by Peter James | Oct 5, 2024 | Charles Beecher
It was said of 19th-century America that “the country is inhabited by saints, sinners, and Beechers.” The famous preacher Lyman Beecher and his wife Roxanna had 13 children, many of whom became well-known American writers, preachers, and educators....
by Peter James | Oct 4, 2024 | Martyrs of Memphis
When an epidemic of yellow fever ravaged Memphis in 1878, half of its 40,000 residents fled the city. Anyone who could afford to escape did so, leaving the poor and disadvantaged to fend for themselves. Medical services were limited as many doctors left the city, as...
by Peter James | Oct 3, 2024 | Leo the Great
Leo the Great (400-461) may be best known for his famed encounter with Attila the Hun in AD 452. Attila and his hordes had ransacked most of Italy and were now bearing down on Rome. Leo, in his lead role as Bishop of Rome, resolved to meet Attila on the field of...
by Peter James | Oct 2, 2024 | Frances Willard
A large contingent of women walked down Market Street in Pittsburgh arm-in-arm in 1873. They stopped at Sheffner’s Saloon, but the saloonkeeper refused them entrance. The women circled at the curb, sang a hymn, and were led in prayer by a woman whose son had...
by Peter James | Oct 1, 2024 | Ignatius of Loyola
Near the end of Ignatius of Loyola’s (1491-1556) Spiritual Exercises is a section titled “Some Thoughts Concerning Scruples.” Scruple was a term Ignatius used to describe an excessive obsession or compulsion. He likened scrupulosity to becoming...
