19 September 2021 | St. Januarius | Menlo Park, Calif.

This week, we finally close out the Silmarillion with its last appendix, “On the Rings of Power and the Third Age,” as well as the unlikely tale of how The Hobbit first came to be published and Tolkien’s reactions to the loss of his lifelong friend, C.S. Lewis. Also in this episode: St. Januarius, bishop, martyr, and miracle-worker! Just what is the meaning of his miraculous blood?

Opening music: “The Cherubic Hymn,” mvt. 9 of the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, composed and directed by Benedict Sheehan, sung by the St. Tikhon Choir, 2019. All rights reserved.