Kateri

All of the evidence from the first few centuries of Christian writers either explicitly points to a threefold structure (one bishop, assisted by elders and deacons) in the early Church or is too vague to draw any reliable conclusions (usually because the author wasn’t directly writing about church governance). Sometimes, the evidence is murkier than … Read moreThe Big Picture of Early Church Governance

St. Justin Martyr’s First Apology dates to around 160. In the text we find Justin offering an explanation and a defense to the pagan emperor. That includes a description of what the Christians of his day thought about baptism: I will also relate the manner in which we dedicated ourselves to God when we had … Read moreThe Early Church on Baptismal Regeneration

Since activists who fuse their identity with their struggle must always be at war against an opponent, almost immediately after its victory in the Supreme Court with regard to marriage, the gay rights movement transforms into the LGBT movement, which turns into the LGBTQ movement, which then turns into LGBTQIA only to become LGBTQIA+. Like … Read moreWhen God is Forgotten . . . the Creature Itself Grows Unintelligible

In the early 1900s, eugenics is seen as cutting-edge thought in human health and development. It pushes back against Darwin’s noble instinct and uses the coercive power of the State to limit undesirables by the restriction of marriage and even compulsory sterilization. As shocking as it may seem, the United States backs forced sterilization. After … Read moreMargaret Sanger, Eugenics, and the Nazis

In the Gospels, Jesus appears to make contradictory statements regarding the kingdom of God. The Lord indicates that the “kingdom of God is at hand” (Mark 1:15) but also says “my kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36). Theologians struggled with reconciling these statements in relation to the Church and developed the understanding that … Read moreThe Church of the Already and the Not Yet

Born on the Feast of the Annunciation in 1347, Catherine was the twenty-third child of the wool dyer Jacopo Benincasa and his wife Lapa. From a young age, Catherine was devoted to Christ and the Church. She wished to join a group of third-order Dominican women known informally as the Mantellate or “Cloaked Sisters” and … Read moreSt. Catherine of Siena: United With Christ’s Mystical Body

The Second Vatican Council was the first ecumenical council in nearly a century and was the most attended ecclesial gathering in Church history. Its business was conducted over four sessions from October 1962 to December 1965; however, the man behind the vision of the council died in the summer of 1963 after the conclusion of … Read moreVatican II: Taking on the Threats of Modernism, Relativism, and Neo-Paganism

Augustine’s magnum opus not only answered the immediate objections of his contemporaries; it provided (and provides) a foundation of authentic Christian historical perspective. As a young man, Augustine had known well the pagan mentality, as he rejected the Faith and embraced the cults of false gods. Eventually, through the patient prayers of his saintly mother … Read moreThe City of Man and the City of God