“Behold thy King cometh to thee meek.” ST. MATT. xxi. 5. THROUGH humility and suffering to exaltation and glory that is the Way Our Lord went to heaven, dear brethren, and that is the way we must go if we wish to follow Him. Today is Palm Sunday, the day on which Our Lord rode in triumph to begin His Passion. Yes, in triumph; but what an humble one! He rode upon a lowly beast; there were no rich carpets... Read more

St. James Academy, downtown Brooklyn, as seen in the late 1800’s. This school for boys was established by the DeLaSalle Christian Brothers in 1851. In 1933, it was moved to Brooklyn’s Fort Greene section and renamed Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School, which is still in existence. SCHOOL EXHIBITION.The Brooklyn Eagle, June 24, 1856The fourth annual exhibition and distribution of premiums to the pupils of St. James’ School, under the direction of the Christian Brothers, took place at the Museum last... Read more

MRS. MARY ANN SPOONER.Mrs. Mary Ann Spooner, the daughter of Prosper Wetmore and Catharine McEwen, and granddaughter of the Rev. Izrahiah Wetmore, pastor for many years of the Presbyterian Church of Stratford, Conn., was born July, 1794, in New York City. She was married March, 1831, to Colonel Alden Spooner, who established in 1811, the first newspaper in Brooklyn, The Long Island Star. The church (St. Ann’s Episcopal) in which she was married stood where now is the entrance to... Read more

MARTIN IBERT.A man of commanding presence in the Williamsburg and Bushwick sections of Brooklyn, Mr. Ibert has resided in that section of the city for over fifty-three years. He was born in the village of Niederhausen, in the Grand Duchy of Baden, Germany, June 15, 1831. His parents were Martin and Mary Anna (Foerstel) Ibert, also natives of Niederhausen. His father was a cabinetmaker by trade and pursued that occupation in addition to farming. He won the respect and confidence... Read more

This week’s Patheos article focuses on Mother Theodore Williams (1868-1931), foundress of the Franciscan Handmaids of Mary. Along with the Oblate Sisters of Providence and the Sisters of the Holy Family, they are one of the country’s three historically Black religious communities for women. Since the 1920’s they have worked mainly in Harlem. To get to the article please click here. Read more

   OUR ARMY CHAPLAINS’ EXPERIENCES.FATHER F. DEVAS, GALLIPOLI. Letters and Notices No. CXCII (January 1916): 323-326.On the southern end of the Peninsula of Gallipoli, for some weeks now, Mass has been said nearly every day by the small band of Catholic Chaplains. The altars are constructed variously— of ammunition boxes, a board on trestles, a packing case, a shelf cut in the wall of a cliff. The place is sometimes picturesque, more often merely inconvenient, the men being huddled together... Read more

THE AMERICAN PROTECTIVE ASSOCIATION.It is not to be wondered at that the ceaseless efforts and steady progress of the great Romish conspiracy to take gradual and ultimate possession of this Republic, and to place it in the unenviable position of a principality of the Pope of Rome, should call into existence, sooner or later, a counter movement to defeat the scheme and stem the alarming progress of this tide of Papal aggression. Inside the last fifteen years this movement began,... Read more

Bishop Andrew Byrne (1802-1862) For many years, Father Eugene Weibel rode his horse Rocinante (named for the fictional Don Quixote’s horse) across Arkansas as he ministered to its scattered Catholic population. One day in 1881, he found himself near the town of Opposition. Seeing a farmer, he asked if there were “any Catholics hereabouts.” “No,” came the answer matter-of-factly. “We do not grow such things here.” At times, planting the seeds of Catholicism in Arkansas soil may have seemed a... Read more

This year marks the hundredth anniversary of Maryknoll, the first American religious order founded for overseas mission work. But until a few years earlier, the United States itself was officially classified as mission territory. For most of the 1800’s, the Church worked on establishing itself here, meaning it had little time or money for overseas work. But there were exceptions. During the early 1800’s, a few priests and religious made their way to Africa and India, but not China. By... Read more

LIVING CATHOLIC AUTHORSThe Catholic World (August 1897): 712-713. MISS MARY JOSEPHINE ONAHAN is one of the young writers of the West, and has much of the dash and originality that are the birthright of the Western Muse. Born in Chicago, she received her education in the Convent of the Sacred Heart in that city and in St. Louis, and her aunt is one of the most valued and accomplished members of the order. This education has been continued in her... Read more