Scott Hahn draws a full house at St. Francis

March 29, 2025

It was a full house at St. Francis of Assisi Church in West Des Moines on March 1 when the faithful heard nationally renowned Scripture scholar Scott Hahn, Ph.D., share insights on the road to Emmaus, salvation history, and the Our Father.

“Scott Hahn made a splash here at St. Francis,” said the pastor, Father Joseph Pins.

“He taught all of us the wonder and beauty of the connections between the Old Testament and the New Testament. The close to 1,000-person audience learned a significant amount of biblical scholarship from a well-known source,” he said. “All of us here at St. Francis were pleased to open this day to all people from around the state of Iowa.”

Sue Osweiler, of St. Thomas Aquinas in Ames, arrived a half hour before Mass kicked off the morning and the parking lots were filling up.

“It’s a blessing to have someone like him come to our area,” she said. “I’ve read some of his books. His approach to things as a convert has always intrigued me. His dynamic method of speaking and reaching out to people grabs your attention.”

Lois Edwards, of St. Francis Parish, was excited to come, saying she appreciates Hahn’s down-to-earth style of speaking and his explanation of how the stories in the Old Testament connect with the stories in the New Testament.

“I’m a fan of Dr. Hahn,” said Keith Kapsch, of St. Francis Parish in West Des Moines. “I’ve read a couple of his books. He’s just so gifted in how he pieces everything together to the point where you think, ‘I never thought of it that way before’ and then you can’t unsee it once he explains it.”

His wife, Joleen Kapsch, said, “I found myself chuckling at times. This is so obvious, and yet we miss it. He pieces the stories together so beautifully and presents it so well.”