View source for Biography:Robert Barron (bishop)

{{Infobox Bishop
| honorific-prefix = [[Religion:The Most Reverend|The Most Reverend]]
| name = Robert Barron
| honorific-suffix =
| title = Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles<br/>Titular Bishop of Macriana in Mauretania
| image =Father Robert Barron.jpg
| alt = 
| caption = Barron during World Youth Day, 2016
| archdiocese   = Los Angeles
| diocese       = 
| appointed     = July 21, 2015
| enthroned     = September 8, 2015
| predecessor   = 
| other_post = Titular Bishop of Macriana in Mauretania
<!---------- Orders ---------->
| ordination = May 24, 1986
| ordained_by = Joseph Bernardin
| consecration = September 8, 2015
| consecrated_by = {{ubl|José Horacio Gómez|Joseph M. Sartoris|Blase J. Cupich}}<!---------- Personal details ---------->
| birth_name = Robert Emmet Barron
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1959|11|19}}
| birth_place = Chicago, Illinois, {{wipe|United States}}
| previous_post = {{unbulleted list|Rector of the Mundelein Seminary (2012-15)|President of University of Saint Mary of the Lake (2012-15)}}
| death_date = 
| death_place = 
| buried = 
| nationality = 
| alma_mater = {{unbulleted list|Benet Academy|Catholic University of America|Institut Catholique de Paris}}
| signature = 
| coat_of_arms = Coat of arms of Robert E. Barron.svg
| motto = {{ubl|''Non Nisi Te Domine''|([[Social:English language|English]]: Nothing but you, Lord)}}
}}
{{Infobox bishopstyles  
| name= Robert Emmet Barron 
| dipstyle= His Excellency
| offstyle= Your Excellency 
| relstyle= [[Religion:Bishop|Bishop]] 
| image = Coat of arms of Robert E. Barron.svg
| image_size = 200px
}}
{{Ordination
| date of consecration = September 8, 2015
| consecrated by       = José Horacio Gómez
}}
'''Robert Emmet Barron''' (born November 19, 1959) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church currently serving as an [[Religion:Auxiliary bishop|auxiliary bishop]] of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. He is the founder of the Catholic ministerial organization Word on Fire, and was the host of the TV series ''[http://catholicismseries.com CATHOLICISM]'', an award-winning documentary about the Catholic faith, which aired on PBS. Previously, he served as [[Social:Rector (academia)|rector]] at Mundelein Seminary in the Archdiocese of Chicago.

Bishop Barron has published numerous books, essays, and articles on theology and the spiritual life. He is a religion correspondent for NBC and has also appeared on Fox News, CNN, and EWTN. Barron's website, [http://WordOnFire.org WordOnFire.org], reaches millions of people each year, and he is one of the world's most followed Catholics on social media. His regular YouTube videos have been viewed over 30 million times and he has over 1.5 million followers on Facebook. In addition, has been invited to speak about religion at the headquarters of both [[Company:Facebook|Facebook]] and [[Company:Google|Google]]. He has keynoted many conferences and events all over the world, including the 2016 World Youth Day in Kraków and the 2015 World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia, which marked Pope Francis's historic visit to the United States.

The bishop's latest film series and study program, ''[http://pivotalplayers.com/ CATHOLICISM: The Pivotal Players]'', debuted in September 2016 and has been syndicated for national television.

==Early life==
Robert Emmet Barron was born on November 19, 1959, in {{wipe|Chicago}}. He spent his childhood first in Detroit, then in the Chicago suburb of Western Springs. His mother was a [[Social:Homemaking|homemaker]], and his father, who died in 1987, was a national [[Social:Sales manager|sales manager]] for John Sexton & Company, a national food distributor.<ref>{{cite news|author=ChicagoBusiness|date=27 Sep 2010|title=The Rev. Robert Barron takes to TV, blogs, YouTube as a new-media Catholic priest|url=http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20100925/ISSUE03/309259998/the-rev-robert-barron-takes-to-tv-blogs-youtube-as-a-new-media-catholic-priest#ixzz1CXB7PmhT}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Chicago Tribune|date=7 May 1987 |title=John C. Barron Obituary}}</ref> He has a sister and a brother, John Barron, who is the Sun-Times Media Group's publisher and senior vice-president of news and editorial operations.<ref>{{cite news|date=20 Nov 2009|author=The Huffington Post|title=John Barron named Sun-Times Media Group Publisher|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/20/john-barron-named-sun-tim_n_366140.html}}</ref>

==Education==
Barron discovered [[Biography:Thomas Aquinas|Thomas Aquinas]] when he was a freshman in high school.<ref>{{cite news|date=7 June 2010|author=Global Zenit News|title=Age Old Values Spread Through Modern Technology|url=http://www.catholic.net/index.php?option=zenit&id=29519}}</ref> He transferred to Benet Academy, a private Benedictine high school, where he graduated in 1977.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=http://www.benet.org/apps/news/show_news.jsp?REC_ID=362491&id=0|title=Father Robert Barron '77 Appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles|magazine=Benet Academy}}</ref> He was ordained a priest on May 24, 1986 by Cardinal Joseph Bernardin. He earned his M.A. at Catholic University of America, where he had won the Basselin Scholarship in philosophy and public speaking, with the thesis "Production and the Political Animal in the Writings of Karl Marx". He is a [[Social:Doctor of Sacred Theology|Doctor of Sacred Theology]] under the pontifical system from the Institut Catholique de Paris in 1992. His thesis was "Creation as Discipleship: A Study of the De potentia of Thomas Aquinas in Light of the Dogmatik of Paul Tillich", which was published by Edwin Mellen Press in 1993.
 
In addition to his native English, Barron is also fluent in French, [[Social:Spanish language|Spanish]], [[Social:German language|German]], and [[Social:Latin language|Latin]].

==Ordination and ministry==
Barron was the Professor of Faith and Culture at University of St. Mary of the Lake near Chicago until his installation as an auxiliary bishop. He lectured extensively in the United States and internationally, including the Pontifical North American College in Rome and the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome. The late Cardinal Francis George called Barron "one of the Church's best messengers".{{citation needed|date=July 2016}}

Barron served as associate pastor at St. Paul of the Cross parish in Park Ridge, Illinois, from 1986 to 1989. He is a prominent theologian. Since 1992 he was the Professor of Systematic Theology at University of St. Mary of the Lake. In 2002 he was a visiting professor at the University of Notre Dame<ref>{{cite web|author=St.Paul Center for Biblical Theology (archive)|date=4 October 2008|title=Father Robert Barron - Curriculum Vitae|url=http://archive.salvationhistory.com/mission/staff/fbarronCV.cfm2.htm|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160131100624/http://archive.salvationhistory.com/mission/staff/fbarronCV.cfm2.htm|archivedate=January 31, 2016|df=mdy-all}}</ref> and at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in 2007. He was also twice scholar in residence at the Pontifical North American College at the Vatican, in 2007 and 2010. He was Rector of the Mundelein Seminary from 1 July 2012 to 20 July 2015.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.usml.edu/directory/faculty/most-rev-robert-barron-m-a-phil--s-t-d|title=Very Rev. Robert Barron, M.A. (Phil.), S.T.D., University of Saint Mary of the Lake website|publisher=}}</ref>

===Episcopate===
On July 21, 2015, Pope Francis appointed Barron an auxiliary bishop in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles and titular Bishop of Macriana in Mauritania. Archbishop Gomez of Los Angeles gave each of the three forthcoming auxiliary bishops pectoral crosses modeled after the one Pope Francis wears, noting that Barron's media talent and rapport with young people, as well as his outreach to other faiths and to the world of culture (including with non-believers and non-practicing or fallen away Catholics) and education, would be good for the archdiocese.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-francis-bishop-the-story-behind-the-new-bishops-pectoral-crosses-35368/|title=The story behind the new LA bishops' pectoral crosses|publisher=}}</ref> Archbishop Cupich said he would be of great benefit to the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, citing his work with Word on Fire, his doctoral training in theology and parish service in Chicago, his social media presence, and his administrative service to him and his two predecessors, cardinals George and Bernardin, especially since his appointment as rector and president of the seminary.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://archchicago.org/|title=Welcome - Archdiocese of Chicago|website=archchicago.org}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release|url=http://www.archchicago.org/news_releases/news_2015/stmnt_150721.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150724121851/http://www.archchicago.org/news_releases/news_2015/stmnt_150721.html|archivedate=2015-07-24|deadurl=yes|title=Archbishop Cupich Congratulates Bishop-elect Robert Barron on his Appointment to the Archdiocese of Los Angeles|date=July 21, 2015|publisher=Archdiocese of Chicago}}</ref>

On September 8, 2015, Barron was consecrated as an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels by Archbishop José H. Gomez.<ref name="Bishop Barron">{{cite web|url=http://www.angelusnews.com/news/local/three-new-auxiliary-bishops-ordained-for-the-archdiocese-of-los-angeles-8851/|website=Angelus News|title=Auxiliary Bishop Barron|accessdate=9 September 2015|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924070734/http://www.angelusnews.com/news/local/three-new-auxiliary-bishops-ordained-for-the-archdiocese-of-los-angeles-8851/|archivedate=September 24, 2015|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

==Media==
In 2000 Barron launched "Word on Fire Catholic Ministries", a non-profit organization, that supports his evangelistic endeavors. Word on Fire programs, featuring Barron, have been broadcast regularly on WGN America, EWTN, Telecare, Relevant Radio and the Word on Fire YouTube Channel. Barron's Word on Fire website offers daily blogs, articles, commentaries and over ten years of weekly sermon podcasts. In September 2015, Barron and Word on Fire Content Director Brandon Vogt started a weekly podcast called ''The Word on Fire Show''.

Barron lectures extensively in the United States and internationally and he has published numerous books, essays and DVD programs. He is a frequent commentator on faith and culture for ''The Chicago Tribune'', ''NBC Nightly News'', Fox News Channel, ''Our Sunday Visitor'', the ''Catholic Herald'' in London and ''The Catholic New World''.

=== Internet ===
Bishop Barron's website, [http://WordOnFire.org WordOnFire.org], reaches millions of people each year. The site hosts daily blog posts, weekly articles and video commentaries, and an extensive audio archive of over 500 homilies. Bishop Barron's homilies are heard by tens of thousands of listeners each week, and over 350,000 people receive his daily email reflections.

Bishop Barron is one of the most-followed Catholics in the world on social media. His work has garnered:

* 1.5 million+ Facebook fans<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://facebook.com/bishoprobertbarron|title=Bishop Robert Barron|website=facebook.com|language=en|access-date=2018-09-10}}</ref>
* 150,000+ YouTube subscribers<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://youtube.com/wordonfirevideo|title=Bishop Robert Barron|website=YouTube|language=en|access-date=2018-09-10}}</ref>
* 100,000+ Twitter followers<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://twitter.com/bishopbarron|title=Bishop Robert Barron (@BishopBarron) {{!}} Twitter|website=twitter.com|language=en|access-date=2018-09-10}}</ref>

=== Videos ===
Bishop Barron has produced over 400 online video commentaries which have been attracted over 30 million views. His weekly, high-quality productions include brief and lively theological reviews of contemporary culture, including movies, books, music, current events, and more.

===Television===

Barron's videos are aired on CatholicTV, EWTN, Telecare, NET TV, and Salt + Light Television.

He filmed a 10-part documentary, ''[http://catholicismseries.com CATHOLICISM]'', filmed in 16 countries, which aired on nearly every public television station in America beginning in 2011. A sequel was released in September 2013, ''[http://newevangelization.wordonfire.org/ CATHOLICISM: The New Evangelization]''.

In October 2010 he began presenting a half-hour television show, ''Word on Fire with Father Barron'', on WGN America on Sundays.<ref>{{cite news|date=13 Sep 2010|author=PRWEB|title=Catholic Priest Father Robert Barron set to Launch Nationwide Television Program in October |url=http://www.prweb.com/releases/2010/09/prweb4490734.htm}}</ref> Barron is the first priest since Archbishop Fulton Sheen in the 1950s to have a regular national program on a commercial television network.

===Radio/Podcast===
Bishop Barron produces a weekly conversational podcast on faith and culture titled [http://wordonfireshow.com “The Word on Fire Show,”] which has been downloaded over four million times. His weekly homilies and podcasts air on multiple radio stations to millions of listeners.

===Books ===
* ''A Study of the De potentia of Thomas Aquinas in Light of the Dogmatik of Paul Tillich'' (1993)
* ''Thomas Aquinas: Spiritual Master'' (1996)
* ''And Now I See: A Theology of Transformation'' (1998)
* ''Heaven in Stone and Glass'' (2000)
* ''The Strangest Way: Walking the Christian Path'' (2002)
* ''Bridging the Great Divide: Musings of a Post-Liberal, Post-Conservative, Evangelical Catholic'' (2004)
* ''The Priority of Christ: Toward a Post-Liberal Catholicism'' (2007)
* ''Word on Fire: Proclaiming the Power of Christ'' (2008)
* ''Eucharist'' (2008)
* ''Catholicism'' (2011)
* ''Seeds of the Word: Finding God in the Culture'' (2015)
* ''Exploring Catholic Theology'' (2015)
* ''Vibrant Paradoxes: The Both/And of Catholicism'' (2016)
* ''To Light a Fire on the Earth: Proclaiming the Gospel in a Secular Age'' (2017) <ref>{{cite web|url=https://bishopbarronbooks.com/tolightafire|title="To Light a Fire on the Earth" by Bishop Robert Barron and John Allen, Jr.|first=Bishop Robert|last=Barron|website=bishopbarronbooks.com}}</ref>

===DVDs ===
*''Untold Blessings The Three Paths of Holiness'' (2005)
*''Conversion'' (2006)
*''Faith Clips'' (2007)
*''Seven Deadly Sins, Seven Lively Virtues'' (2007)
*''Eucharist'' (2009)
*''CATHOLICISM'' (2011)
*''CATHOLICISM: The New Evangelization'' (2013)
*''Priest, Prophet, King'' (2014)
*''The Mystery of God'' (2015)
*''CATHOLICISM: The Pivotal Players'' (2016)
*''DAVID the KING  (2017)
*''The Mass (2018)

==Distinctions==

===Orders===
* {{flag|Holy See}}: Order of the Holy Sepulchre

===Academic===
* 2018: [[Social:Doctor (title)|Doctor]] of Humane Letters, Honoris Causa, Assumption College
* 2017: [[Social:Doctor (title)|Doctor]] of Divinity, Honoris Causa, Saint Anselm College
* 2016: [[Social:Doctor (title)|Doctor]] of Sacred Theology, Honoris Causa, Dominican House of Studies
* 2013: [[Social:Doctor (title)|Doctor]] of Religious Education, Honoris Causa, Providence College
* 2012: Doctor of Humanities, Honoris Causa, Lewis University

===Awards===
* 2015: Fisher's Net Award for Best Overall and for Best Social Media Presence<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://bestcatholicwebsites.com/winners/2015|title=Award Winners - Fisher's Net Awards|last=|first=|date=8 December 2015|website=Fisher's Net Awards|publisher=|access-date=|accessdate=12 September 2016}}</ref>
* 2012: Relevant Radio Christ Brings Hope Award
* 2003: Catholic Press Association Book Award: ''The Strangest Way: Walking the Christian Path''
* 1998: Catholic Press Association Journalism Award: Best Article - Clergy, Religious, "The Uncanny God"
* 1997: Catholic Press Association Book Award: ''Thomas Aquinas: Spiritual Master''
* 1995: Catholic Press Association Journalism Award: Best Article - Professional and Special Interest, "Priest as Bearer of the Mystery"

==See also==
{{Div col}}
* Catholic Church hierarchy
* Catholic Church in the United States
* Historical list of the Catholic bishops of the United States
* List of Catholic bishops of the United States
* Lists of patriarchs, archbishops, and bishops
{{div col end}}

== References==
{{reflist|32em}}

==External links==
*[http://www.la-archdiocese.org/ Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles Official Site]
*[http://www.wordonfire.org/ "Word on Fire" official website]
*{{facebook|TheCatholicismProject|The Catholicism Project}}
*{{twitter|BishopBarron|Bishop Barron}}
*[http://www.catholicismseries.com Catholicism Home]

{{s-start}}
{{succession box | title=Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles | before=&ndash; | after=&ndash; | years=2015&ndash;present}}
{{s-end}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Barron, Robert}}
[[Category:Critics of atheism]]
[[Category:Systematic theologians]]

{{Sourceattribution|Robert Barron (bishop)|1}}