Come and study with an expert, accompanied by fellow students, with time for discussion and quiet reflection.  
Mike is more than just an expert on the Church Fathers.  He is an expert teacher and a story teller.  

Mike Aquilina

is the author or editor of more than sixty books, including: What Catholics Believe (1999), Living the Mysteries (2003), The Fathers of the Church (2006), The Mass of the Early Christians (2007) and The Resilient Church (2007). His books have been translated into many languages, from Croatian and Portuguese to German and Braille. The Grail Code has appeared in ten languages since its publication in 2006.

Critics have praised Aquilina's work for making the Fathers accessible to non-academic readers: "Most scholars … study the paper trail — homilies, letters, teaching manuals, works of theological disputation … Aquilina loves the words, too. But he also finds the sermon in the stuff, the theology expressed in the little things that the first Christians left behind — fading murals on catacomb walls, pottery and dishware, pieces of coinage, ancient hymns and mass prayers, common household items … The point is that for Aquilina, the little things matter — because they tell us big things about what Catholics believe and how they look at the world". Dr. John Grondelski said in the National Catholic Register: "Aquilina has made a vocation and career out of, in many ways, single-handedly popularizing patristics."

Aquilina's book Ministers and Martyrs (2015), was an official companion volume to the NBC series A.D. The Bible Continues. A year later, he published The World of Ben-Hur, as a guide to MGM's remake of the Lew Wallace classic Ben-Hur.
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Mike lives in Pittsburgh with wife, Terri.  They are the parents of 6 children.

This Weekend Immersive Study on The Church Fathers with Mike Aquilina Includes:


  • Classes with Mike Aquilina
  • Stimulating conversations with other enthusiasts, as well as free time for quiet meditation or reading
  • Accommodations at Heart Ridge Retreat Center and 4 delicious home-cooked meals including a Sunday Brunch and snacks.
  • Optional hikes and other amenities of the Retreat Center like an indoor gym and kayaks
  • Bonfire
  • Event officially begins at 7:00pm on Friday, March 3. Check in between 3:00-6:30pm at Heart Ridge Retreat Center, 130 Heart Ridge Dr., Sunset, SC 29685 (Optional Lenten Soup and Salad dinner at 5:30 )
  • Mass 
  • Last event is Sunday afternoon brunch with wrap up and questions, ending at noon. 
  • Costs:  Commuter Rate (Everything except lodging): $100;  Deluxe Lodging Double: $275; Deluxe Lodging Single: $350; Simple Lofts Lodging: $225; Couples Lodging: $450

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Here is a list of the Immersive Studies we've done so far: