In the ferment of the mid 20th-Century, Catholic writers and artists sought to develop a new, distinctly Catholic, modernity. They navigated the political challenges of fascism, communism, and liberalism. In this event, we look to the history of MidCentury Catholicism, with figures like Georges Rouault, the Maritains, Dorothy Day, and Claude McKay, and its response to the cultural, intellectual, and political ferment of the 1920s-60s. What can we learn from these great figures as 21st Century people grapple with the challenges of our century? 

A collection of recent books have highlighted the impact of Catholicism on modernity and modernity on Catholicism. In this webinar event we gather three scholars—James Chappel, author of Catholic Modern: The Challenge of Totalitarianism and the Making of the Church, Brenna Moore author of Kindred Spirits: Friendship and Resistance at the Edges of Modern Catholicism, and Stephen Schloesser SJ author of Jazz Age Catholicism: Mystic Modernism in Postwar Paris—to discuss those turbulent years with an eye to understanding our own modern moment.

This event is cosponsored by America Magazine, Nova Forum for Catholic Thought, Lumen Christi Institute, Beatrice Institute, and the Genealogies of Modernity Project.

Date: Monday, December 6, 2021

Time: 7:00 PM-8:30 PM ET

Location: Zoom

Registration: This webinar is free and open to the public.

This webinar was recorded. To watch the video on our YouTube channel, click the button below.