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What's the incredible story of Elisabeth and Felix Leseur?He was a staunch atheist and she was a devout Catholic, but Élisabeth never ceased praying for union with her husband in God and His Church.
Élisabeth and Felix were young and very much in love—more in love with each other than with their faith. When Felix told his soon-to-be-bride that he was practicing the Faith only to keep up appearances, she didn’t mind in the least. Neither of them expected any tension to arise from the situation.
After their marriage in 1889, however, the young couple gradually grew apart in their spiritual lives. Felix became increasingly atheistic; Élisabeth, after great confusion, was inspired to learn about her faith. The more she learned, the more devout she became. Meanwhile, Felix filled the house with atheistic books.
Husband and wife soon clashed.
Finally Élisabeth decided that the only argument that could win Felix back to the Church was intense and undistracted prayer.
Élisabeth and Felix
For the next fifteen years, she dedicated her life to prayer for her husband’s conversion. She recorded her spiritual journey secretly in a diary. Around the same time, her health crumbled and she lived in intense physical suffering.
Just before her death, she wrote a note to Felix, saying, “In 1905 I begged Almighty God to send me sufferings with which to pay the price of your soul. The day I die, that price will be paid. There is no greater love to be found in a woman than when she gives her life for her husband.”
Élisabeth passed away in 1914 at the age of forty-eight.
When Felix found her diary, his own spiritual journey began. In 1917 he returned to the Faith. Six years later, he was ordained a Dominican priest.
Élisabeth persevered in her faith with humility and fervent devotion despite hostility and ridicule from her beloved husband. Living the Faith well can be difficult even among those who share the same beliefs: so let Élisabeth’s example be an encouragement to you in your everyday struggle towards a deep and purposeful spiritual life. The Secret Diary of Élisabeth Leseur contains the spiritual writings of this holy woman as she navigated the difficult waters of adhering to God while maintaining a harmonious marriage. Available today at The Catholic Company! -
God, a mob boss, and the power of grace...…that reaches even the hearts of those who have spent their lives in grave sin.
One night in late October, 1935, a parish priest in New Jersey was called to the local hospital for an emergency.
The hospital staff explained to him that a dying man had asked for a Catholic priest—but this was no ordinary plea for Last Rites.
The man came from a Jewish family and was known all around New York and New Jersey as Dutch Schultz—a murderous gangster who had quickly risen to wealth and infamy on illegal alcohol and gambling.
Schultz had first turned to petty crime after his father abandoned his family. Crime was more lucrative than honest work, and Schultz excelled in it. Prohibition and gang wars made his career.
That night in October, however, he had been shot by fellow mobsters in a bar. He was rushed to the hospital, but his wounds became infected and everyone in the hospital knew that the crime boss’s time was up.
No one could imagine a man like Schultz having any relationship with his Heavenly Father…Should they even bother offering to call a rabbi for him?
Then the dying gangster astounded the doctors by urgently expressing his desire for reconciliation with God—but not through his birth religion of Judaism. He wanted baptism in the Catholic Church.
That night, one of the most unlikely of men was baptized and received into the arms of the Holy Church.
Dutch Schultz’s tale is one of many among both famous and unknown people. These people, who surprised those around them by receiving the sacrament of baptism on their deathbeds, were often fugitives from God’s love. Many of them heard His call through the years and blindly resisted it, but before death they turned and opened their hearts to Him at last.
Who were some of these people? What are their stories? Learn the full tale of Dutch Schultz and twelve other famous men and women who found refuge at the end in the Church. Deathbed Conversions: Finding Faith at the Finish Line will be one of the most fascinating books you’ll read, relating thirteen tales of the triumph of God’s relentless, loving grace. Order today at The Catholic Company! -
What is True Forgiveness?The saints—for instance, St. Edmund Campion—give us many examples of this difficult virtue.
For lay Catholics in Elizabethan England, keeping the Faith meant fines, house raids, and imprisonment.
For priests and those who sheltered them, it meant torture and death.
Everyone—Catholics and Anglicans alike—knew this.
Some of the Anglicans, considering Catholics to be traitors to the queen, made a point of helping the police by hunting down Catholic priests themselves.
St. Edmund Campion, a priest, was turned in by such a fellow Englishman. The man hunted him down and gave him over to imprisonment and torture.
St. Edmund Campion, priest and martyr
Then, one day, Campion’s betrayer came to visit him in the Tower.
What did the betrayed and tortured priest do? Reject him? Rebuke him?
No. He forgave him.
He forgave him, and then proceeded to urge the man to leave England, where he was no longer safe. He told him of a Catholic nobleman in Germany who would help him, and gave him a letter of introduction to present.
St. Edmund Campion’s forgiveness—as well as that of many other saints—went beyond a mere “Forgive and forget” attitude. Such forgiveness, sincere and entire, is difficult. Deep hurt and tough questions hold us back: Why do I have to forgive when I’ve been wronged? What if they do it again? What if I’m just enabling them? Good Catholic’s new series How to Forgive answers all these tough questions. You’ll learn what true forgiveness is, how forgiveness heals and frees you from past hurts, and much more. Sign up today at Good Catholic! -
Who caused the first controversy in the Early Church?When St. Paul took the Gospel to the Gentiles, the Jewish followers of Christ were not pleased.
St. Paul was a tent-maker from Tarsus, as rigid as a Pharisee and as learned as a rabbi. He was devoted to Jerusalem and zealous in persecuting the Early Church until his miraculous conversion, which we celebrate today.
After his conversion, Paul embraced the Faith so zealously that he received the title “Apostle.” He spent the rest of his life traveling the Roman empire on missionary journeys and enduring staggering trials for the propagation of the Faith.
So how could such a heroic and saintly preacher create controversy?
In his attempts to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Paul encountered staunch resistance from most of the Jews. The Gentiles, on the other hand, were often very receptive to the Word of God. So, Paul and his traveling companion preached to the Gentiles, gaining many disciples among them.
St. Paul Preaching at Athens by Raphael
Eager to tell this news to the other Apostles, Paul hastened to Antioch, saying, “I have opened a door of faith to the Gentiles!”
Some of the disciples from Judea were not pleased about this. They had been preaching only to Jews, saying that no one who was uncircumcised could be saved. They argued with Paul intensely, causing such dissension that everyone finally agreed to take the matter to the Twelve.
Peter and the rest of the Apostles called a council in Jerusalem and settled the matter of whether Gentiles could receive the Faith and be saved. The council supported Paul’s actions, drawing from Sacred Scripture and Peter’s own experience among the Gentiles.
Paul’s holiness and spiritual strength shine through his writings in the Bible. In fact, he persevered all his life against a temptation or spiritual trial, a “thorn in his side,” that would not leave him. He often found himself in the same spiritual position, but he didn’t become discouraged.
Many of us find ourselves, like St. Paul, frustrated repeatedly in our efforts to follow Our Lord. Fr. Basil Maturin will be your guide in making a breakthrough with perseverance and honesty. Christian Self-Mastery: How to Govern Your Thoughts, Discipline Your Will, and Achieve Balance in Your Spiritual Life is an in-depth guide to mastering your passions, honing self-discipline, avoiding frustration, and making real progress even in the most difficult aspects of your life. Make it your companion as we head towards Lent! Get your copy today! -
Who was the Bishop that doubted Juan Diego's vision?Most of us know Juan Zumárraga as the doubtful bishop of the Guadalupe apparitions, but there is much more to this holy warrior of New Spain.
Juan Zumárraga was born in the lovely Basque province of Castile in 1468. When he was old enough, he entered the Franciscan order, where his leadership qualities earned him many roles of responsibility.
He met Charles V of Spain when he was in his forties. Charles, like the Franciscans, immediately recognized in Zumárraga the strength of a leader and the wisdom of an arbitrator. He recommended Zumárraga as the first bishop of Mexico when the Church prepared to send missionaries to the newly-discovered land.
Despite his best efforts, however, few received baptism. The Spanish civil authorities in Mexico abused the native Indians so horribly that they had lost trust in the Spaniards. As guardian of the natives, Zumárraga strove to protect them, himself suffering persecution, exile, and false slander due to the same civil authorities. Meanwhile, he remained devout and unshaken in his faith and zeal.
The situation became so bad in Mexico that Zumárraga wrote to Charles V, saying that nothing but divine intervention could save the new land.
Soon after this letter was sent, a man named Juan Diego came to the bishop, convinced that the Mother of Jesus had come to him to request the building of a chapel. A wise and prudent man, Zumárraga was kind and respectful to Diego, but asked for proof that Our Lady really was appearing to him.
The Blessed Mother answered his prayer in the form of Juan Diego’s miraculous tilma, when the Indian visionary brought a lapful of Castilian roses to the bishop.
A depiction of Our Lady of Guadalupe with Juan Diego
in the right corner and Bishop Zumárraga in the left
Now the fruits of the bishop’s work began to prosper—thanks to Our Lady’s intervention through the Guadalupe apparitions! He baptized millions of native Indians, set up a school for girls, and founded a college and several hospitals before his death fourteen years later in 1548.
Just as it is impossible to grasp who Bishop Zumárraga was from his little-known role in the Guadulupe visions, it is difficult to understand other events in Church history when we hear them out of context. That’s why authors Grzegorz Gorny and Janusz Rosikon have tapped into the Vatican archives, studied historical documents minutely, visited important sites, and produced Vatican Secret Archives, the book which tells the unknown facts of Church history. You’ll learn the truth about the Inquisition, Galileo’s trial, and so much more, all within these pages. Available today at The Catholic Company! -
Who is the Patroness of the Unborn?“Am I not here, who am your Mother?...Am I not your fountain of life?”
That’s right—Our Lady of Guadalupe is the patroness of unborn babies.
Before Spain brought the Faith to Mexico in the 16th century, the Aztec religion had formed a culture of death in the native Mexican peoples. The “gods” required human blood to atone for offending them and to ward off their wrath. War and slaughter were a central part of their lives.
When the Holy Virgin appeared to Juan Diego, carrying within her the unborn God-man, she brought a culture of life to Mexico. Where missionary efforts had met with little success, she brought about 9 million conversions to the Catholic faith and the devout adoration of the only true God. Because of this apparition, she has been named Patroness of the Americas.
In our own times, we have seen the Culture of Death rise again in America. When the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Roe vs. Wade, it created a loophole which was quickly monopolized. Pro-abortionists cried out that abortion was now legal, and for the next fifty years life has been held as cheaply in our culture as it was in the Aztec religion.
The Patroness of the Americas, however, has triumphed. Last year, the Supreme Court ended the wholesale “legal” abortion torrent: the first step in restoring respect and gratitude for Life—a Culture of Life—to America.
Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Unborn and of the Americas, will continue to lead us in the defense of Life. We just have to be faithful.
As the battle for Life continues, take up your holy weapon and join in the fight. Fashioned of white jade and pale-hued agate and hilted with a silver St. Benedict Crucifix, this “Life Is Precious” Rosary fits comfortably and smoothly in your fingers. When you pray for the Unborn, the medal depicting the Madonna cradling her Child will remind you that the Blessed Mother is right there with you, praying for and protecting the vulnerable children. Get your spiritual weapon today! -
How was St. Sebastian martyred? (Trick question.)All the paintings of St. Sebastian depict him pierced with arrows. Weren’t the arrows the cause of his death?
Actually, it wasn’t the arrows that killed him.
“What! How did St. Sebastian survive that?” you may exclaim.
Well, he certainly did suffer the horrible death sentence to be shot full of arrows—but he didn’t die from it as the Emperor Diocletian had intended.
Here’s the full story.
Sebastian was a Roman citizen in the 4th century during a time of great hostility toward the Catholic faith.
Living in Rome itself under the dangerous rule of Diocletian, Sebastian not only dared to be a Christian—he dared to be a Christian right under the Emperor’s nose as a captain in the Emperor’s bodyguard! He also used his position in the Praetorian Guard to minister to the Christians suffering persecution.
Diocletian eventually found out about Captain Sebastian’s faith and ordered him to be shot with arrows.
Christians aid the wounded Sebastian
Sebastian survived the ordeal and was nursed back to health by a generous Christian widow. Then—fearless and unflappable as ever—he marched straight back to Diocletian and rebuked him for his cruelty to the Christians.
The Emperor, shocked that Sebastian was still alive, had him beaten to death.
Sebastian’s astounding courage reminds us that we must never give up the fight, no matter what we suffer. Thanks to God’s generosity, we don’t have to fight alone. Our personalized St. Sebastian Dog Tag Necklace is the perfect accessory for the spiritual warrior. Styled like a military dog tag, it reminds the wearer that St. Sebastian and the saints are fighting with us in the spiritual battle we wage every day. A great gift for a young man named after St. Sebastian, or any athletic or military friend. Order yours today at The Catholic Company! -
"Catholics added seven books to the Bible"What’s the truth behind the Deuterocanonical books?
Your Protestant friend is having coffee with you again, and he’s brought another big question with him.
He takes a sip of coffee, pauses, and says, “The Deuterocanonical books are really just apocrypha added by Catholics in 1546. The Bible has 66 books, not 73.”
Good question. But you don’t need to worry—you’re ready for this. You’ve been getting a steady diet of Get Fed and can answer this question easily!
The claim that the Deuterocanon (the seven books of Tobias, Judith, Baruch, Ecclesiastes, Wisdom, and Maccabees I and II) was added in 1546 is a myth that arose during the Protestant Revolution to justify removing books from Sacred Scripture that went against incorrect Protestant teachings.
The Deuterocanon was not added in 1546. The oldest complete form of the Old Testament, a Greek translation called the Septuagint, contained these seven books (which were originally in Greek).
When the Church finalized the Old and New Testament books that made up the Bible in 382 A.D., she declared the Septuagint to be the official Old Testament. This decision was ratified in subsequent Church councils, with the last ratification taking place at Trent in…1546. The Church was not adding any new books—she was simply affirming the books that had been there all along.
This 73-book version of the Bible remained predominant up to and through the Protestant Revolution. In fact, the King James Version of 1611 contained all seven of the Deuterocanonical books!
This is just one of many questions your Protestant friend might bring to the table. It can be intimidating answering him—but don’t worry. Catholic Apologist Gerard Verschuuren is here to help! In his fascinating and charitably-written book Forty Anti-Catholic Lies, you’ll learn the truths that debunk claims such as “Catholics worship Mary” or “The Inquisition murdered thousands.” Precise, authoritative, and sometimes humorous, this book will equip you with the truth and confidence to defend the Church. Get your copy today! -
Did you know that the Church firmly condemned slavery?Since the rise of racial slavery, the Church has opposed the enslavement of our fellow man.
Thanks to the building of ships large enough to brave the ocean, the 15th century saw the discovery and exploration of lands new to the West. This opened up new evangelizing opportunities for the Church—but it also opened new avenues for crimes against humanity.
The discovery of new peoples who could be carried off at no cost and sold for profit sparked racial slavery. The practice spread quickly, even among some Catholics.
In the 1430s, natives of the newly-colonized Canary Islands received the Faith and were baptized. Not long afterward, many of them were despoiled of their properties and sold into slavery by aggressors such as Portuguese soldiers, for example, who came from a Catholic country.
The pope, Eugene IV, was greatly disturbed when he heard of this.
He immediately issued a bull against enslavement, condemning the traders for enslaving fellow Catholics. He prescribed the highest punishment of excommunication upon those who kept the natives enslaved after hearing the bull.
A statue of Pope Eugene at Florence’s cathedral
Subsequent popes upheld Eugene’s decrees, clarifying punishments for enslaving fellow men—Catholic or not—and defending the dignity of human nature in other races. The teachings on slavery were developed over the next five centuries and propagated by bulls, encyclicals, and letters from the popes.
And yet, many people don’t know what the Church has taught on behalf of enslaved persons.
In fact, there are a lot of misunderstandings and unknown facts about the Church among Catholics and non-Catholics alike. Did you know that a priest invented the “Big Bang” theory to explain how God might have brought about creation? Did you know that medieval monasteries were incredibly technologically advanced? If you didn’t, you’ll learn the details behind these and many more facts in 101 Surprising Facts About Church History. Engaging, surprising, and beautifully illustrated, these pages tell of the Church’s rich history of achievements and patronages. A pleasing and fun coffee table resident. Available today at The Catholic Company!
