The Study

Do you know your family history?  The history of the Church is the story of our family. It is the epic story of our ancestors in the Faith – the heroic men and women who shaped civilization and spread the Gospel throughout the world.  Knowing this story is crucial to our identity as Catholics.  Just as we would uncover exciting and interesting stories of our ancestors through the study of our family genealogy, we can uncover our Catholic past through the study of Church history.  Knowledge of our Catholic story helps provide meaning to the present, and the present determines the future.  Learning 2,000 years of history can be a daunting task – but with Epic:  A Journey through Church History, you can easily learn the amazing story of the Church.
Our Lady of Lourdes Cathedral, France

St. John Lateran Basilica, Italy

Many in our society misunderstand and even attack our Church for the supposed misdeeds of the past.  Topics such as the Crusades, the “Inquisition”, and Galileo are used in an attempt to discredit the Church and her role in the world.  What is the truth concerning these events and persons?  How can you answer the objections?

Epic: A Journey through Church History is your answer.  Developed by teachers and historians Steve Weidenkopf and Alan Schreck, this exciting learning system helps people understand the Catholic story of history.  







For those who have received the “big picture” of salvation history from The Great Adventure: A Journey through the Bible, Epic provides “the rest of the story.”  Utilizing the same structure as The Great Adventure, Epic presents the twelve time periods of Church History:  The Mustard Seed, Persecution, Conversion & Councils, Missionaries & the Emperor, Crusaders & Scholars, Protestors & Defenders, The Catholic Reformation, Revolutions and Modernism, A World at War, The New Springtime and The Threshold of Hope.  The time periods identify the main events in Church History, Culture, and Politics, as well as the Popes, Martyrs, Saints and Doctors of the Church. Each time period is color-coded by the main theme of the period in order to facilitate memorization.

What you will learn...

  • The 2,000-year story of the Church by understanding the main themes of each of the 12 time periods.
  • The true story of the Crusades and the “Inquisition.”
  • The revolutionary character of the Protestant Reformation.
  • Why Mary Tudor, the Catholic daughter of Henry VIII is known as “Bloody Mary” while Queen Elizabeth, persecutor of Catholics, is known as “Good Queen Bess.”
  • The real story of Galileo and the Church.
  • The massive persecution of Christians in the 20th Century.
  • The workings of the Holy Spirit throughout Church History and how your own faith story fits into "His-story."

Participating in an Epic study, you will be able to answer these questions and identify these events:

  • Before September 11, 2001 there was September 11, 1683.
  • How did a tiny band of brothers convert the greatest empire in the world?
  • Who built western civilization?
  • Gregory the Great, Leo the Great and Nicholas the Great.
  • Atheists.  Cannibals.  Baby killers.
  • The Spanish Armada.  Great victory or lost hope for England?
  • In hoc signo vinces.
  • Where did the Christmas tree come from?
  • October 7, 1571 – Our Lady’s day.
  • Martin Luther.  Reformer or Revolutionary?
  • The Crusades.  Pilgrimages or Wars of conquest?

Click here to view our Study Materials