Table of Contents
Introduction 1
Prologue: The Church Is Born 2
Pentecost 5
Church of Believers 6
Chapter 1 Giants of Faith: Peter and Paul (1st century) 10
Saint Stephen, the First Martyr 14
Saul Becomes Paul 15
Peter's Vision 16
Council of Jerusalem 17
Martyrdom of Peter and Paul 18
Chapter 2 Lots of Trouble (2nd century) 20
Crime to Believe 23
Councils 24
Heresies 24
Early Church Fathers 26
Saint Polycarp of Smyrna 26
Saint Justin Martyr 27
Saint Irenaeus 27
Tertullian 28
Chapter 3 Martyrs and Missionaries (3rd century) 30
Persecution in the Roman Empire 32
Roman Martyrs 33
Rich Martyrs 34
Military Martyrs 35
Martyrs in the Papal Court 36
Mistaken Teachers 38
Chapter 4 Rule of Constantine (4th century) 40
Saint Sebastian 42
Changes in the Roman Empire 44
Emperor Constantine 45
The Edict of Milan 46
Important Saints of the 4th Century 47
The Council of Nicea 48
The First Council of Constantinople 49
A Christian Empire 50
Chapter 5 Days of Danger (5th century) 52
Invaders 54
Attila the Hun 55
The Fall of Rome 56
Conversion of the Franks 56
The Arian Heresy Again 57
Nestorius and the Mother of God 58
Heresy and Schism 60
Chapter 6 Organizing the Church (6th century) 62
The Second Council of Constantinople 64
Pope Saint Gregory the Great and His Missionaries 66
Saint Benedict of Nursia 68
Chapter 7 Trouble from Without and Within (7th century) 70
Christianity Spreads in England 73
The Easter Controversy 74
Third Council of Constantinople 75
Saint Bathilde 76
Saint Benedict Biscop 78
Chapter 8 Darkness and Light (8th century) 80
Saint Bede 83
Saint John Damascene 84
Saint Boniface 85
The Battle of Tours 86
Charlemagne 88
Chapter 9 Conversions (9th century) 90
Divided Kingdoms 93
The Feudal System 94
The Feudal System and the Church 95
Veni, Creator Spiritus 96
Saints Cyril and Methodius 97
Saint Ansgar 97
Saint Edmund and the Vikings 98
No Council to Decide 100
Chapter 10 Age of Kings (10th century) 102
Changes in Western Europe 104
Social Changes around the World 105
The Holy Roman Empire 107
Daily Life in the 10th Century 108
Christianity in Russia 110
Chapter 11 East and West (11th century) 112
The Great Schism 115
Pope Gregory and King Henry Disagree 116
Saint Margaret of Scotland 118
Saint Anselm 119
Saint Bruno 120
The First Crusade 121
Chapter 12 Crusades (12th century) 124
Working for Peace in the Holy Land 126
The Second Crusade 127
The First Lateran Council 128
The Second Lateran Council 129
The Third Lateran Council 129
Saint Thomas à Becket 130
Richard the Lionhearted 132
Chapter 13 Friars on the Front Lines (13th century) 134
Effects of the Crusades 137
Saint Francis of Assisi and His Followers 138
Saint Dominic and His Followers 139
The Fourth Lateran Council (and the Eucharist) 140
The Miracle of Bolsena and the Feast of Corpus Christi 141
The Crusades Continue 142
Chapter 14 Return to Rome (14th century) 144
The Knights Templar 147
The Papacy in Avignon 148
Saint Catherine of Siena and the Pope's Return to Rome 149
John Wycliffe and John Hus 150
Chapter 15 A New World (15th century) 152
The Council of Constance 154
Too Many Popes 155
Conciliarism 155
A Brief Agreement 156
The Ottoman Empire 157
The Renaissance 157
Art in the Church 158
Music in the Church 159
Some Saints of the 15th Century 160
Saint Joan of Arc 160
A United Spain 161
The Spanish Inquisition 161
Global Exploration 162
Chapter 16 Brothers Separate (16th century) 164
Martin Luther 166
Reformers Inside and Out 168
Politics and the Reformation 169
Henry VIII and Saint Thomas More 170
The Council of Trent 172
Saint Ignatius of Loyola 172
The Swiss Guard 174
The Battle of Lepanto 175
Explorers, Soldier, Missionaries 177
Chapter 17 Game Changers (17th century) 180
English Colonization of the Americas 182
Spanish Colonization of the Americas 184
Dutch and French Colonization of the Americas 185
Missionaries to the Americas 186
Saint Kateri Tekakwitha 187
Catholicism in the American Colonies 188
Catholicism in England 188
The Church in Japan 190
Queen Christina of Sweden 191
Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque 191
The Defeat of the Ottoman Empire 192
Chapter 18 Foundations and Revolutions (18th century) 194
Outlawed in China 196
Jansenism 197
The Awakening 198
New France 199
The American Revolution 200
Bishop John Carroll 202
Saint Junípero Serra 203
The Enlightenment 204
Jesuits Banned 205
The French Revolution 206
Chapter 19 A Time of Progress (19th century) 208
Medical Advances 210
Napoleon Bonaparte 212
Nations and Empires 212
Political Sources of Restoration for the Church 213
The First Vatican Council 214
The Industrial Revolution 215
Changing Borders 216
Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton 216
Migration and the American Civil War 217
Saint Damien of Molokai 219
Saints of the 19th Century 219
The Immaculate Conception 220
Chapter 20 War and Peace (20th century) 222
Pope Saint Pius X 225
The World at War 225
Our Lady of Fatima 226
A Fragile Peace 227
The Great Depression and the Catholic Worker Movement 227
The Holocaust or Shoah 228
Saint Maximilian Kolbe 229
Saint Edith Stein 229
Resistance 230
Examples of Holiness 230
The Assumption 231
Communism 232
The Second Vatican Council and the Catechism 233
Protecting Human Life 234
Threat to the Pope 236
Chapter 21 Time of New Evangelization (21st century) 238
Pope Saint John Paul II 240
Pope Benedict XVI 242
Pope Francis 245
Index 248
Credits 254
