Catholic:Under The Hood

From the earliest days of the Catholic Church, hymns sung in worship expressed the faith of Christians. Two of the earliest hymns the Phos Hilaron and the Oxyrhynchus Hymn show clearly the obligation that Christians had to offer praise to God and to express their thanksgiving in song. Links: Youtube video of the Phos Hilaron [...]

Struggling to live the life of St. Francis amidst the threats and temptations of the modern world, four groups of Franciscans had to decide if life together was better than life apart. Links: Image of the history of the divisions and union within the First Order of Saint Francis Diagram of the Franciscan Family Tree [...]

Abraham Abufalia believed God wanted him to convert Pope Nicholas III to Judaism and help bring about the coming of the Messiah. Perhaps not surprisingly, the Franciscans were also involved. Links: Earlier CUTH podcast on Joachim of Fiore and the Francisans An important source for this episode was Harvey James’ Like Angels on Jacob’s Ladder: [...]

A long time ago, the Tarasque was a terrible monster terrorizing the people of Nerluc. Today, the Tarasque is a popular figure for the people of Southern France and Northern Spain along with being friend to all children. Links: Video of the Tarasque festival [in French] Photo of La Tarasca by Chosovi The Tarasque and [...]

Surviving serious crisis and threats to its existence, the Uniate Church in the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth comes to see itself as flower shining forth the “grandeur of the Church”. Sources: Barbara Skinner – The Western Front of the Eastern Church. Uniate and Orthodox Conflict in 18th-century Poland, Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia 2009 Joseph Macha, SJ [...]

Continuing our extended look at the history of the Eastern Catholic Church in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth with a special focus on how the Eastern Catholic Church began to understand its relationship to the Orthodox and Roman Catholics. Image: Formerly Eastern Catholic, now Orthodox Church in Turzańsk, Poland by Tomasz Kuran Sources: Barbara Skinner – The [...]

Fr. Patrick Peyton dedicated his life to promoting family prayer and devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary throughout the world. The Rosary Priest attracted huge crowds and the attention of Popes and the CIA. Links: Family Rosary – Continues Fr. Peyton’s mission to spread devotion to the Rosary throughout the world and includes some of [...]

Throughout the Middle Ages, Catholics saw friends and neighbors afflicted with what they believed was the irresistible desire to dance. The cure for this strange ailment, they believed, was to be found in the intercession of the saints…and more dancing. Links: An article on the Dancing Plague from the Discovery Channel “Rethinking the Dancing Mania” [...]

Every year the the Catholic Church asks Catholics to aid those in need through Peter’s Pence. This collection has changed somewhat since its 8th century beginnings but still seeks to help the poor. Links: Vatican website on Peter’s Pence with information on contributing on-line In the United States, you can also send contributions to: Peter’s [...]

As the Year of the Priest comes to an end, CUTH takes a look at a priest, Fr. William J. Menster who truly preached the gospel unto the ends of the world – Antarctica. Links: Information on Operation Highjump EWTN show times for the documentary about Fr. Menster “South Pole Padre” Most of the information [...]