American Catholic History

Born a slave before the Civil War, Daniel Rudd was a Catholic journalist, who was the first black man to own a national newspaper of any kind. Tom and Noëlle Crowe reveal how his newspaper and activism both promoted the civil rights of blacks and evangelized the benefits of Catholicism to the black community in the 19th century. The post Daniel Rudd appeared first on StarQuest Media.

Bl. Miriam was the first American to be beatified on US soil in 2014, but before that, as Tom and Noëlle Crowe tell us, she was a Ruthenian Catholic Sister of Charity known for her profound spiritual insight and writings, even as a novice, before she died at just 26 years old. The post Blessed Miriam Teresa Demjanovich appeared first on StarQuest Media.

Fr. Peter Whelan was an elderly Irish priest in Georgia and South Carolina who brought Christ to the sick and imprisoned during the Civil War. Tom and Noëlle Crowe tell how brought Christ to both Confederate POWs in the North, and Union POWs at the most notorious prison camp in the South, Andersonville. The post Father Peter Whelan: The Angel of Andersonville appeared first on StarQuest Media.

Bl. Stanley Rother was an Oklahoma farm boy who became a priest and then missionary in Guatemala during the height of its civil war. Tom and Noëlle Crowe share his story of courageous service to his people and Jesus, including giving up his life and becoming the first US-born martyr for the Faith. The post Blessed Stanley Rother appeared first on StarQuest Media.

James Braddock was a rags-to-riches-to-rags-to-riches story of the 1920s and 30s, and was heavyweight boxing champion, winning in a stunning upset victory. But as Tom and Noelle Crowe tell us, he was also a devoted family man and devout Catholic who never forgot the charity he received at his lowest time of his life. The post Cinderella Man appeared first on StarQuest Media.

On January 1, 1892, Annie Moore was the first immigrant to pass through the gates of Ellis Island and as Tom and Noelle Crowe tell her story, they also tell the story of Catholic immigration to the US in the late 19th century, including the hopes, the challenges, and the helping hands. The post Annie Moore and Catholic Immigration appeared first on StarQuest Media.

You may know his name as director of It's A Wonderful Life, but as Tom and Noelle Crowe reveal, Frank Capra was a talented Catholic storyteller dedicated to revealing the truths of the Gospel through the cinema and thus created an enduring character that remains part of Christmas traditions today. The post Frank Capra appeared first on StarQuest Media.

St. Mary Cathedral in Galveston is the Mother Church of the Catholic Church in Texas. Tom and Noelle Crowe tell the story of St. Mary's and of Catholics in Galveston, who endured together through rapid growth and upheaval, fatal epidemics, and devastating storms. The post St. Mary’s, Galveston appeared first on StarQuest Media.

Fr. Leo Heinrichs was a Franciscan martyred during Mass in his Colorado parish in 1908. Tom and Noëlle Crowe reveal the story of this humble German friar who was slain by an anti-Catholic anarchist during Holy Communion and at the feet of a statue of Our Lady, where he had said he would choose to die. The post Fr. Leo Heinrichs, OFM appeared first on StarQuest Media.

William Grace was an Irish immigrant to the US, founder of a successful company that remains to this day, a generous philanthropist, and first Catholic mayor of New York City. Tom and Noelle Crowe explore how Grace stood up to political corruption and worked to make a better life for the people of his businesses and city. The post William Grace appeared first on StarQuest Media.

St. Anthony Chapel in Pittsburgh is a remarkable place of pilgrimage containing more than 5,000 relics of saints, the Blessed Mother, and Jesus. Tom and Noelle Crowe introduce us to the chapel and the German priest who built it with his own money and explain why we venerate relics. The post St. Anthony Chapel, Pittsburgh appeared first on StarQuest Media.

Carlos Rodriguez was the first Puerto Rican to be beatified and the first Caribbean native layman. Tom and Noelle Crowe talk about what made this humble catechist and lover of the Eucharist and the Liturgy into an icon of holiness. The post Bl. Carlos Rodriguez appeared first on StarQuest Media.

A young Italian Dominican friar named Fr. Samuel Mazzuchelli came to the American Midwest in the early 19th century. Tom and Noëlle Crowe reveal how he almost singlehandedly transformed the Catholic Church in that part of the country and continues to inspire through his example. The post Fr. Samuel Mazzuchelli appeared first on StarQuest Media.

Over the span of about 200 years, up to 1,000 Catholic missionaries and natives, including men, women, and children, were martyred in what is now the US Southeast. Tom and Noelle Crowe tell us about the brave Catholics who refused to renounce Christ under persecution from both native peoples and European Protestants. The post The Martyrs of La Florida appeared first on StarQuest Media.

Rose Hawthorne was born into 19th century American literary royalty, but as Tom and Noelle Crowe reveal, she suffered the deaths of family, including a child, and an abusive husband. That didn't stop her from converting to Catholicism, starting a Dominican community, and founding homes for terminally ill cancer patients. The post Rose Hawthorne appeared first on StarQuest Media.

In the late 19th century, Charles Seghers was bishop of Vancouver, then archbishop of Oregon City, but his heart was in the missions of Alaska. Tom and Noelle Crowe tell us the story of this man of God who had a heart for the missions of the extreme Northwest and of his tragic death. The post Archbishop Charles John Seghers, Apostle to Alaska appeared first on StarQuest Media.

An amazing spiral staircase stands in a chapel in Santa Fe, New Mexico, the result of prayers of the nuns who needed it. Tom and Noelle Crowe look at the story and whether it was a master craftsman who showed up at the right time or really St. Joseph who built it himself, the staircase is indeed miraculous. The post Loretto Staircase appeared first on StarQuest Media.

Babe Ruth was the greatest baseball player of all time, but he was no saint in his personal life. Yet, as Tom and Noelle Crowe reveal, his Catholic faith remained an important part of his life, expressing itself in his charity and return to the sacraments, especially late in his life. The post Babe Ruth appeared first on StarQuest Media.

Commodore John Barry is known as the Father of the US Navy, its first commissioned officer, and first flag officer. Tom and Noelle Crowe trace his origins as an Irish Catholic immigrant to his distinguished career in the Revolutionary War to his appointment to head the fledgling post-war Navy. The post John Barry appeared first on StarQuest Media.

James Longstreet was a Civil War Confederate general rejected by his former compatriots after the war who eventually became Catholic. Tom and Noelle Crowe discuss how the openness of a Catholic priest, a former Confederate Army chaplain, helped Longstreet in his journey. The post James Longstreet appeared first on StarQuest Media.

Henriette DeLille was a woman of mixed race in antebellum New Orleans who rejected the social pressure to become a concubine. Tom and Noelle Crowe reveal how she instead followed her faith to found the 2nd religious order for black Catholic women in the US. The post Henriette DeLille appeared first on StarQuest Media.

Mary Fields was a gun-toting, hard-drinking, street-brawling black woman on the old frontier. Tom and Noelle Crowe also reveal that she was a kind-hearted Catholic woman who cared for children and served a community of Ursuline Sisters for many years and a fascinating figure in American Catholic history. The post Stagecoach Mary appeared first on StarQuest Media.

Every year, thousands of Eastern-rite Catholics gather in a small Western Pennsylvania town on pilgrimage to Mount Saint Macrina. Tom and Noelle Crowe explain how the pilgrimage started and what Pope Pius XI and Archbishop Fulton Sheen had to do with it. The post Mount Saint Macrina appeared first on StarQuest Media.

Demetrius Gallitzin was born a Russian Orthodox prince and died an American Catholic priest, the second to be ordained in the United States. Tom and Noelle Crowe explore how this man of God underwent this remarkable transformation and left his indelible mark on western Pennsylvania. The post Prince Gallitzin appeared first on StarQuest Media.

Dom Bettinelli has an urgent message to all listeners of StarQuest shows. We need your help right now. Please listen to this brief recording and then visit sqpn.com/give today. Thank you. (If you subscribe to multiple StarQuest shows, you may receive this message more than once.) The post A Special Message from StarQuest’s Dom Bettinelli appeared first on StarQuest Media.

Margaret Brent may have singlehandedly saved the Catholic colony of Maryland in the 17th century. Noelle and Tom Crowe look at this remarkable Catholic woman who was one of Maryland's largest landowners in her own right and who fought the right to vote in order to save the colony. The post Margaret Brent, Savior of Maryland appeared first on StarQuest Media.

You may know Fr. Patrick Peyton as the priest who coined the phrase, "The family that prays together, stays together." Noelle and Tom Crowe tells us that he was also strongly against atheistic communism and worked with the CIA for a time to promote the Rosary in Catholic countries to stop the ideology. The post Fr. Patrick Peyton appeared first on StarQuest Media.

Knute Rockne is one of the greatest college football coaches in history, who revolutionized the modern game and made a name for Notre Dame football. But Tom and Noelle Crowe tell us he was also a Catholic convert who was inspired by the faith he saw in his own players. The post Knute Rockne appeared first on StarQuest Media.

From Irish immigrant to gold miner to seminarian in Paris to first bishop of Sacramento, Patrick Manogue was a giant of a man and a priest of the Old West at home among rough-edged miners and uncouth cowboys. Tom and Noelle Crowe tell the story of this priest and bishop who pulled himself up by his bootstraps to create a new home for Catholics in California. The post Patrick Manogue appeared first on StarQuest Media.

Danny Thomas was a Maronite Catholic entertainer. Tom and Noelle discuss how he turned an answered prayer through the intercession of St. Jude into a lifelong mission to bring hope and healing to sick children through St. Jude's Children's Hospital, which continues to thrive decades after his death. The post Danny Thomas and St. Jude appeared first on StarQuest Media.

In the middle of the Kansas prairie soars St. Fidelis church, known as "The Cathedral of the Plains." Tom and Noelle Crowe tell us of this testament to the faith of a hardworking community of German Catholic farmers who wanted a church they would never outgrow and would serve as a beacon of faith in the middle of America. The post The Cathedral of the Plains appeared first on StarQuest Media.

Despite being a Deist and decidedly not Catholic, Ben Franklin played a pivotal role in the selection of Bishop John Carroll as the first Catholic Bishop in the United States. Tom and Noelle Crowe delve into their background for how it came to pass. The post Benjamin Franklin and Bishop John Carroll appeared first on StarQuest Media.

In 1813, a case of stolen goods led to the legal protection of the seal of the confessional in American law. Tom and Noelle Crowe talk about the story of Fr. Anthony Kohlmann, S.J., who refused to break the sacred trust he held in Confession even under threat of prison, and the Protestant officials who upheld Catholics' rights. The post Fr. Anthony Kohlmann and the Seal of Confession appeared first on StarQuest Media.

In the first episode of this new podcast from StarQuest Media, Tom and Noelle Crowe relate the story of an Irish immigrant in New Orleans, Margaret Haughery (1813-1882) who founded several still-existing homes for orphans, widows, and the elderly; cared for the sick; built churches; fed the poor; and became famous for her Catholic faith and her charity. The post Margaret Haughery appeared first on StarQuest Media.