Crisis, Charles Coulombe: The Church was certainly divided during the American Civil War—Father Abram Ryan was both a Confederate chaplain and the “poet-priest of the South,” while Father John Ireland was a Union chaplain and, later, the key leader of … Continue reading
Category: Catholic America
Story of a Mormon Convert
Why I’m Catholic, Thomas Smith: Born a 6th generation Mormon (LDS), I was convinced I was part of the “only true Church on the face of the earth” (Doctrines & Covenants 1:30). As we believed that only Mormons had the … Continue reading
Catholic Church and Her Sisters Leaders in History of Hospitals and Health Care
By 1875 there were 160 Catholic Hospitals in the U.S. Catholic World Report, Kevin Schmiesing: The first coronavirus patient in the United States was treated in a Catholic health care system in the state of Washington. Catholic institutions account for a large … Continue reading
The Miracle of Saint Joseph That Rescued the 21 California Missions and Their 100,000 Indians
Catholic Exchange, Patrick M. Laurence: Today the remnants of twenty-one missions, six pueblos, and four presidios bear witness to the former presence of Spain’s missionaries, soldiers, and settlers in California. Whether it be its numerous place names of Spanish origin … Continue reading
The Whiskey Priest and the Grace of Fortitude
Crisis, Peter A. Kwasniewski: In February, I read a novel for a men’s book club (back then, we still had the good fortune to be able to meet for normal social interactions; March’s meeting got canceled). The novel was Graham Greene’s The … Continue reading
‘Last Things’: Just a Great Article with Much Wisdom and Humor
NOR, David Mills: She was leaning her head on her dad’s shoulder, the girl with her parents two rows in front of me at Ash Wednesday Mass. When she stood up, she reminded me of myself in junior high, wearing jeans … Continue reading
The Exceptional Story of the First US Priest to Die From Covid-19
New Advent website linked to this story in the New York Times. With all the news accounts of priests who have died (87 as of today) from the coronavirus it didn’t strike me as a surprise that there would be … Continue reading
Our Lady of America and Saint Joseph
National Catholic Register, Joseph Pronechen: This year marks the 60th anniversary of St. Joseph appearing to a nun in Ohio during March, 1958. He appeared during the continuing apparitions of the Blessed Mother under her title “Our Lady of America.” … Continue reading
The Religion of America III: Decline and Fall
As we have seen, the American Civic Religion was a disparate and amorphous thing — vaguely “Christian” as the Supreme Court decreed, and buttressed by the three pillars of the republic: the family, the church (of whatever kind), and the … Continue reading
Lincoln Granted Use of WH Lawn for Fundraiser to Build Black Catholic Church
Catholic World Report: Black Catholic communities have been a part of the Church in the Washington, DC area for centuries. But it wasn’t until the height of the Civil War that black Catholics in DC began the process of founding … Continue reading
Looking Ahead: January 22 and America
January 22 is several things pertinent to these United States of America: January 22 is the Feast of Saint Vincent Pallotti (+January 22, 1850), the “second Apostle of Rome,” who was greatly devoted to the evangelization of America, and whose … Continue reading
Ours Was a Catholic America
First Things, James Matthew Wilson: As a student in the fourth grade of Saint Thomas Aquinas School in East Lansing, Michigan, I looked about me and saw a great landscape whose meaning lay in the saints who had moved across … Continue reading
Nativity Scenes Being Championed Nationwide in the Public Square
National Catholic Register, Joseph Pronechen: When Christmas shoppers browse around Lakeside Mall in the New Orleans suburb of Metairie, Louisiana, many take time to admire the large Nativity scene on display. For the last six years, children and adults have … Continue reading
Only Catholic Priest Who Played in a Major League Baseball Game
Yes, in 1912, Allan Travers, who would become a Jesuit priest, pitched for one game for the Detroit Tigers against the Philadelphia Athletics. He was five years older than Father Feeney. Perhaps they knew each other. Both studied at Woodstock … Continue reading