On the cover of the history textbook The American Venture, students will see a picture of Fr. Pierre-Jean De Smet, S.J. (featured photo in this article). Outside the Catholic Church, not many people have heard of him. And even among Catholic students and laity, few have heard of him. Yet Fr. De Smet played a…
Winners of Catholic Textbook Project’s annual history essay contest for Catholic schools were announced this week. “Thank you to everyone who participated in this year’s history essay contest. We received many excellent entries from parochial, private, and home schools. Choosing the winners is never easy, and it wasn’t this year, either!,” announced Michael Van Hecke, founder and…
This week in history — Though the Allies had driven the Germans from France, they bogged down along the fortifications that guarded the German fatherland. By mid-October 1944, the allies had taken Aachen, Metz, and Strasbourg; in November and early December, fierce German resistance halted their advance into the Saar region. For fear of unconditional…
CNA—King Charles III will be crowned on Saturday in Westminster Abbey in the first royal coronation since that of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, 70 years ago. The coronation will be a Christian service, centered on the celebration of holy communion in an Anglican (Church of England) liturgy. Originally centered on the Catholic Eucharist But…
St. Edward was born in 1003, the son of the Duke of Normandy and nephew of King Edmund Ironside of England. Grew up in exile He grew up in exile in Normandy from the age of 10, when the Danes gained control of England. The early experience of loss, coupled with his earnest religious piety,…
Conditions did not improve when George IV (featured image) became king of England in 1820. As regent for his insane father, George III, since 1811, George IV had long supported the repression of radicals. Though a clever man (he was a student of the classics and fluent in French, Italian and German), George IV was…
Can A Dream of a Statue that Recognizes the Dignity of the Human Person Through “Mother and Child” Come True in Today’s America? Some years ago my wife Pat and I were at a Legatus Summit in Florida and on display there were pictures of the beautiful sculptures by internationally known sculptor Timothy Schmalz. We…
CNA—In the late summer and fall of 2016, central Italy was devastated by several powerful earthquakes. Numerous historic churches and buildings were destroyed in the quakes — including one of the oldest monastic complexes in Italy, the Abbey of Sant’Eutizio, whose bell tower and church roof collapsed. One of the Benedictine abbey’s artworks, a crucifix…
CNA, CBJ—“Most of us will never die a hero’s death… But all of us are called by the idea of faith, day in and day out, to give of ourselves,” said Newark Auxiliary Bishop Gregory J. Studerus, who presided over the Four Chaplains 80th Anniversary Mass at St. Stephen’s parish in Kearny, New Jersey, on…
The historical, beautiful Rosary and funeral Mass for Pope emeritus Benedict XVI took place January 5, 2023, but don’t fret if you missed it. From the Sagrato of Saint Peter’s Basilica, recitation of the Rosary and Solemn Requiem Mass for Pope emeritus Benedict XVI, presided over by Pope Francis, you will find it all here,…
As we celebrate the Christmas Octave with family and loved ones, in warm homes and beautiful churches, with glorious singing, prayers and with abundant food, gifts and laughter…. our suffering Catholic brethren endure the same Christmas Octave in a cold, sparse, merciless prison in Communist China. They suffer dearly the loss of being able to…
November 22, 2022 The Pilgrims who sailed to this country aboard the Mayflower were originally members of the English Separatist Church (a Puritan sect). They had earlier fled their home in England and sailed to Holland (The Netherlands) to escape religious persecution. There, they enjoyed more religious tolerance, but they eventually became disenchanted with the Dutch way of…
CNS/Catholic Sentinel—Oregon’s rich Catholic history begins a few miles north in what was then Oregon Country and now is Washington state. Archaeological digs at Fort Vancouver, Washington, have uncovered a trove of Catholic artifacts from the earliest days of the church in the Pacific Northwest, including a crucifix, rosary beads and a Miraculous Medal, all…
Nestled in the thick woods atop Irish Mountain in West Virginia, a small, whitewashed wooden church stood resolute for nearly a century and a half — until this morning. Irish Mountain is aptly named — its bright green foliage would not be out of place on the Emerald Isle. But the name of the place…
Tears well up as we watch the short video below. While mainstream news, other news outlets, pundits, historians and “experts” of every stripe and perspective flood the airwaves and internet regarding the nightmare unfolding in Ukraine, the Knights of Columbus took—and are taking—strategic and meaningful action, quickly. Here is the story—culled from Catholic News Agency’s…
Crisis—As the world watches Ukraine right now, keep your eyes on Poland. Poland has had a special place in the history of the last 100 years, from turning back Russian communists at the Miracle on the Vistula in 1920 onward through World War II and the Cold War. I call Poland “the fulcrum.” Critical events…
These two short video segments below give clear historic context for two important questions: What will China do if war (in Ukraine) breaks out? Why does Putin want Ukraine? What will China do if Russia Invades Ukraine? (6:42) Explained: The Russian-Ukraine Conflict. Why does Putin want Ukraine? ———— Russia-Ukraine crisis live news: Putin…
CNA—Dr. Takashi Nagai’s work to help survivors of the Nagasaki atomic bombing and to console his devastated Japanese Catholic community is an unusual example of live-giving love and faith amid desolation and death, various speakers said at the New York Encounter on Sunday. “There was nothing, nothing anymore around him. He had completely lost everything,”…
CNA—Pope Francis highlighted “the beauty of Mary’s heart” in his Angelus address on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. The pope said on Dec. 8 that the Blessed Virgin Mary’s encounter with the Angel Gabriel, described in St. Luke’s Gospel, revealed her deep humility. “Within the domestic walls, a person reveals him or herself better…
Those who fail to learn from history are destined to repeat it. Let’s make sure our children and grandchildren, nieces and nephews, are learning real history in school… so that we NEVER FORGET, Never take our freedoms for granted! Yes we are called to live in Christ-centered Courage, self-discipline, love, hope. We are called to…
