(Recorded Course) That They May All Be One: Getting to Know St. Irenaeus, the Doctor of Unity with Holly Vaughan

Instructor Access (optional grading support) for Unlimited Access families is available for this course!

The Church recently declared Saint Irenaeus the "Doctor of Unity.” Pope Francis wrote: “May the doctrine of such a great Master encourage more and more the path of all the Lord's disciples towards full communion.” Why was this Saint in particular chosen? What about him elicits such high praise from the Pope? We will look at his life and teachings, including his courageous and brilliant stand against some of the most pernicious heresies and the resulting adventures, in this course!

How to get the most out of That They May All Be One: Getting to Know St. Irenaeus, the Doctor of Unity with Holly Vaughan:

  • First, read the course materials below before watching the first class recording.

  • Then have a notebook ready and available for class notes for each recording.

  • Read assignments before watching recording.

  • Do the assignments, quizzes, and any extra work assigned for that week.

  • Once the course is completed to the parent's and professor’s satisfaction, there is a Certificate of Completion at the end to be filled in for your records.

Special Notes: Course materials are provided free.

Total classes: 6

Duration: 55 minutes per class

Prerequisite: None

Suggested grade level: 9th to 12th grade

Suggested credit: ½ semester Theology

Instructors: Holly Vaughan

Instructor Email:  mrsvaughanhsc@gmail.com

Course description: It has been said of Saint Irenaeus that "The Church is fortunate that Irenaeus was involved in many of its controversies in the second century. He was a student, well trained no doubt, with great patience in investigating, tremendously protective of apostolic teaching, but prompted more by a desire to win over his opponents than to prove them in error." In this course we are going to look at the life of this great Saint, and his writings, to understand why the Church recently declared him the "Doctor of Unity," and why the challenges he faced and overcame can provide us with wisdom on how to live and share the Catholic faith in our own time and culture, which in many ways is similar to his!

Course Outline:

Week One: Who is Irenaeus and Why is He the Doctor of Unity?

Week Two: Early Life and Culture

Week Three: Bishop of Lyon

Week Four: Against Heresies

Week Five: Death and Legacy

Week Six: Recap and Review

Course materials: All course materials are provided free by the instructor.

Homework: Weekly reading plus weekly quizzes, graded by the computer for immediate feedback. Some quizzes will include short essay questions. An answer key is not provided.

Technical Help: If you have any technical trouble or questions about course content, please email us at homeschoolconnections@gmail.com.

©2023 Homeschool Connections and Holly Vaughan.  All rights reserved. This course is designed by Holly Vaughan.

  • This material is only to be used for its intended purpose by active subscribers of Homeschool Connections. Any other use without explicit permission is in violation of the seventh commandment (yes, the 7th commandment) and in violation of US and International copyright laws. 

  • You may print or download to local hard disk extracts for your personal homeschool and non-commercial use only. This is not to be used for homeschool co-ops without express written permission from Homeschool Connections.