Catholic History Trek

Kevin and Scott unveil the priest memorialized in Notre Dame's "Fair Catch Corby" statue.

In a Colombian 2-for-1, Scott unveils a pair of miraculous Colombian images of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The reason-defying "Our Lady of Las Lajas" and the "Our Lady of the Rosary of Chiquinquira" painting.

Scott and Kevin recall the life and work of Louis Pasteur, and find that Catholicism and science walk hand-in-hand through history.

Did you know that Christianity gave the world its first hospitals? Kevin takes a quick tour of the history of Catholic care for the sick, spotting a lot of saints along the way.

Scott visits the historic minor orders of the Catholic Church, including recent changes by Pope Francis.

Starting with the Psalms and ending with the Polka Mass and covering a  lot of stuff in between, Kevin and Scott try to hit the most important notes in this survey of the history of liturgical music in the Catholic  Church. A bonus: Kevin sings bass with the Schmiesing Family Singers.

Choo-Choo! Here comes the church. Scott shares the history of Catholic chapel rail cars.

Scott and Kevin “go to Canossa” (among other places) to describe a few of the most prominent examples of popes and bishops taking on kings, queens, and emperors in defense of Catholic doctrine and Church  authority. We also learn that the 1569 Rising of the North was not led by girls.

Kevin takes a tour through some Catholic literary history by summarizing the life and work of this important twentieth-century author. Along the way, he talks about wingless chickens.

Scott and Kevin offer much food for thought in this meaty episode on the  history of fasting and abstinence in the Church.  Among the delights in  this smorgasbord of Catholic custom: a detailed explanation of the lost  season of Septuagesima.

In this episode, Scott explores a mystic vision and changes to the mass, and shows how they are related to a popular Catholic prayer devoted to Saint Michael the Archangel. (“Catholic Prayers” series, no. 1, St Michael)

This episode keeps Kevin and Scott close to home as they describe and  provide the historical backstory for the “Land of the Cross-Tipped  Churches,” a German Catholic enclave in rural western Ohio. (Version 2.0 updated 15 March 2021 with improved audio quality)

Scott treks thru the history of St Benedict and the medal that bears his name. (This episode is titled 2.0 because the audio was updated in July 2022 to improve some quality issues which existed on our earliest episodes)

Scott and Kevin recount the monumental 1683 battle between Christian and Muslim forces, including its background and  consequences. There are a couple of relevant musical clips along the  way, for which credit goes to the Swedish metal band Sabaton (“Winged Hussars”) and to Polish Eagle (“Bogurodzica”).

Scott presents the first and only Marian apparition site in the United States which has been approved by the Catholic Church. (This episode is titled 2.0 because the audio was updated in July 2022  to improve some quality issues which existed on our earliest episodes)

Scott and Kevin verbally trek to Spain and England to explore two of Christendom's most popular pilgrimage destinations. (This episode is titled 2.0 because the audio was updated in July 2022  to improve some quality issues which existed on our earliest episodes)

We summarize the development of the Church’s liturgical calendar and describe one traditional element in particular: Ember Days. (This episode is titled 2.0 because the audio was updated in July 2022  to improve some quality issues which existed on our earliest episodes)

We highlight and explain the historical origins of a few of the many titles used by the Church and the Christian faithful for Mary, the mother of Jesus. (This episode is titled 2.0 because the audio was updated in June 2022 to improve some quality issues which existed on our earliest episodes)