Catholic History Trek

St Peter was the first pope, but who was the second pope? In this episode Scott treks back to the 2nd pope - the first successor of St Peter.

The Basilica of St. Francis Xavier in Vincennes, Indiana, was the state's first Catholic church and first cathedral. During the American Revolution, it was also the home of the "Patriot Priest," Fr. Pierre Gibault. ("Cradles of Catholicism" series, no. 46, Indiana)

What is a Catholic to do when one penitential season of Lent just doesn’t provide enough fasting? They add a second one! For many centuries, Advent (previously called St Martin’s Lent) was a penitential season observed similarly to Lent, marking a preparation for the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To help Catholic History Trek, please consider donating via PayPal (Kevin Schmiesing@CatholicHistoryTrek) Thank you for your support!

Nashville is the capital of country music, the capital of the Volunteer State, and the capital of Tennessee Catholicism. Its St. Mary's Church joins St. Michael's in Cedarville as the birthplaces of Catholicism Tennessee. ("Cradles of Catholicism" series, no. 45, Tennessee)

Often forgotten in the hysteria of the Salem Witch Trials, is the martyrdom of Ann Glover, killed as a “witch” because shewas an Irish Catholic in a Puritan colony. To help Catholic History Trek, please consider donating via PayPal (Kevin Schmiesing@CatholicHistoryTrek) Thank you for your support!

Maryland Jesuits founded Delaware's first parish: St. Mary of the Assumption, known in its early days as the "Coffee Run Church." ("Cradles of Catholicism" series, no. 44, Delaware)

The pioneering bishops of the Pacific Northwest, Francois Blanchet and Modeste Demers, figure in the story of the beginning of the Church in the state of Washington at St. Francis Xavier Mission on the Cowlitz River. ("Cradles of Catholicism" series, no. 43, Washington)

In this episode Scott uncovers the history of the true cross upon which Jesus was crucified. To help Catholic History Trek, please consider donating via PayPal (Kevin Schmiesing@CatholicHistoryTrek) Thank you for your support!

Distinctive white pinnacles top the Basilica of St. Mary in Natchez, built by Bishop John Chanches in the 1840s. ("Cradles of Catholicism" series, no. 42, Mississippi)

The terrifying words were recorded in an 1876 book by Monsignor Louis Gaston de Segur, recounting a ghastly apparition witnessed by his grandfather. But the holy de Segur wrote prolifically, and about much more than the reality of hell. In this episode Scott treks thru the life of Louis Gaston de Segur. To help Catholic History Trek, please consider donating via PayPal (Kevin Schmiesing@CatholicHistoryTrek) Thank you for your support!

Ecumenism seeks to separate humanity, divided by religion to find common ground. Seems like a good ideal, but some Catholics (including many popes) were strongly opposed to it. In this episode, Scott treks thru the Catholic tradition of ecumenism? To help Catholic History Trek, please consider donating via PayPal (Kevin Schmiesing@CatholicHistoryTrek) Thank you for your support!

This historic Jamestown isn't in Virginia; it's in North Dakota—and it's home to the first Catholic parish and the first Catholic cathedral in the state. ("Cradles of Catholicism" series, no. 41, North Dakota)

In this episode Scott treks thru the history of how an order of Franciscans sisters, and an F5 tornado, helped bring about the world famous Mayo Clinic. To help Catholic History Trek, please consider donating via PayPal (Kevin Schmiesing@CatholicHistoryTrek) Thank you for your support!

Constantine and Helen. Basil and Gregory. Milan and Constantinople. Jerome and Augustine. Monumental people, places, and events came together in the fourth century to form the great Christian faith and civilization that have shaped our world. Scott and Kevin provide a brief tour of this epic period.

Baltimore has always held a place of prominence inthe history of American Catholicism, as the nation's first diocese and first archdiocese. In this episode Scott treks back to Baltimore's provincial and plenary councils, to see the issues which weighed on the mind of the Catholic Church in the 19th century. To help Catholic History Trek, please consider donating via PayPal (Kevin Schmiesing@CatholicHistoryTrek) Thank you for your support!

When John Brown raided the arsenal at Harpers Ferry, the pastor of St. Peter's Catholic Church was caught up in the fray. ("Cradles of Catholicism" series, no. 40, West Virginia)

The 10th and 11th centuries saw a sting of many short papacies, as secular rulers added and removed pontiffs to impose their will on the papacy. Among these popes were some of the most wretched men to sit in the chair of St Peter, which earned the era the title the Saeculum Obscurum, or "dark age" of the papacy.

Marking 250 years since the establishment of the US Army Chaplain Corps, Scott and Kevin sketch the history of Catholic chaplains. They focus on remarkable twentieth-century American priests, including Aloysius Schmitt, Emil Kapaun, and Vincent Capodanno. To help Catholic History Trek, please consider donating via PayPal (Kevin Schmiesing@CatholicHistoryTrek) Thank you for your support!

St Peter of Verona holds the title as the quickest saint to be canonized after his death - only 337 days. What made this Dominican, inquisitor, and son of heretics, a candidate for such a quick canonization? Find out, as Scott covers the life & death of St Peter of Verona (a.k.a. St Peter Martyr).

Oblates of Mary Immaculate, Jesuits, and diocesan priests collaborated to take the faith "way up north," beginning with St. Rose of Lima Church in Wrangell. ("Cradles of Catholicism" series, no. 39, Alaska)