A Mini-History of the Church

Remember your leaders, who spoke to you the word of God. Consider how they ended their lives, and imitate their faith. (Hebrews 13:7)

A.D.Event
33 Our Lord dies on the cross, and rises from the dead.
33 At Pentecost, the Catholic Church is born (Acts 2).
36 St. Stephen is stoned to death, becoming the first martyr.
51 First Church Council is held in Jerusalem, presided over by the First Pope, St. Peter, who settles the first doctrinal dispute (Acts 15:7-12). This shows the biblical model the Catholic Church uses, following the decisions of Peter and his successors.
64-68 First persecution of Christians by the Emperor Nero.
67 The martyrdom of Sts. Peter and Paul. (June 29th)
70 The Destruction of the Temple as predicted in Lk.18:4-44
42-104 Eleven Apostles are martyred.
107 Martyrdom of St. Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop of Antioch. He was eaten by lions. His writings are the first which call the church "Catholic". His feast is October 17th.
54-305 The Ten Great Roman Persecutions
54-68 : Emperor Nero
284-305 : Emperor Diocletian
During these persecutions Christians were brutally tortured and martyred, yet the Catholic Church continued to preach the Gospel and gain more converts.
313 Edict of Milan-The Roman persecutions are ended.
325 The Council of Nicea-Defines The Trinity.
389-461 St. Patrick brings the Gospel to Ireland (Mar. 17).
431 The Council of Ephesus declared Mary "Mother of God. "
452 Pope St. Leo the Great (Nov. 10) meets Attila the Hun face to face and convinces him not to destroy Rome.
480-547 St. Benedict, the Pather of West em Monasticism, founded the Benedictine Monks. Their motto:"Pray and labor".
521-597 St. Columba converted Scotland. (June 9).
604 St. Augustine of Canterbury was sent by Pope St.
Gregory the Great to evangelize England. Patron of England (May 27).
722 St. Boniface goes on his mission to convert Germany. He is the Patron Saint of Germany. (June 5)
732 The Moslem attack is stopped at the Battle of Tours.
826 St. Ansgar," Apostle of the North" (Scandanavia). (Feb.3)
825-69 Sts. Cyril and Methodius convert the Slavs. (Feb.14)
1030-79 St. Stanislaus, Bishop of Cracow, is martyred (April 11)
1054 Greek Schism occurs from a dispute over the Papacy.
1170-1221 St. Dominic founds the Dominican Order. (August 8)
A.D.Event
1082 St. Bruno founds the Carthusian Order of Hermits. (Oct. 6)
1181-1226 St. Francis of Assisi. While praying in a ruined Church he heard Our Lord speak to him from the crucifix: "Francis my house is falling into ruin, rebuild it". He sought to rebuild the old church, but later realized our Lord meant to rebuild the spirituality of the people. His holiness attracted many disciples who were the beginnings of the Order of St. Francis. (Oct. 4)
1225-1274 St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church, combined the philosophy of Aristotle with Catholic theology. His writings exhibit the profound unity of faith and reason. (Jan. 28)
1492 Christopher Columbus discovers America.
1517 Father Martin Luther, an Augustinian priest, proposes an misinterpretation of Romans that a man is saved by "faith alone", without charitable works or the 10 commandments. The Church disagrees (Mt.7:21-23, 19:17-19, Ga1.5:l6-21, Jas.2:l4-26). This conflict results in a split in the church with many offshoots. The Second Vatican Council (1962) later acknowledged that blame for the split of Christianity was on both sides, Catholic and Protestant, and called for Ecumenism.
1531 Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared to an Indian convert, St. Juan Diego. Mary leaves a Miraculous Image of Herself, on display in Mexico, that still baffles scientists of our day. (Dec. 12)
1535 St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher were martyred by King Henry VIII because they refused to recognize the king, instead of the Pope, as head of the Church in England. (June 22)
1545-1563 The Council of Trent contradicts Protestantism. It teaches how man is justified by grace, but not faith without obedience. Charitable works and obedience to God's commandments begin and end in grace, and are a necessity for salvation.
1491-1556 St. Ignatius Loyola founds the Jesuits. (July 31 )
1506-1552 St. Francis Xavier brought the gospel to Japan, the Philippines, New Guinea and India. "As long as there are souls in the world who do not love God I cannot rest." (December 3)
1566-1597 St. Paul Miki and 25 companions were martyred by crucifixion in Nagasaki during the persecution by the Emperor. (Feb. 6)
1624 Alexander de Thodes, S.J., the "Apostle of Vietnam", converted many. Persecutions of Catholics later came, and there were 117 beatified as the "Martyrs of Tonkin."
1607-1646 St. Isaac Jogues, a Jesuit missionary was martyred by Mohawks near Albany, New York. (October 19)
1656-1680 Bl. Kateri Tekakwitha, "the Lily of the Mohawks", was an Indian convert who excelled in virtue. (July 14)
1647-1690 St. Margaret Mary Alacoque received the visions of the Sacred Heart of Our Lord. (Oct. 16)
1769 Bl. Junipero Serra starts a mission at San Diego (July 1).
1774-1821 St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, first American Saint (Jan. 4).
A.D.Event
1786-1859 Holy St. John Vianney told people their sins in confession before they told him. Patron of Parish Priests (Aug 4)
1806-76 St. Catherine Laboure receives the Miraculous Medal.
1839-1846 The 79 Martyrs of Korea. (Sept. 20)
1844-79 Our Lady appears to St. Bernadette in Lourdes, France, and directs her to a spring; miraculous healings have been attributed to it ever since. Our Lady told her, "I do not promise to make you happy in this world, but in the next." St. Bernadette's feast is April 16. Our Lady of Lourdes is Feb. 11.
1854 Dec. 8 Pope Pius IX-Dogma of Immaculate Conception.
1869-71 Vatican I teaches Papal Infallibility.
1889-1956 119 are martyred in China. Persecution of Cath-olics in China continues to this day under the Communists (July 9)
1890-1902 St. Maria Goretti, virgin and martyr, was only 12 years old when she gave her life for Christ. A man tried to seduce her but she refused him and was stabbed to death. (July 6)
1917 The Russian Communist Revolution occurs. Communism comes to Russia, and Catholics are persecuted for their faith.
1917 Our Lady of Fatima appears to three children in Portugal six times between May 13 and Oct. 13. Our Lady requested that people pray the rosary daily and do penance for the conversion of sinners and the conversion of Russia.
1894-1941 St. Maximilian Kolbe, a Polish-born Priest who was a prisoner in Auschwitz, offered his life to the Nazis in exchange for the life of a married man with a family. (Aug. 14)
1949 The Chinese Communist Revolution occurs and outlaws the Roman Catholic Religion.
1951 Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen becomes the first Christian Minister to have a TV show, it's called, "Life is Worth Living."
1962-65 The Council of Vatican II calls for Reforms in the liturgy. The Church later allows translations of the revised Latin mass to the vernacular or native tongue. It calls for a new dialogue of ecumenism with the Orthodox and the Protestants, who are now to be called "separated brethren." It also reaffirms the Church's teaching on celibacy for the priesthood, and the sins of contraception (GS51) and abortion (GS51).
1963 U.S. Supreme Court forces prayer out of public schools.
1968 Pope Paul VI reaffirms Church's teaching against contraception in his Encyclical "Humanae Vitae."
1969 The evil of Hardcore Pornography begins in America.
1973 Roe v. Wade decision: The Supreme Court in the U.S. allows abortion to be performed through the full 9 months of pregnancy. Each year in our nation's capital on January 22 the March for Life is held to protest the death of the unborn.
1992 The "Catechism of the Catholic Church" is issued by Pope John Paul II. All catechisms are to be in conformity with it.

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