What is the St. John Fisher Forum?

In July of 1995, we founded the St. John Fisher Forum as the Catholic Speakers Forum of Central Illinois. This was in response to our desire to form an apostolate that would help teach the truths of the Roman Catholic Faith by bringing orthodox Catholic speakers to the central Illinois area. It was our hope that by hearing these distinguished Catholic speakers, ordinary Catholics would learn more about their faith, resulting ultimately in a renewal of Catholic culture.

On June 22, 1996, the feast days of Sts. John Fisher and Thomas More, we changed the name of the Forum to The St. John Fisher Forum. We chose St. John Fisher as our patron because of his great courage in defense of the supremacy of the Pope as head of the Universal Catholic Church.

The Internal Revenue Service recognized the Forum as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in November, 1997.

What is the St. John Fisher Catholic Bookstore?

On November 14, 2001, we opened our "brick and mortar" bookstore in Jacksonville, Illinois. Less than a year later, on June 6, 2002, we officially opened our online bookstore.

The St. John Fisher Catholic bookstore's mission is twofold. First, we strive to offer you an extensive and affordable collection of orthodox Catholic writings. This includes works of classic literature, hard-to-find books for children and young adults, and books for homeschoolers and homeschooling families. This also includes movies and videos for the whole family, as well as a nice selection of audio books.

Second, in the spirit of "renewing the sacred" in your home as well as in the world, we offer handmade rosaries and scapulars, good deed beads, chaplets and crucifixes that we hope will engender a deeper devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and to the Immaculate Heart of His Most Blessed Mother.

Who was St. John Fisher?

During his lifetime, John Fisher was considered the holiest and most learned bishop in all Christendom. For his courage in defending the Faith, St. John Fisher was martyred by Henry VIII in 1535. His life provides a perfect model for a truly Catholic bishop. As Msgr. R.L. Smith stated in his brief biography:

"...he loved God with all the powers of his soul, and he loved his neighbor for God's sake. Since his motives were unselfish, his sight was keen, and in the glory of that vision he walked unhesitatingly the narrow path of truth." --R.L. Smith, St. John Fisher (London, 1954), page 16.