History’s best pope? Worst pope? How will historians look back on the Church today?

Scott and Kevin mark this milestone in CHT’s history by venturing into reflection, opinion, and speculation, lobbing questions at each other and reacting to the sometimes predictable, sometimes surprising answers.  

In the world of 1980's cartoons, G.I. Joe was a "real American hero". But in the world of Catholicism, a little-known Catholic tradition could make one a hero for the poor souls in Purgatory.

In this episode Scott treks thru the historic practice of making the Heroic Act of Charity in Favor of the Souls in Purgatory.

A family of converts played a big role in the early years of New Hampshire's first Catholic church, St. Mary's in Claremont.

("Cradles of Catholicism" series, no. 37, New Hampshire)

In this episode Scott treks back to the early origin of Catholic apologetics.

¡Viva Cristo Rey! With a special focus on Pope Pius XI's encyclical Quas Primas, Scott and Kevin unpack some of the theology and history behind one of the Church's major feasts, Christ the King.

This episode is sort of a continuation of Episode 7, the Land of the Cross-Tipped Churches. It highlights the same geographical area and the same time frame, but with a new cast of characters. This episode treks thru Cincinnati race riots, a bad seminary, and Bishop Joseph Dwenger’s lasting contribution to Catholic education.

Catholics from Maryland migrated to Georgia in the 1790s, creating the settlement of Locust Grove and the state's first parish, Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

("Cradles of Catholicism" series, no. 36, Georgia)

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The Purification Heritage Center

From the land of Mother Teresa, a world class cricket team, and 4-hour long Bollywood movies, comes St Devasahayam Pillai.

This episode treks thru his life and martyrdom, with a historical look at Catholicism in India.

("Martyrs" series no. 5, St Devasahayam Pillai)

Universitas magistrorum et scholarium. The modern university's very name derives from its medieval Catholic antecedent. Scott and Kevin tour the long, fruitful, and sometimes contentious relationship between the Church and universities.

Arthur Simon Flegenheimer, a.k.a. Dutch Schultz, was an infamous prohibition era mobster known for bootlegging, running breweries, speakeasies, and illegal gambling rings, and engaging in gang wars.

After the National Crime Syndicate put a hit on him, this Jewish-born criminal sought redemption thru the Catholic Church while on his deathbed.

Find out about his conversion, and lost treasure, on this episode of Catholic History Trek.

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