May 16, 2020, is the 100th anniversary of the canonization of St. Joan of Arc, one of the most inspiring and enigmatic figures in the history of the Church. The “Father of American Literature”, Mark […]
“A furious plague . . . burst like a blast on the land, thinning the population and throwing the work of the world into ruin. There was a shortage of labour; a difficulty of getting […]
In a recent article for Catholic World Report I offered some “lessons from literature on the coronavirus”, focusing on the three chapters in Manzoni’s classic novel, The Betrothed, which are set during the plague that […]
Perhaps no man ascended to the throne of St. Peter in more difficult circumstances than Pope Gregory, who is most justly called “the Great”. When he became pope in 590, the city of Rome lay […]
The place rendered sacred by the birth of the Savior does not look like one would expect it to. The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem looks more like a dilapidated fortress than a basilica. […]
Hora novissima, tempora pessima sunt, vigilemus. Ecce minaciter imminet arbiter ille supremus; The world is very evil; The times are waxing late; Be sober and keep vigil, The Judge is at the gate.i Bernard of […]
Everyone loves jolly ol’ Saint Nicholas. There is something romantic and cozy about telling Santa stories around the crackling fire. He is an icon of the Christmas season. But not everyone agrees about the real […]
November 9 marked the 30th anniversary of the peaceful breach of the Berlin Wall — the symbolic high point of the Revolution of 1989, which would be completed seven weeks later by the fall of […]
Few things are more central to Christianity than missionary activity. Yet missionary work is never just about spreading the Christian faith. It inevitably has political, cultural, and economic dimensions. Some of Counter-Reformation Catholicism’s greatest missionary […]
On October 8, 1871, a terribly tragic and almost entirely forgotten episode in American history took place. Strong winds came to northeastern Wisconsin and fanned the flames of small fires begun by farmers attempting to […]
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