The original name of Los Angeles, California, as a Franciscan mission, was El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles de Porciuncula (The Village of Our Lady Queen of the Angels of the Portiuncula). The Portiuncula was the … Continue reading
The names for three different kinds of electrical measure: amps, volts, and coulombs, come from the surnames of three Catholic scientists who were each pioneers in their respected fields. André Marie Ampere was a French mathematician, chemist, and physicist.
Dumbbells, the smaller one hand weights used by body builders, were named after a tool used by church bell ringers in teaching the art of steeple bell ringing to their apprentices. The tool was a special bell that would not … Continue reading
In the New Orleans Confederate Civil War Museum there is a crown of thorns, weaved for Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederacy, by Blessed Pope Pius IX. At the behest of an Irish priest, who had befriended Davis and who … Continue reading
Not only hundreds of cities, towns, and rivers, but many counties throughout the United States bear a Catholic origin, either on account of being named after a saint, our Lady, or some mystery of the Faith. These following, however, stand … Continue reading
The following two pieces appeared in the Denver Register in the 1950s: From the Denver Register, February 24, 1957 CONVERSION OF GEORGE WASHINGTON New York- It was a long tradition among both the Maryland Province Jesuit Fathers and the Negro … Continue reading
As thinking Catholics the world over realize, the Church today is in a state of crisis — one that Pope Paul VI described as its “auto-demolition,” its self-destruction. The great majority of those who acknowledge this agonizing reality are inclined … Continue reading
Apparently, it helps to look at the big picture when touting the benefits of alternative fuels. I have heard similar things about certain hybrid cars. Yes, they get better mileage, but…. The New York Times has more details. Almost all … Continue reading
Are you crazy? Meet your patron. Saint Dymphna was the daughter of a pagan king in Ireland during the seventh century. When her mother (who had passed on her exquisite beauty to her daughter) died, the pagan king wanted to … Continue reading
Gibraltar houses a Marian shrine that was once a mosque. Gibraltar was under Islamic rule from 711 to 1462, except for the short interval from1309 to1333. The name of the peninsula is an Anglicized version of the Arabic “Jabal [Mount] … Continue reading
The loving woman who wipes Our Lord’s face in the sixth Station of the Cross is extra-biblical, or so most people think. But the saint, whose feast is on July 12, is thought by some to be the Haemorrhissa (woman … Continue reading
The gyrating daughter of Herodias met her death in a gruesome, winter-time danse macabre. Salome, it should be recalled, was the damsel whose shameful dancing was rewarded by Herod Antipas with the head of St. John the Baptist (Mt. 14:6-8; … Continue reading
Anyone traveling there from out of state, looking at a map, or reading a news item about Louisiana, may be surprised to see the word “parish” used as a political demarcation. After the 1803 Louisiana Purchase — arguably the best … Continue reading
Theodore Herzl (1860-1904), one of the pioneers of Zionism, had the distinction of winning Western Jews and European leaders to the cause of a Jewish state in Palestine. Toward the end of his career, he met with, among others, the … Continue reading
We English-speaking American Catholics often overlook (or are ignorant of) the accomplishments of our non-English-speaking Catholic forerunners on this continent. One such forerunner, who should be a household name to American Catholics, is St. Philip of Jesus. In 1597 — … Continue reading
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