Category Archives: Church History

The Lateran

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The Lateran Basilica in Rome is not the oldest church in Rome – that honor seems to belong Santi Quattro Coronati (314); but then that depends on what sources you believe. Old St. Peter’s, the original church on the spot where the current St. Peter’s stands dates to 324, the same year as St. Lorenzo and St. John Lateran.  In fact, the Lateran Basilica is the Cathedral of the Diocese of Rome – the place from where the Bishop of Rome, Pope Francis, leads his diocese even as he leads the church universal. Continue reading →

Lord of the Miracles

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Lord of Miracles PaintingThe Lord of Miracles (Señor de los Milagros) is an image painted of Jesus Christ that is venerated in Lima, Peru. The image was painted during the 17th century by Benito or Pedro Dalcon, an African taken from what is now Angola to Peru as a slave. An annual procession commemorating the image occurs every October. It is one of the oldest Catholic traditions in Peru. It is one of the largest religious processions in the world. Continue reading →

St. Irenaeus of Lyon

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Today is the feast day of St. Irenaeus of Lyon, a 2nd century bishop and theologians in France. He is noted for his role in guiding and expanding Christian communities in the southern regions of present-day France and, more widely, for the development of Christian theology by combating Gnostic interpretations of Scripture as heresy. Included with this post are two videos. The first is an overview of the life of St. Irenaus. The second is a more detailed video on Irenaeus presented by Bishop Barron. Enjoy. Continue reading →

Memorial of St. Boniface

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Today is the Feast of St. Boniface, the Benedictine monk noted for his missionary efforts in the Netherlands (Frisia) and Germania in the 8th century.  Born in or near Exeter, England, around 675 AD,  and named Winfrid, he was of a respected and prosperous family. Against his father’s wishes he devoted himself at an early age to monastic life. He received further theological training in the Benedictine monastery near Winchester. As a monk, he taught in the abbey school until the age of 30 when he was ordained. It was expected that he would become the next abbot, but upon the death of his abbot, Boniface declined and instead volunteered for a mission to the people of Frisia. The first year was a bust, complicated by ongoing warfare. Continue reading →

The Feast of St. Matthew

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Today is the Feast day of St. Matthew, Apostle and evangelist of the Gospel of Matthew. He is identified as a tax collector for the Roman authorities (Mt 9:9 and 10:3) In passages parallel to Matthew 9:9, both Mark 2:14 and Luke 5:27 describe Jesus’ calling of the tax collector Levi, the son of Alphaeus, but Mark and Luke never explicitly equate this Levi with the Matthew named as one of the twelve. As a tax collector, his fellow Jews would have despised him for what was seen as collaborating with the Roman occupation force. The Pharisees lumped them with “sinners” (Mt 9:11-13) He is noted as being a witness to the Ascension, otherwise, he is unnamed among the accounts of the gospel that often only mention a select few of the Apostles by name. Continue reading →

The Reformations Series – what’s next

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What is the old advice about eating an elephant? One bite at a time. So far I have been able to keep up and ahead of things on this Saturday morning feature “The Reformations.” The elephant bit back in terms of parochial responsibilities, some other projects that need attention, and some need to gather notes and such for what lays ahead.

What lays ahead? There will be more on the Swiss Reformation focused on Zwingli and the movement in Zurich, the rise of the Anabaptist movement, its persecution by Zwingli, and its movement into the Low Countries and beyond. Other reformations that need more detailed attention include: England, France and the rise of Calvinism, John Calvin in Geneva, and the spread of Calvinism throughout Europe.  Two other topics that need attention are the Catholic Counter Reformation as well as the religious-political wars and resulting treaties.

Now you know one of my summer projects. So….. this will be the last of the Reformation posts for a while. I hope you’ve enjoyed it so far.

The Reformation in Switzerland

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The Swiss Milieu. The Reformation is Switzerland progressed in a different way from Germany. Where Germany had no central monarch or government, Switzerland already had a republic in essential operation via the Old Swiss Confederacy. Their governance was an odd rotating administration of the common lands which was alternately a cause of tension and a source of “we need to figure this out.” Continue reading →

St. Charles Lwanga and the Ugandan Martyrs

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Today the Church Universal celebrates the feast of St. Charles Lwanga and the Ugandan martyrs. Likely you do not know much about him and the 21 people that were martyred along with him. Today’s celebration of St. Charles Lwanga and Ugandan martyrs is a major feast and holiday in East Africa. And a reminder to us that this truly is a church universal – katholica.

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A Short History of Indulgences

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In the early church, especially from the third century on, ecclesiastic authorities allowed a confessor, that is a Christian awaiting martyrdom because they confessed their faith in Christ during one of the Roman persecutions, to intercede for another Christian in order to shorten the other’s canonical penance. The thinking was not “let this be a favor to the one who is about to be martyred” but rather a recognition of the holiness of the would-be martyr and the thought that at their death there would be this unused “merit”, when combined with the “merit” of other saints and most especially with the life and death of Christ, could form a “Treasury of Merit.” It is from this “storehouse” that the Church draw upon to shorten the canonical penance. Continue reading →

Luther, Indulgences, and their legacy

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One of the tipping points for Martin Luther was the “sale of indulgence” by the papal-appointed Dominican Friar, Johann Tetzel, In his 95 Theses Luther strongly disputed the claim that Indulgences could provide freedom from God’s punishment for sin much less be purchased. The last seven days of posts have not addressed the theological issues presented in the German Reformation – not that they are not important – but more such information is easily obtained on the internet from any variety of sources. The previous posts were intended to focus on the milieu of factors already present in Germany, a variety of interests and passions outside Luther’s control or influence, and why Luther succeeded where other Reformers had not. But I thought I should at least give some perspective on indulgences. They were abused then as well as misunderstood then and still misunderstood today. Far too many Catholics need to know their faith better lest they become Pelagians or Semi-Pelagians as regards Indulgences. (Be curious …. go ahead click the links!) Continue reading →