The Life, Works, and Faith of JRR Tolkien

Of all my favorite authors, JRR Tolkien tops the list. He did not intend to be a “Catholic author,” and yet I have never read works that more poignantly illustrate the Catholic worldview. His stories are full of hope, love, courage, and a deep empathy for the human condition. Tolkien had a knack for creating characters that exemplify the fullness of our potential for greatness. Whenever I want to nourish my sense of affection for mankind, and my certainty of the triumph of goodness over evil, I pick up Lord of the Rings. Tolkien’s work, to me, is the fulfillment of good art: he says the most beautiful and true things about God that I have ever read.

Now with that kind of glowing introduction, its no wonder I picked Tolkien as the literary patron saint of the Great Catholic Book Club. It was a joy and honor to launch the beginning of our ministry with this dive into his incredible life and works. This speech is also dear to my heart because I got to share some of the insights I learned from my wonderful professors at Franciscan University in my Tolkien coursework. And finally, this speech is special because I presented it in the basement of St. Mary’s in Iowa City, where my family has wonderful memories of rehearsals and amazing fellowship with the best choir in town!

I loved giving this speech, and I hope you love giving it a listen!

Gloria in excelsis Deo!