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What can the great Gothic cathedrals teach us about God, beauty, evangelization, and our own call to holiness?

In this episode of Gotta Be Saints, I sit down with Branden Stanley of Spirit Juice Studios, co-director of Bishop Robert Barron’s new documentary, Heaven in Stone and Glass. Rather than simply talking about how the film was made, we dive into the deeper ideas behind it: why beauty has the power to stop us in our tracks, how sacred architecture can draw people toward God, and why the Church should never underestimate beauty as a means of evangelization.

Branden shares his experience filming some of France’s greatest Gothic cathedrals, what these buildings communicate about God, and why beauty, alongside truth and goodness, remains essential to the Church’s mission. We also discuss what ordinary Catholics can learn from the people who built these cathedrals and how each of us can create something beautiful with our own lives that points others toward Christ.

Heaven in Stone and Glass

Bishop Robert Barron’s Heaven in Stone and Glass takes viewers on a cinematic pilgrimage through five of France’s great Gothic cathedrals and explores the spiritual and theological truths expressed through their architecture.

The film will be in theaters nationwide on September 20 and 23, 2026.

Learn more and get tickets for Heaven in Stone and Glass

About Branden Stanley

Branden Stanley is a filmmaker and creative leader at Spirit Juice Studios. He served as co-director of Heaven in Stone and Glass and has spent more than a decade helping Spirit Juice tell stories through Catholic filmmaking and visual media.

Learn more about Spirit Juice Studios

Learn more about Branden Stanley

Sponsored by Truthly

This episode is sponsored by Truthly, the Catholic AI app designed to help you find clear answers to questions about faith, Scripture, morality, relationships, Church teaching, and everyday life through a Catholic lens.

Whether you want to understand a difficult teaching, dive deeper into Scripture, learn more about a saint, or get clarity on a question about the faith, Truthly puts Catholic resources at your fingertips.

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