Church History

When it comes to the history of Christianity, the Catholic Church makes a pretty bold claim: that the earliest Christians were Catholics—and that their beliefs and practices have continued unbroken all the way to the present-day Church. But the...

We seem to be living in an age of insanity. Crimes against children, born and unborn; marriage defiled and redefined; the madness of transgenderism; the looming terror of trans-human-ism . . . the list goes on and on. And it’s getting uglier out...

Ask Catholics about the crisis in the Church today and you’ll often get one of two responses: The end is upon us! or Everything’s fine—the Holy Spirit is in charge! Neither of those attitudes makes sense from the perspective of history,...

He’s the Patron of the Universal Church, guardian of the Word Made Flesh, supreme help of fathers and workers, and Terror of Demons. After Jesus and Mary, he’s our single greatest model of holiness and most powerful heavenly friend. Yet the...

Do you want to be a better Catholic? Reform Yourself! The sixteenth-century Catholic Church was definitely in need of reform. Too many of its leaders were worldly and corrupt; too many of the faithful were living in laxity or ignorance. Unfortunately,...

“I believe because it is absurd.” - Tertullian? “God helps those who help themselves.” - The Bible? “Preach the gospel always; when necessary, use words.” - St. Francis of Assisi? "The thing that makes me saddest is...

There may be no event in Church History so fraught with controversy as the Inquisition. The topic is often used to discredit the Catholic Church, too frequently by people whose own knowledge of the relevant circumstances and events is thin...

Here's an unflinching look at the lives and sacrifices of those first Christians who were given the task of spreading the Gospel to the ends of the earth. Relying on ancient documents — as well as the latest archeological findings and scientific...

Almost everyone has heard of the Crusades, but few people can say what they were or how they came about—and few Catholics are informed enough to explain and defend them. This course will enable you to do so. In times past, the Crusades were...

Getting to know the Church Fathers means getting to know our own roots. It means knowing more deeply who we are as we learn more and more about who they are. The early Christians are our ancestors, our common genealogy, our family. When we look to our...

The Galileo Affair is the go-to event cited by enemies of the Catholic Church as hard evidence that she is opposed to scientific learning. The facts of the story do not support this narrative. Indeed, the Church throughout history has led the way in...

In The Mass Of The Early Christians, author Mike Aquilina reveals the Church's most ancient Eucharistic beliefs and practices. Using the words of the early Christians themselves -- from many documents and inscriptions -- Aquilina traces the Mass's...