In this three-part series, "Saints of the Catholic Reformation," Dr. William Marra presents the life of St. Ignatius Loyola, St Philip Neri, and Theresa of Avila.

St. Ignatius Loyola
Dr. William Marra begins here a discussion of three saints of the era both important to him as an individual and central to Tridentine Reform. The character of St. Ignatius Loyola, his spiritual journey, his educational work, and his joint individual/communal devotional approach are examined.

St Philip Neri
St. Philip Neri was one of the great Roman reformers and educators of the Catholic Reformation era. He influenced all classes of society and encouraged the work of many scholars. Dr. William Marra looks at Neri's unique devotional "style," involving a simultaneous call to the highest sanctity and a tragicomic recognition of all human foibles.

Theresa of Avila
Dr. William Marra considers St. Teresa of Avila one of the most sympathetic figures of Church History. Like her fellow Spanish mystics, and the Jesuits as well, she was deeply aware that nature could be raised, here and now, to a closer union with God. As a great, practical religious reformer, she also recognized the difficult, daily obstacles to the construction of the Interior Castle, and knew how to deal with the foibles of all human beings, noble and ordinary.

Taken from: Protestant Rebellion and Catholic Reform (1517-1648) - 1997 Von Hildebrand Institute