Learn at Emmanuel

About Our Time Together

 

Every Sunday during the program year from 9:30 to 10:15, adults gather for the Rector's Forum.

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Currently, we are studying the life and ministry of St. Francis of Assisi, using the book Salvation: Scenes from the Live of St. Francis by Valerie Martin.

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Salvation is a narrative meditation on the life of St. Francis of Assisi inspired by frescoes that illustrate scenes from his life. The frescoes are from a number of different artists especially Giotto who painted the frescoes in the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi. Rather than a linear biography, the book presents vivid vignettes—short, stylized scenes—that capture moments of Francis's spiritual journey, his acts of humility, and his radical love for nature the ill and the poor.

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Valerie Martin approaches St. Francis not as a distant religious icon but as a human figure of contradiction and beauty, portraying him with both reverence and intimacy. She explores themes of sainthood, sacrifice, and simplicity, emphasizing the religious revolution ignited by Francis’s ministries.