-damaged, standard returns:

Our products may be returned if they were purchased within the last 90 days, are unused, and are still in their original packaging. Original shipping costs are already collected by the shipper, and therefore the original shipping costs are not refundable.

We will provide a pre-paid return label to you. The maximum shipping cost covered will be $20. If the return shipping costs in excess of $20 to ship it to us, that will be deducted from the refund amount. (Meaning, if one orders 30 bibles and changes their mind after receiving them, it would not be good stewarding of our donor-provided funds for the ministry to cover that return shipment.)


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For damages to the item that are significant in nature, such as missing pages, large gashes in the cover, major creases in the cover, or dents, etc, please email us at sales@wordonfire.org for a no-cost replacement. For minor damages, like a nick or otherwise tiny blemish, or a slightly bent inward corner, or a slightly flaked embossing, these returns may be accepted but the return shipping will not be covered in order to be good stewards of the donor provided funds that make our non-profit ministry possible. For items that are shipped in protective packaging, such as the Leather Bible, note that the outer box is meant to absorb damage in shipping, and the box should not be considered the product itself, and the box is not replaceable.

 

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Please email us to set up your return at sales@wordonfire.org. 

Your order record will be retrieved by the system based on the email address you used to make the purchase. For this reason, please have the email address or the order number (example: Q######) handy when beginning the return process. We are able to accept international returns, but we are unable to generate return shipping labels from countries outside the United States.  

 

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Middle-aged man wearing glasses and bishop attire with a magenta zucchetto and gold chain against a plain dark background.

About the Author

Bishop Robert Barron is the founder of Word on Fire Catholic Ministries and the host of CATHOLICISM, a groundbreaking, award-winning documentary about the Catholic faith. On July 21, 2015, Pope Francis announced his appointment as Auxiliary Bishop in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, and on June 2, 2022, he appointed Bishop Barron the ninth bishop of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester (Minnesota). Ordained in 1986 in the Archdiocese of Chicago, Bishop Barron received a master’s degree in philosophy from The Catholic University of America in 1982 and a doctorate in sacred theology from the Institut Catholique de Paris in 1992.

What People Are Saying

Smiling middle-aged man with glasses, light stubble, and a bald head against a softly lit blurred background in a circular frame.

“Bishop Robert Barron is arguably the greatest Catholic communicator of our times. In The Pivotal Players, we meet the men and women whose lives animate Bishop Barron’s words—and who can motivate each of us to live the adventure of our faith in new and unexpected ways.”

—Arthur C. Brooks, PhD, Professor of Public Leadership, Harvard University, and bestselling author of Love Your Enemies

Portrait of a smiling older man wearing glasses and a black religious habit with a blurred light background.

“This is a beautiful book. Peace and strength waft up from its pages as you read and turn them and gaze at the vivid, vibrant pictures. It is the fresh air of Catholic culture that you are breathing in, not as an abstract idea but through the lives of the enlightened men and women who—differently but always fresh in every age—embody the exquisite truths of Jesus’ Gospel.”

—Abbot Jeremy Driscoll, O.S.B., Abbot of Mount Angel Abbey

Jennifer Frey headshot

“In this beautifully illustrated and captivating book, Bishop Barron draws our attention to twelve heroic figures, from St. Augustine to Flannery O'Connor. The Pivotal Players is a powerful and welcome reminder that the truths of the faith are not limited to the abstractions of theology and philosophy, but have also been made manifest in the particular lives of our greatest theologians, artists, mystics, and saints.”

—Jennifer Frey, associate professor of philosophy, University of South Carolina

Chris Kaczor

“The pivotal players in this book captivate the imagination, stir the heart, and inspire a life filled with love of God and love of neighbor. Bishop Barron’s winsome text is accompanied by lavish art that brings to life twelve fascinating figures from diverse cultures and times. If I ran the world, this book of heroes would be required reading in every parish, in every classroom, and in every home. Get a copy for yourself and share a copy with a ‘none’ whom you love.”

—Christopher Kaczor, professor of philosophy and author of The Seven Big Myths About the Catholic Church

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M
Matt

Very well done

M
Michelle

Cannot wait to sit and read this post Christmas time