Fr. Anthony Brankin Presents "Art & Prayer" at the 2025 Catholic Art Institute, Retreat for Artists held at the University of St. Mary of the Lake. Reverend Anthony J. Brankin was ordained to the priesthood on May 14, 1975 for theArchdiocese of Chicago. He received his S.T.L. (License in Sacred Theology) magna cum laude from the University of St. Mary of the Lake. In May of 1981 he was sent tostudy art at the Bel’ Arte Academy in Rome, Italy. He also completed further studies at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Illinois. Father Brankin has produced major sculptures, works in bronze, religious altar pieces, drawings, icons and prints for organizations in the US and Italy. Thanks to our sponsors Canning Liturgical Arts and Conrad Schmitt Studios for helping to make this retreat possible. For more information about the Catholic Art Institute visit us online at https://www.catholicartinstitute.org Join us in Washington D.C. for our amazing annual conference on Sept. 19 & 20, 2025 with speakers Duncan Stroik, Fr. Patrick van der Vorst, James McCrery, Dr. Barbara Nicolosi, Dr. Mark Nowakowski, and David Riccio. For details and enrollment please visit: https://www.catholicartinstitute.org/conference2025 For membership please visit: https://www.catholicartinstitute.org/membership We hope you'll consider joining us as a member or at one of our upcoming events which include conferences, art competitions and exhibitions, workshops, retreats, film festivals and more.

Dr. Barbara Nicolosi presented "Creating Art from "Our Country"" at the 2025 CAI Retreat for Artists. The 2025 Catholic Art Institute retreat took place June 20 & 21st at the University of St. Mary of the Lake with presentations by Fr. Joshua Caswell SJC, Fr. Anthony Brankin, and Dr. Barbara Nicolosi. Barbara Nicolosi is an award-winning writer, speaker, professor and producer, Dr. Barbara Nicolosi has spoken at hundreds of conferences, universities, and churches. She is the featured host on the Mystagogy podcast. She has also given retreats for parish ministers. With 23 years of experience working in Hollywood as a writer and producer, Dr. Nicolosi speaks about the intersection of faith and culture, the role of art and beauty in the Church and world, and how to engage the secular mainstream with Gospel themes. She is a Great Books professor and former member of a religious community, speaking regularly on the topics of literature and philosophy the importance of friendship, various aspects of prayer and spirituality, the history and social importance of story and art, and how the Church can more effectively find a voice in the marketplace of ideas. ​ Dr. Nicolosi is founder of the Write Spirit creative writing program of the Catholic Art Institute. A member of the Writers Guild of America-West she has written screenplays for several Hollywood production companies including Fatima (2020), directed by Marco Pontecorvo and starring Harvey Keitel and Sonia Braga. Barbara has a doctorate in Creative Writing from Bath Spa University in the UK, a Masters in Film & Television from Northwestern University, and a B.A. from the Great Books program at Magdalen College. She has taught at the university level for twenty years. She has been a script analyst, production company executive, and consultant on scores of entertainment projects including the features The Passion of the Christ and TV shows Joan of Arcadia (CBS) and Saving Grace (TNT). Barbara has delivered hundreds of addresses all over the world including at the Vatican and for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Barbara has been a grants panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts, and a reader for the Humanitas Prize which has been called the Pulitzer of screenwriting. For more, visit:https://mystagogy.net/ Many thanks to our sponsors, Canning Liturgical Arts & Conrad Schmitt Studios, who helped make this event possible. For more information about the Catholic Art Institute visit us online at https://www.catholicartinstitute.org Join us in Washington D.C. for our amazing annual conference on Sept. 19 & 20, 2025 with speakers Duncan Stroik, Fr. Patrick van der Vorst, James McCrery, Dr. Barbara Nicolosi, Dr. Mark Nowakowski, and David Riccio. For details and enrollment please visit: https://www.catholicartinstitute.org/... For membership please visit: https://www.catholicartinstitute.org/... We hope you'll consider joining us as a member or at one of our upcoming events which include conferences, art competitions and exhibitions, workshops, retreats, film festivals and more.

Dr. Barbara Nicolosi presents "Artists and the Relationship to the Beautiful" at the 2025 CAI Retreat for Artists. The 2025 Catholic Art Institute retreat took place June 20 & 21st at the University of St. Mary of the Lake with presentations by Fr. Joshua Caswell SJC, Fr. Anthony Brankin, and Dr. Barbara Nicolosi. Barbara Nicolosi is an award-winning writer, speaker, professor and producer, Dr. Barbara Nicolosi has spoken at hundreds of conferences, universities, and churches. She is the featured host on the Mystagogy podcast. She has also given retreats for parish ministers. With 23 years of experience working in Hollywood as a writer and producer, Dr. Nicolosi speaks about the intersection of faith and culture, the role of art and beauty in the Church and world, and how to engage the secular mainstream with Gospel themes. She is a Great Books professor and former member of a religious community, speaking regularly on the topics of literature and philosophy the importance of friendship, various aspects of prayer and spirituality, the history and social importance of story and art, and how the Church can more effectively find a voice in the marketplace of ideas. ​ Dr. Nicolosi is founder of the Write Spirit creative writing program of the Catholic Art Institute. A member of the Writers Guild of America-West she has written screenplays for several Hollywood production companies including Fatima (2020), directed by Marco Pontecorvo and starring Harvey Keitel and Sonia Braga. Barbara has a doctorate in Creative Writing from Bath Spa University in the UK, a Masters in Film & Television from Northwestern University, and a B.A. from the Great Books program at Magdalen College. She has taught at the university level for twenty years. She has been a script analyst, production company executive, and consultant on scores of entertainment projects including the features The Passion of the Christ and TV shows Joan of Arcadia (CBS) and Saving Grace (TNT). Barbara has delivered hundreds of addresses all over the world including at the Vatican and for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Barbara has been a grants panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts, and a reader for the Humanitas Prize which has been called the Pulitzer of screenwriting. For more, visit:https://mystagogy.net/ Many thanks to our sponsors, Canning Liturgical Arts & Conrad Schmitt Studios, who helped make this event possible. For more information about the Catholic Art Institute visit us online at https://www.catholicartinstitute.org Join us in Washington D.C. for our amazing annual conference on Sept. 19 & 20, 2025 with speakers Duncan Stroik, Fr. Patrick van der Vorst, James McCrery, Dr. Barbara Nicolosi, Dr. Mark Nowakowski, and David Riccio. For details and enrollment please visit: https://www.catholicartinstitute.org/... For membership please visit: https://www.catholicartinstitute.org/... We hope you'll consider joining us as a member or at one of our upcoming events which include conferences, art competitions and exhibitions, workshops, retreats, film festivals and more.

Fr. Joshua Caswell SJC's presentation at the 2025 CAI Retreat for Artists. His presentation is titled "Beauty and the Vocation of the Artist" The 2025 Catholic Art Institute retreat took place June 20 & 21st at the University of St. Mary of the Lake with presentations by Fr. Joshua Caswell SJC, Fr. Anthony Brankin, and Dr. Barbara Nicolosi. The Very Reverend Fr. Joshua Caswell, SJC Superior General of the Canons Regular of St. John Cantius, Chicago. Born and raised in Saskatchewan, Canada, Fr. Joshua Caswell felt a call to the priesthood early in his life and moved to Chicago in 2004 to begin the process of discernment with the Canons Regular of St. John Cantius. Fr. Caswell received his priestly formation and a Masters of Divinity from Holy Apostles College and Seminary. He has served St. John Cantius as Associate Pastor starting in 2014 and as Pastor from 2020-2024. He now serves the Canons Regular of St. John Cantius as Superior General. St. John Cantius Parish is renown for their excellence in liturgy, music and art. Many thanks to our sponsors, Canning Liturgical Arts & Conrad Schmitt Studios, who helped make this event possible. For more information about the Catholic Art Institute visit us online at https://www.catholicartinstitute.org Join us in Washington D.C. for our amazing annual conference on Sept. 19 & 20, 2025 with speakers Duncan Stroik, Fr. Patrick van der Vorst, James McCrery, Dr. Barbara Nicolosi, Dr. Mark Nowakowski, and David Riccio. For details and enrollment please visit: https://www.catholicartinstitute.org/conference2025 For membership please visit: https://www.catholicartinstitute.org/membership We hope you'll consider joining us as a member or at one of our upcoming events which include conferences, art competitions and exhibitions, workshops, retreats, film festivals and more.

Fr. Anthony Brankin Presents "Art, Culture and the Faith" at the 2025 Catholic Art Institute, Retreat for Artists held at the University of St. Mary of the Lake. Reverend Anthony J. Brankin was ordained to the priesthood on May 14, 1975 for theArchdiocese of Chicago. He received his S.T.L. (License in Sacred Theology) magna cum laude from the University of St. Mary of the Lake. In May of 1981 he was sent tostudy art at the Bel’ Arte Academy in Rome, Italy. He also completed further studies at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Illinois. Father Brankin has produced major sculptures, works in bronze, religious altar pieces, drawings, icons and prints for organizations in the US and Italy. Thanks to our sponsors Canning Liturgical Arts and Conrad Schmitt Studios for helping to make this retreat possible.

"On the Atmosphere of a Church" by Craig Hamilton, a presentation on church architecture given at the 2024 Catholic Art Institute Annual Conference in Washington D.C,. at The Catholic University of America. 2024 Catholic Art Institute Conference: http://www.catholicartinstitute.org/conference2024 Craig Hamilton Architects: https://www.craighamiltonarchitects.com/ Many thanks to Damian Chlanda for his help editing this video. Visit his website: https://coffeewithdamian.com/ Many thanks to our 2024 Conference Sponsors for their support: Canning Liturgical Arts The Franciscan University Austria Program Conrad Schmitt Studios,   The Dominican Rosary Pilgrimage King Richard's Liturgical Design St. Joan of Arc FSSP Church Project New Jerusalem Studios Goretti Fine Arts Exquisite Religious Art Guadalupe Coffee Roastery Willet Hauser Architectural Glass,   Sacred Architecture Journal Liturgical Arts Journal Stabat Mater Foundation The Non-Profit Solution Canticle.org