#118 Francis of Assisi, A Man of the 13th Century, A Man for the 21st Century: A Conversation with Dr. Bill Cook

Saturday, March 14th Live on Zoom

10am Los Angeles / 1pm New York / 6pm London / 7pm Florence

Pope Leo XIV proclaimed 2026 a “Special Year of Saint Francis,” and to reflect on this honor, we have the pleasure to hear from Professor Bill Cook, the ultimate expert on the life of this beloved saint.  He said, “If history is to be useful and not just entertaining for our time, we must first get the facts and contexts right for the subject, and then we need to think creatively about how to apply Francis’s lessons to our very different age.  So, I will present a life of the saint, largely in images, and then discuss how lessons learned can make our lives more meaningful 800 years after his death.”

Dr. Cook received his B.A. from Wabash College, then was awarded the Woodrow Wilson and Herbert Lehman fellowships to study Medieval History at Cornell University, where he completed his M.A. and PhD.  He is a lecturer for The Great Courses and was Distinguished Teaching Professor of History at the State University of New York at Geneseo from 1970 until he retired in 2012 with the rank of Distinguished Teaching Professor.  His publications include Images of St. Francis of Assisi and Francis of Assisi: The Way of Poverty and Humility.  He currently edits and contributes to volumes of essays, The Art of the Franciscan Order in Italy.  Dr. Cook has lectured widely in the USA and Europe and has taken countless students to Europe to study Medieval and Renaissance history and art.  In retirement, he founded the Bill Cook Foundation, a nonprofit organization supporting schools and school programs in Africa, South and Southeast Asia, and Latin America.

To RSVP: Paola50122@gmail.com

Minimum suggested donation: $28

This talk is free for Friends of Paola's Studiolo!

Look forward to seeing you on Zoom!