Fr. Stephen Badin was the first priest ordained in the United States, he ministered to the Catholics in Kentucky, and is connected to Notre Dame.
Episodes about "18th century"
The History of St. Patrick’s Day
As great as St. Patrick is and important to Ireland, as Tom and Noëlle Crowe tell us, the celebration of St. Patrick’s Day didn’t become the cultural phenomenon it is until Irish-Americans essentially created it and exported it around the world.
Father Ferdinand Farmer
When Jesuit Father Ferdinand Farmer came to the US colonies before the Revolution, they were bitterly divided by religious intolerance. Tom and Noëlle tell us how his selfless, tireless efforts did much to break down the walls and help the Catholic faith to gain respect.
George Washington, Catholic?
Ever since he died, there has been speculation that George Washington converted to Catholicism on his deathbed. Tom and Noëlle Crowe look at the reasons why some think our first President did and the attitudes and actions in his life that were favorable toward Catholics.
Carnival and Mardi Gras in the United States
Mardi Gras and Carnival have been celebrated around the world before they came to the New World. Mobile celebrated it before New Orleans took over.
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
Elizabeth Ann Seton was a wealthy socialite and then a convert. She founded parochial education and the daughters of charity, and is the first American-born saint.
Pope Night
The anti-Catholic Pope Night was the pre-Revolutionary War import of the British Guy Fawkes revelries on November 5, until George Washington stopped it.
Ven. Antonio Margil de Jesús
Fray Antonio Margil was the “The Friar of the Winged Feet” who evangelized much of Central America, Mexico, and present day Texas and Louisiana.
Fr. Gabriel Richard
Fr. Gabriel Richard helped found the University of Michigan, tirelessly worked to evangelize Detroit, and helped rebuild the city after a devastating fire.