A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH🇻🇦🕊️ 🧵 c. 33: First Christian Pentecost; descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples; preaching of St. Peter in Jerusalem; conversion, baptism and aggregation of some 3,000 persons to the first Christian community. St. Stephen, deacon, was stoned to death at Jerusalem; he is venerated as the first Christian martyr. c. 34: St. Paul, formerly Saul the persecutor of Christians, was converted and baptized. After three years of solitude in the desert, he joined the college of the apostles; he made three major missionary journeys and became known as the Apostle to the Gentiles; he was imprisoned twice in Rome and was beheaded there between 64 and 67. 39: Cornelius (the Gentile) and his family were baptized by St. Peter; a significant event signaling the mission of the Church to all peoples. 42: Persecution of Christians in Palestine broke out during the rule of Herod Agrippa; St. James the Greater, the first apostle to die, was beheaded in 44; St. Peter was imprisoned for a short time; many Christians fled to Antioch, marking the beginning of the dispersion of Christians beyond the confines of Palestine. At Antioch, the followers of Christ were called Christians for the first time. 49: Christians at Rome, considered members of a Jewish sect, were adversely affected by a decree of Claudius which forbade Jewish worship there. 51: The Council of Jerusalem, in which all the apostles participated under the presidency of St. Peter, decreed that circumcision, dietary regulations, and various other prescriptions of Mosaic Law were not obligatory for Gentile converts to the Christian community. The crucial decree was issued in opposition to Judaizers who contended that observance of the Mosaic Law in its entirety was necessary for salvation. 64: Persecution broke out at Rome under Nero, the emperor said to have accused Christians of starting the fire which destroyed half of Rome. 64 or 67: Martyrdom of St. Peter at Rome during the Neronian persecution. He established his see and spent his last years there after preaching in and around Jerusalem, establishing a see at Antioch, and presiding at the Council of Jerusalem. 70: Destruction of Jerusalem by Titus. 88-97: Pontificate of St. Clement I, third successor of St. Peter as bishop of Rome, one of the Apostolic Fathers. The First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians, with which he has been identified, was addressed by the Church of Rome to the Church at Corinth, the scene of irregularities and divisions in the Christian community. 95: Domitian persecuted Christians, principally at Rome. c. 100: Death of St. John, apostle and evangelist, marking the end of the Age of the Apostles and the first generation of the Church. By the end of the century, Antioch, Alexandria and Ephesus in the East and Rome in the West were established centers of Christian population and influence. c. 107: St. Ignatius of Antioch was martyred at Rome. He was the first writer to use the expression, “the Catholic Church.” 112: Emperor Trajan, in a rescript to Pliny the Younger, governor of Bithynia, instructed him not to search out Christians but to punish them if they were publicly denounced and refused to do homage to the Roman gods. This rescript set a pattern for Roman magistrates in dealing with Christians. 117-38: Persecution under Hadrian. Many Acts of Martyrs date from this period. c. 125: Spread of Gnosticism, a combination of elements of Platonic philosophy and Eastern mystery religions. Its adherents claimed that its secret-knowledge principle provided a deeper insight into Christian doctrine than divine revelation and faith. One gnostic thesis denied the divinity of Christ; others denied the reality of his humanity, calling it mere appearance (Docetism, Phantasiasm).

Sue them and get AI out of cars

A new map published Wednesday by a cybersecurity researcher reveals Flock’s nationwide reach is even bigger than previously known. Now, Flock is trying to get that map wiped from the internet. You know what to do…

You win the FAFO delivery award today, Madame… We all hate this guy

The NFL is extremely fake & gay

Every single day…

Even though Caleb Flynn is accused of fatally shooting his wife, Ashley, in their Ohio home in February 2026, this former American Idol contestant & Protestant ‘pastor’ can’t help but feel the vibes from the love songs he wrote & sang for his 24-year old mistress, Alleigha Botner, in court. When "my once in a lifetime" hits, you can see him silently acknowledging “man, I wrote a banger…”

I barely lived them but I miss the 80s

Grok in 2034 hunting for the guy who asked, “Are you STUPID!? Do EXACTLY what I prompted you!!”

Some people just make it too hard

The human race will go extinct because women all think they are 10s

This definitely isn’t his first rodeo 🐍

“Muh police are the good guys”

Catholicism IS “Biblical Christianity”🇻🇦

Today, September 24, 2026, the Church declares Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen “Blessed” on a historic beatification Mass at the Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis🇻🇦 The day begins this morning at 8 a.m. with an expo hall offering Catholic exhibits, Eucharistic adoration, confessions, and a special display on the Shroud of Turin. At 10 a.m., the “Celebrate Sheen Show” brings together speakers including Katie Prejean McGrady, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, and Sister Josephine Garrett, along with musicians Matt Maher and Dave and Lauren Moore. The faithful joins in praying the rosary with World Mission Rosaries inspired by one designed by Sheen himself. This afternoon at 1:30 p.m., the beatification Mass takes place. Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, representing Pope Leo XIV, is presiding. During the rite, a brief biography of Archbishop Sheen is read, and the Pope’s apostolic letter is proclaimed, formally granting him the title of Blessed. An image of the new Blessed with a halo is unveiled, and his relic is presented for veneration. After the Mass, the faithful are invited to venerate the relic until 6 p.m. Across the Church in the United States and beyond, Catholics are rejoicing as one of America’s most beloved evangelists is raised to the honors of the altar. Blessed Fulton Sheen, pray for us!

Imagine the weight Judas felt at that precise moment…

Father Román de la Cruz Hernández, 48, pastor of Santa Cruz in the Diocese of Huejutla, was found dead on September 15 along a rural road in Hidalgo state, in central Mexico. He had been shot. His body was discovered beside the Tolago–Tetlapaya highway, on the edge of Lolotla and Tlanchinol. He was a son of that same mountain region. Born July 28, 1978, in Mazahuacán, Lolotla, he was ordained on December 18, 2006. Since September 2024 he had been the first diocesan pastor of the Santa Cruz community in Huejutla de Reyes, in the Huasteca. The Mexican Bishops’ Conference expressed grief and solidarity with Bishop José Hiraís Acosta Beltrán, his priests, and the people of Huejutla. They asked authorities for a thorough investigation and swift justice. The bishop asked the faithful not to speculate so that investigators can do their work, and he denounced the “alarming situation of violence” that continues to wound the nation. Local reports said a vehicle and a written message were found near the body. Authorities have not released the text of that message. Motive has not been officially established. The Catholic Multimedia Center, which tracks attacks on the Church in Mexico, notes that four priests have been murdered since President Claudia Sheinbaum took office in October 2024. Mexico remains one of the most dangerous countries in the world for Catholic clergy. A memorial Mass was offered for Father Román on September 20 in Santa Cruz. The Church does not ask us to avenge him. She asks us to pray for his soul, to stand with his parish, and to insist that this killing, and so many others, not be left in silence.

On July 11, 2019, two-year-old Max McKee was found at the bottom of his grandmother’s swimming pool in Louisiana. He had no pulse. First responders fought to revive him. His mother, a nurse, received the call at work and raced to the hospital. His older brother Brody dropped to his knees at the scene and prayed. Friends, nurses, and their church surrounded the boy’s bed. Many expected brain damage, or worse. Max survived. He woke with no lasting injury. Then, after they brought him home, he looked at his parents and said: “When I was in the pool, I wasn’t scared.” They praised him for being brave. He went on: “When I was at the bottom of that pool, Jesus held me.” Then came the words that stopped the room: “Why does He have scratches on His hands?” He later added that Jesus had “booboos” on His hands and feet. His parents had never taught a toddler the Crucifixion. Sunday school at that age is “Jesus loves me,” not the nails. Max was concerned. He asked who had hurt Him. He even wanted to know if Jesus was still at Nana’s house. Later he painted himself in the arms of Jesus in the water. The risen Jesus still bears His wounds. After the Resurrection He showed the disciples His hands and side (John 20:27). Those “scratches” are the price of mercy. He comes especially to the little and the dying. “Let the children come to Me” (Mark 10:14). At the hour of death He promised St. Faustina He would stand not as Judge but as merciful Savior (Diary, 1541). Max later said of himself: “I’m Max, and I’m a miracle.” His mother said she is eternally grateful that Jesus held her son in the most vulnerable moment of his life. The same Jesus who appeared to St. Faustina with rays of Blood and Water is the Jesus a small child described with wounded hands. Trust is not only for saints in convents. It is for a toddler at the bottom of a pool, and for us. Jesus, I trust in You.

The duality of man

In September 2010, near Peoria, Illinois, Bonnie and Travis Engstrom welcomed their son James into the world at home. The joy of the birth quickly turned to crisis: the baby was born without a pulse and was not breathing. Emergency responders rushed him to OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria, the same city where Fulton Sheen had been ordained a priest nearly a century earlier. At the hospital, medical teams worked frantically to revive the infant. Minute after minute passed with no detectable heartbeat. By ordinary medical standards, the situation appeared hopeless. Staff prepared to declare him stillborn. Throughout the ordeal, the Engstrom family and those with them prayed, invoking the intercession of Venerable Fulton Sheen, to whom they had a devotion. They had even named their son James Fulton in his honor. For 61 minutes, James had no pulse. Then, without medical explanation, his heart began to beat. Doctors had been moments from stopping their efforts. A child without oxygen for that length of time would typically suffer severe, permanent neurological damage. James did not. He recovered fully, with no lasting physical or mental impairment. The Church carefully investigated the case. A local tribunal examined the medical records and witness testimony. Expert physicians ruled out any natural explanation for the recovery. Theologians confirmed that the prayers had specifically invoked Sheen’s intercession. The sealed documentation was sent to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in Rome. In July 2019, Pope Francis formally approved the healing as a miracle attributed to Sheen’s intercession, clearing the way for his beatification. The story of James Fulton Engstrom places a human face on the long process of recognizing holiness. A family prayed in their darkest hour, a holy bishop interceded, and a child lived. The Church believes Sheen, who spent his life drawing souls to Christ, continues that work from heaven.