Make a Joyful Noise: The Power of Music in Difficult Times
Ethnomusicologist and St. Bart's parishioner Margaret Farrell reflects on how music can lift spirits in difficult times.
Every Sunday at 10 am
Each week, guest speakers from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines join the Reverend Peter Thompson and other St. Bart's clergy for deep and insightful conversations about topics that matter to our lives as responsible citizens and people of faith. Speakers in recent years have included winners of the Tony Award, the Emmy Award, the MacArthur Fellowship, and the Pulitzer Prize, professors from prominent universities like Yale, Harvard, Princeton, and Columbia, and journalists from New York, The New Yorker, and The Atlantic.
Sunday, July 20, 2025
Fake News: The Most Famous Quotes the Saints Never Said
The Reverend Peter Thompson fact checks quotations purported to derive from famous Christian figures, including St. Francis of Assisi, St. Teresa of Avila, Martin Luther, and John Wesley. Please post your questions in the comments section on Facebook or YouTube, or email the Reverend Peter Thompson at
Upcoming Speakers at The Forum
July 27 Mama: A Queer Black Woman’s Story of a Family Lost and Found
Author Nikkya Hargrove discusses her memoir about her unconventional journey to motherhood.
August 3 Expunge: Restoration after a Criminal Record
Attorney Jeffrey Grant, founder of White Collar Support Group, explains how expunging criminal records can benefit those who have already served their sentences and the society-at-large.
Watch or listen to The Forum from previous weeks below.
Featured
Celebrating Difference: Beyond the Melting Pot
01.14.18 | Articles | The Forum
Celebrating Difference: Beyond the Melting Pot Our Minister for Children, Youth, and Family Formation, Lucy Breidenthal Bernardin, led us in conversation around matters of diversity and our common life as a parish. What does it mean to celebrate...
Rick Hamlin: Finding Faith in a Crisis
01.07.18 | Articles | The Forum
Today we welcomed author Rick Hamlin, who spoke about his newly published work, Pray for Me: Finding Faith in a Crisis.
"Blue Christmas"
12.17.17 | Articles | The Forum
“Blue Christmas”—The clergy of St. Bart’s in the Great Hall discussed the shadow side of the cheerful season. As nostalgia reminds us of how things used to be, the clergy shared thoughts on how to guard and nourish our...
Patrick Hornbeck - "The End of White Christian America"?
12.10.17 | Articles | The Forum
At today’s Forum, Dr. Patrick Hornbeck, a St. Bart’s member and Chair of the Theology department at Fordham University, built on and expanded from our most recent evening adult class, “The End of White Christian...
Auden, the Psalms, and Me
11.20.17 | Articles | The Forum
Today we welcomed J. Chester Johnson, author of Auden, the Psalms, and Me, and learned about his work with the great poet W. H. Auden, as well as his story of their committee's re-translation of the Psalms contained in the current Book of...
Nick Stuart - Milwaukee 53206
11.12.17 | Articles | The Forum
Parishioner Nick Stuart talked about one of his latest documentaries, Milwaukee 53206, which addresses the issue of mass incarceration in the United States. The film, shown at Congress last year, is now at the heart of a campaign designed to help...
Treasures of St. Bart's: Piccirilli Brothers Capitals
11.05.17 | Articles | The Forum
In today’s Forum. Matthew Moretz introduced the spectacular sequence of sixteen capitals carved by the Piccirilli Brothers in our church and discussed these works of art in close-up detail, each their own dramatic sequence featuring vital...
Translator Dr. Sarah Rudin
10.30.17 | Articles | The Forum
Today we welcomed Dr. Sarah Ruden for a lively discussion on her recent scholarly work. Dr. Ruden is the author of The Face of Water: A Translator on Beauty and Meaning in the Bible, and the translator of a new version of Augustine’s...
Jonathan Cooper - Social Media & Wellness
10.22.17 | Articles | The Forum
Today we welcomed Jonathan F. Cooper, Communications Manager for the National Association of Episcopal Schools (NAES), who explored the wide-ranging world of social media and shared his considerations for health and wellness in that shared space.
St. Bart’s, The Episcopal Church and the United Nations
10.15.17 | Articles | The Forum
“St. Bart’s, The Episcopal Church and the United Nations: Engaging with the Global Community.” Today we welcomed Lynnaia Main, the Officer for Global Relations and Representative to the United Nations for the Episcopal Church...