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Word on Fire

catholic media organization

Layered newspapers, civic records and oral-history reels arranged as chronological evidence
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Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionSep 6, 2026
Entity authorityQ28135371
Source-derived summary

Word on Fire is a Catholic media organization founded by Bishop Robert Barron that uses digital and traditional media to introduce Catholicism to the broader world. It rose to prominence through Barron's work as a priest engaging with new media, and has been noted as an effective model for sharing information about Catholicism to the public. The organization is holds studios and office space in Rochester (Minnesota) where Barron serves as bishop of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester.

Media formats

Barron initially worked through radio and television, hosting the Word on Fire radio show on Relevant Radio and the Word on Fire with Father Barron television show on WGN America. Barron eventually expanded to online distribution through social media, and is active in distributing videos on YouTube. In addition to this, Word on Fire distributes media, such as DVDs and books, for individual and group study.

In 2025, Word on Fire was selected, along with Ascension Press, to be one of two publishers for the 2nd American edition of the Liturgy of the Hours.

Catholicism series (2011)

In 2011, Word on Fire published Catholicism, a ten-part video documentary series that explores the cultural, spiritual, and historical elements of Catholicism. Offered on DVD, the series was also broadcast on PBS stations, prompting PBS's ombudsmen to issue a statement clarifying to the public that it was neither distributed by PBS nor produced using PBS funding, the latter of which was expressed as a concern by PBS viewers.

The series has received much praise from figures like papal biographer George Weigel, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, and Cardinal Francis George for its effort in pursuing the new evangelization in the modern world.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “Word on Fire” as catholic media organization. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Word, Fire and catholic.

Editorial reviewA strong contextual entry point for chronology, institutions and public events when official records are distinguished from later interpretation. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—2025, 2011—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Word, Fire and catholic providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Word on Fire”, the useful work is to connect “catholic media organization” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

Contemporary correspondence, administrative files and participant testimony can test how later narratives organized the event or institution. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 6, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q28135371. None of the 1 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 2025 and 2011.

Critical limits

Official terminology may obscure informal participation, dissent or communities documented only indirectly. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Compare institutional narratives with records created by participants and affected communities. Dates and formal titles are useful anchors, but not substitutes for context.

Best used for
  • Event chronology
  • Institutional context
  • Locating named record creators
Verify next

Contemporary correspondence, government or organizational records, oral histories and cited historical scholarship.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Word on Fire”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Word on Fire primary sources, Word on Fire archive and Word research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Word on Fire”?
  2. What chronology connects this entry to wider political or social change?
  3. Which voices are present, absent or mediated by the institution?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from Word on Fire” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.