Catholicism.org » Biography

‘The Slave of the Slaves Forever,’ Signed, Pedro Claver

Brian Kelly — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 19:19:52 +0000

On this day, September 9, the Church honors a Jesuit missioner who was one of the greatest saints of the New World. Saint Peter Claver never left the port city of Cartagena after his ordination there in 1615. His superior in Spain had sent him directives five years before to “make haste” for New Granada ... ...Read More »

RIP Archduke Otto Von Habsburg

Gary Potter — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 15:32:23 +0000

As has already been noted on the SBC website, Archduke Otto von Habsburg, who in 1916 became heir to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, has died. I’d like to offer a couple of additional thoughts.

The Archduke passed away in his sleep at his home in Bavaria during the night of July 3-4. ... ...Read More »

David Goldstein and Martha Moore Avery: from Socialists to ‘Campaigners for Christ’

Eleonore Villarrubia — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 16:19:24 +0000

It is probably safe to say that everyone reading this knows of the famous preacher on Boston Common of the 1950’s, Father Leonard Feeney, and of the religious brothers who accompanied him there each Sunday. Father preached the unvarnished truth of the Catholic Faith and was eventually silenced and banished by the powers that be ... ...Read More »

Black Elk, Catholic Catechist, Speaks

Brother André Marie — Fri, 20 May 2011 06:35:26 +0000

In the book, Black Elk Speaks by John G. Neihardt, Americans were treated to a hefty dose of pagan American spirituality. Paul Harvey-like, I would venture to tell “the rest of the story.” In brief, it is this: the famed Lakota Sioux medicine man, warrior, and adventurer (who traveled to England to perform for the ... ...Read More »

Casey Jones: Legendary Railroad Engineer and Catholic

Eleonore Villarrubia — Wed, 04 May 2011 19:24:33 +0000

Practically every American has heard of the storied railroad engineer of the late 1800’s, Casey Jones, made famous throughout the years in song, story, and film. But it is generally not known that he was baptized a Catholic at the age of twenty-two in Saint Bridget’s Church in Whistler, Alabama, near the coastal city of ... ...Read More »

The Conversion Stories of Knute Rockne and Ralph H. Metcalfe

Knute Rockne — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 18:46:53 +0000

[The Conversion Stories of Knute Rockne and Ralph Metcalfe. "Crossing The Goal Line" by Knute Rockne, and "A Race Well Run" by Ralph H. Metcalfe, taken from Through Hundred Gates Imprimatur: Archbishop John McNicholas 1938.]

I used to be impressed by the sight of my players receiving Holy Communion every morning, and finally I made ... ...Read More »

Remembering Father Feeney

Br. Francis Maluf, M.I.C.M. — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 15:29:38 +0000

During the long years (1942-1978) in which I was privileged to associate with Father Feeney on a daily basis, I kept a record of statements he would make from time to time, in his sermons or lectures, or in ordinary conversation that struck me at that moment as proceeding from a deep mystical realization or ... ...Read More »

Sister Stanislaus – Winged Angel of New Orleans

Eleonore Villarrubia — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 18:27:17 +0000

Born in a mining camp in the high Sierras of California, Catherine Malone was the daughter of poor Irish immigrants who came to America in the early 1860’s. The child was born on Christmas Eve, 1863, and had no memory of her parents. What happened to them is unknown; their deaths were apparently not recorded ... ...Read More »

John Cuthbert Ford, S.J. Catholic Moral Theologian 1903-1989

Brian Kelly — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 21:20:16 +0000

I remember while attending Brother Francis’ philosophy courses in the 1980s how excited he got over an article written by Father John C. Ford on the philosophy of Chief Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes. The article was quite long, forty or more pages, but he read from it each class until he finished it. It was ... ...Read More »

Roger Ebert and the ‘Good Old Days’

Brother André Marie — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 18:07:53 +0000

Film critic and columnist Roger Ebert penned a column for his blog at the Chicago Sun-Times, My Vocation as a Priest. It’s a benevolent, slightly sentimental look at his Catholic upbringing. At one time, he considered the priestly vocation. But it turns out he was one of those, “whose mother had the vocation” — to ... ...Read More »