2012 Lenten Series - Please join Fr. Phil for his five-part Lent class beginning February 29, 2012 at 6:00 for the The History of the Crusades, Part Two.
Last year, in Part One, we began our look at the era of the Crusades. Our series ended with the conclusion of the First Crusade in 1099 and the creation of the Christian Kingdom of Jerusalem, but there is quite a bit more to cover. This year we will try to complete our look at the period, picking up where we left off (after a brief review) and covering the people and events culminating in the fall of the port city of Acre to the Muslim forces in 1291. We will examine along the way the creation of the Kingdom of Outremer and the fascinating history of the three military religious orders (Hospitallers, Templars, and Teutonic Knights); the rise of Saladin and his chivalrous rivalry with Richard the Lionheart during the Third Crusade of 1189-92; the disastrous Fourth Crusade of 1204 which led to the sack of Constantinople; St. Francis and the Fifth and Sixth Crusades of 1217-29; the Crusades of St. Louis; and the rise of the Italian merchant states, Genoa and Venice. In addition, we hope to have a special guest lecturer this year from the ASU College of Law.
Class will meet in the parish hall, with dinner from 6 – 6:30, and lecture from 6:30 – 7:30. All are welcome and childcare can be provided with advance sign-up. For more information or to reserve your space for this event, please contact the church office at 602-840-8210.