Pope Leo XIII (1878-1903) wrote more encyclicals than any other pontiff (including Pope John Paul II). And the topic on which he wrote more than any other was the rosary, eleven altogether. In 1883, he established October as the month dedicated to the Holy Rosary by Pope Leo XIII. In Supremi Apostolatus Officio (September 1, 1883), he writes: We earnestly exhort all Christians to give themselves to the recital of the pious devotion of the Rosary publicly, or privately in... Read more

St. Thomas The Apostle, Woodhaven, N.Y. — On April 1, 1908 property was bought for $8400 by Rev. Andrew Klarmann, rector of St. Elizabeth’s Church, Woodhaven. Ground for a church was broken on October 5, 1908, and the cornerstone was laid by Bishop McDonnell. The church was dedicated on April 18, 1909, by Mgr. George Kaupert, V.G. It cost $1400, and is a frame structure designed to serve later as a parish hall. The seating capacity is 500 in the... Read more

Today marks the birth of Father Thomas Ewing Sherman, son of Civil War General William T. Sherman. For a time he was among the premier preachers of his day. Born to a religious skeptic of a father and a devoutly Catholic mother, Ellen Ewing Sherman, he was raised in the latter’s faith and grew up in Washington among the nation’s political elite. His uncle John was a United States senator, and at one time a serious presidential contender. Through his... Read more

Over at America magazine, Father Jim Martin reminds us that today is the Feast of Blessed John XXIII (1881-1958). You can read his piece here. It’s an excerpt from his great book, My Life With the Saints. Read more

“The form of government in the United States is preferable to Catholics above other forms. It is more favorable than others to the practice of those virtues which are the necessary conditions of the development of the religious life of man. This government leaves men a larger margin of liberty of action, and hence for cooperation with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, than any other government under the sun. With these popular institutions men enjoy greater liberty in working... Read more

From its humble beginnings in a New England church rectory in early 1882, the Knights of Columbus with its nearly two million members has become the world’s largest lay Catholic organization in the world. One of its main purposes was to provide mutual support for its members, practical benefits at a time when health insurance was non-existent. As anti-Catholics questioned their loyalty, another purpose of the order was to show that Catholics were as patriotic as other Americans. They pointed... Read more

The above photo shows students from St. Leonard’s School in Boston’s North End in 1914. Founded by the Franciscans in 1873 to meet the needs of a growing Italian population, St. Leonard’s was the first Italian parish in New England. (The first Italian parish in the United States was St. Mary Magdalen da Pazzi in Philadelphia. New York got its first in 1866, St. Anthony of Padua in Manhattan.) Italian immigration began to escalate in the 1880’s and continued into... Read more

While John Henry Newman was still an Anglican, he said of Catholic missionaries: “If they want to convert England, let them go barefooted into our manufacturing towns—let them preach to the people like St. Francis Xavier—let them be pelted and trampled on, and I will own that they can do what we cannot. I will confess that they are our betters far.” Little did Newman know at the time that a man who fit this description had just landed on... Read more

CONSOLATION “It is I; be not afraid.” WHEN I sink down in gloom or fear,Hope blighted or delay’d,Thy whisper, Lord, my heart shall cheer,“‘Tis I; be not afraid!”Or, startled at some sudden blow,If fretful thoughts I feel,“Fear not, it is but I!” shall flow,As balm my wound to heal.Nor will I quit Thy way, though foesSome onward pass defend;From each rough voice the watchword goes,“Be not afraid! … a friend!”And oh! when judgment’s trumpet clearAwakes me from the grave,Still in... Read more

If history teaches us nothing else, it shows that we’ve been there before. As Thursday’s New York Times aptly notes, the debate over the Islamic center at Ground Zero echoes controversies of an earlier period. On nearby Barclay Street, St. Peter’s Catholic Church is celebrating its 225th anniversary as the first Roman Catholic church erected in New York state. But when the church was founded in 1785, anti-Catholicism was an accepted part of American life. Until a few years earlier,... Read more